04 / Oil & Gas

SRB control. No residue. No downstream incompatibility.

Replace glutaraldehyde and THPS in produced water treatment, pipeline operations and completion fluids, without the hazmat classification.

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500–1,500 ppm
Biocide dose, produced water treatment
Non-hazmat
No UN hazardous goods classification
Scale-inhibitor compatible
No downstream process interference

The biocide that changes your hazmat profile, not your SRB kill rate.

Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are the primary driver of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in oil and gas infrastructure. Left unchecked, SRB-generated H₂S accelerates pipe wall loss, contaminates crude, and creates a safety exposure that is both environmental and personnel. The industry has controlled SRB for decades with glutaraldehyde and THPS, both effective, both increasingly problematic to handle, transport and dispose of.

HOCl at 500–1,500 ppm delivers equivalent SRB kill kinetics through a fundamentally different mechanism: oxidative cell membrane disruption rather than protein crosslinking. This means no resistance build-up over time, no toxic breakdown products, and no downstream incompatibility with the scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors and demulsifiers already in your produced water treatment train.

The logistics advantage is significant. HOCl ships as non-hazardous under most jurisdictions, no IMDG Class 8 classification, no restricted routing, no specialist tanker requirement for site delivery. For offshore operations and remote onshore facilities, this materially reduces supply chain cost and risk.

Oil & Gas, Dose Rate Reference

Application concentrations from 32,000 ppm concentrate

Produced water treatment (batch) 500–1,500 ppm Biocide
Pipeline continuous dose 200–500 ppm
Completion fluid treatment 500–1,000 ppm
Cooling water, continuous 2–5 ppm
Secondary recovery injection 100–300 ppm
Fracking fluid biocide 1,000–1,500 ppm

Deployment

Where it's deployed

HOCl integrates directly into existing chemical injection infrastructure, no specialist equipment, no process modification, no downstream reformulation required.

Produced Water Treatment
Batch or continuous HOCl injection into produced water streams. >99.9% SRB reduction at 1,000 ppm with a 30-minute contact time. No toxic sludge, no restricted effluent requiring specialist disposal.
Pipeline Biocide Injection
Continuous low-dose injection at 200–500 ppm via chemical injection quill into trunk and gathering lines. Prevents SRB colony establishment in dead legs, low-flow sections and water accumulation zones.
Completion Fluid Treatment
Pre-treatment of completion and workover fluids before introduction to the wellbore. Prevents SRB seeding from surface water sources, a leading cause of reservoir souring in secondary recovery operations.
Cooling Water Systems
Continuous dosing at 2–5 ppm in once-through and recirculating cooling systems. Controls Legionella, SRB and algal fouling without the corrosion inhibitor interference characteristic of oxidising biocides at higher concentrations.
Secondary Recovery
Treatment of injection water in waterflooding and polymer flooding programmes. HOCl eliminates SRB in source water before injection, preventing reservoir souring propagation into the formation.
Hydraulic Fracturing
High-dose biocide treatment of frac water at 1,000–1,500 ppm before surface mixing. Eliminates the SRB contamination introduced by open-pond storage, reducing long-term H₂S generation risk in fractured formations.

Technical

Specification at a glance

Compatibility data with scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors and demulsifiers available on request. Lab compatibility screening provided with initial commercial enquiry.

Parameter Value Note
Biocide dose, batch treatment 500–1,500 ppm Produced water, completion fluid, frac water; 30-minute minimum contact
SRB reduction >99.9% Log-3 minimum; log-5 achievable at 1,500 ppm with 60-minute contact
Pipeline continuous dose 200–500 ppm Injection via chemical quill; flow-weighted dosing recommended
Cooling systems 2–5 ppm continuous Legionella and SRB control; no corrosion inhibitor antagonism at this dose
Hazardous goods classification Non-hazardous No UN number required; no IMDG Class 8 designation at concentrate
Scale inhibitor compatibility Compatible Tested against ATMP, HEDP and polyacrylate-based scale inhibitors
pH 5.0–6.5 Stable at reservoir temperatures up to 60°C; stability data available

Comparison

What it replaces

The three oil-field biocides that HOCl is replacing and the operational, regulatory and safety reasons operators are making the change.

Glutaraldehyde
Problem
Classified as a Category 1B reproductive toxin and respiratory sensitiser. COSHH and OSHA requirements for handling are extensive, enclosed transfer, RPE, health surveillance. SRB resistance is a documented and growing problem with glutaraldehyde biocide programmes over 12–18 months. Disposal of treated produced water requires specialist handling.
HOCl advantage
No reproductive toxin classification. No respiratory sensitiser risk. No SRB resistance mechanism, oxidative kill cannot be enzymatically defeated. No special disposal classification for treated water. Ships as non-hazardous.
THPS (Tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulphate)
Problem
Effective SRB biocide but regulatory pressure is increasing significantly in the EU, UK North Sea (OSPAR) and US Gulf of Mexico under environmental discharge frameworks. Elevated ecotoxicity in marine environments. PPE and handling protocols are non-trivial. Incompatible with certain scale inhibitor chemistries at dose concentrations.
HOCl advantage
No OSPAR or NPDES discharge restriction. Ecotoxicity profile at discharge concentrations is significantly lower. Scale inhibitor compatible. Lower handling risk profile for offshore platform operations where PPE logistics are constrained.
DBNPA (2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide)
Problem
Fast-acting biocide but breaks down to cyanide-containing intermediates under certain conditions. Regional restrictions are expanding. Effective contact window is very short, requiring precise injection timing in variable-flow systems. Incompatible with sulphide-containing produced water streams at higher concentrations.
HOCl advantage
No cyanide-containing breakdown products. Stable and effective in sulphide-containing produced water. No regional use restrictions. Effective contact window is substantially longer, making it more tolerant of variable flow conditions.

Oil & Gas, Next step

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