Author(s)

Mohammed A. Al-Moniee^1*, Susanne Juhler², Ketil Sørensen², Xiangyang Zhu¹, Thomas Lundgaard², Fahad N. Al-Abeedi¹, Peter F. Sanders¹

¹Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
²Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Aarhus, Denmark.

Microbial activity is the cause of a variety of problems in water injection systems, e.g., microbial corrosion, plugging, and biofouling. Efficient monitoring of Saudi Aramco’s vast water injection system requires the development of online and automated technologies for monitoring microbial activities in the system. A previous system review and technology screening has identified five single-analyte strategies [1], which were evaluated in this study with a laboratory-scale setup to determine their applicability for automated determination of microbial activity in the injection water system. Four of the five single-analyte measuring principles tested in the laboratory setup were deemed less suitable for automation and/or reliable for use in the detection of microbial activity in the company injection water system. These four principles were: luminescence assay for adenosine-5’-triphosphate (ATP), detection and electrochemical measurements of H₂S, determination of pH by electrochemical sensor, and measurement of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). The strategy of staining cells with fluorescent DNA dyes, followed by quantification of fluorescence signals, was identified to hold, with proper optimization of DNA staining and fluorescence detection, a very promising potential for integration in automated, online sensors for microbial activity in the injection water system.

Microbial Sensors, DNA Staining, Fluorescent Detection, Automated Monitoring, Injection Water

A. Al-Moniee, M. , Juhler, S. , Sørensen, K. , Zhu, X. , Lundgaard, T. , N. Al-Abeedi, F. and F. Sanders, P. (2016) Laboratory-Scale Evaluation of Single Analyte Bacterial Monitoring Strategies in Water Injection Systems. Journal of Sensor Technology, 6, 11-26. doi: 10.4236/jst.2016.62002.