Carbon Dioxide Applications for Enhanced Oil Recovery Assisted by Nanoparticles: Recent Developments

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has received significant attention due to its potential to increase ultimate recovery from mature conventional oil reserves. CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR) helps to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering CO 2 in subterranean geological formations. CO 2 -EOR has been exploited commercially over recent decades to improve recovery from light and medium gravity oil reservoirs in their later stages of development. CO 2 tends to be used in either continuous flooding or alternated flooding with water injection. Problems can arise in CO 2 -flooded heterogeneous reservoirs, due to differential mobility of the fluid phases, causing viscous fingering and early CO 2 penetration to develop. This study reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques used for injecting CO 2 into subsurface reservoirs and the methods adopted in attempts to control CO 2 mobility. Recently developed methods are leading to improvements in CO 2 -EOR results. In particular, the involvement of nanoparticles combined with surfactants can act to stabilize CO 2 foam, making it more effective in the reservoir from an EOR perspective. The potential to improve CO 2 flooding techniques and the challenges and uncertainties associated with achieving that objective are addressed.

Improving Simultaneous Water Alternative Associate Gas Tests in the Presence of Newly Synthesized γ-Al2O3/ZnO/Urea Nano-Composites: An Experimental Core Flooding Tests

“…The CO 2 WAG injection mechanism has unique properties for miscible or immiscible displacement conditions. Higher oil-displacement ratios than under immiscible conditions result from miscible displacement . The challenges of early gas breakthroughs during WAG and massive gas injection have led to the initiation of SWAG schemes.…”

“…Higher oil-displacement ratios than under immiscible conditions result from miscible displacement. 46 The challenges of early gas breakthroughs during WAG and massive gas injection have led to the initiation of SWAG schemes. Generally, gas and water are combined in the SWAG-EOR process, which improves oil recovery by injecting the mixture into the well as a two-phase mixture.…”

Review on Oil Displacement Technologies of Enhanced Oil Recovery: State-of-the-Art and Outlook

“…However, in CO 2 flooding, the lighter components of the crude oil flow from the reservoir easily, but the heavier components (asphaltenes) settle on the rock surface and alter the wettability, further reducing the efficiency of CO 2 flooding . If NPs are added, the asphaltene can be adsorbed to the surface of the NPs, which minimizes the damage of asphaltene precipitation Figure depicts asphaltenes deposition onto the matrix surface and NPs preventing asphaltene precipitation.…”

Fundamental Mechanisms and Factors Associated with Nanoparticle-Assisted Enhanced Oil Recovery

“…Partially hydrophobic nanoparticles provide long-term stability compared to hydrophobic nanoparticles . The sizes of nanoparticles also affect the foam stability, such as the smaller sizes of nanoparticles proved to be more efficient in providing foam stability compared to larger-sized nanoparticles …”