SOURING OF NEW IRIAN JAYA WELLS TRACED TO INDIGENOUS BACTERIA

P.J.B. Scott, Michael Davies Cariad Consultants Heraklion, Greece Analysis using stable isotopes of sulfur combined with more traditional analyses demonstrated that souring of oil produced from several new wells in Indonesia was caused by indigenous sulfate-reducing bacteria. The new wells are in an oil and gas field being developed on Salawati Island off Irian Jaya (Fig. 1) by the joint operating body (JOB) Pertamina-Trend Salawati, under a production sharing contract between Pertamina and