Ongoing Projects

Prevention of Paraffin Deposition in Oil Well Tubing

June 1, 1999

| Microbes

Paraffin deposition is a major operational challenge in oil production systems. At temperatures below 30°C, paraffinic crude begins to precipitate, leading to progressive build-up on tubing and flowlines. This results in restricted flow, increased pressure, and eventual blockage, causing significant production losses and higher maintenance costs worldwide.

Conventional mitigation approaches, such as thermal treatment, chemical solvents, and mechanical scraping, are expensive, environmentally hazardous, and often require frequent shutdowns, impacting operational efficiency.

Oilzapper: Turning Oil Pollution into Opportunity

June 1, 1993

| Microbes

Oil spills and oily sludge have long posed serious environmental and operational challenges for the oil and gas industry. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, initiated a programme on Petroleum Biotechnology in 1992, under which several research projects were sanctioned. As part of a DBT-funded project, TERI commenced work in 1993 on the selection of indigenous microbial strains for the bioremediation of oil spills.