Effect of Nanoparticles on Viscosity and Interfacial Tension of Aqueous Surfactant Solutions at High Salinity and High Temperature

Abstract

Surfactant flooding has widely been used as one of the chemically enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Surfactants majorly influence the interfacial tension, γ, between oil and brine phase and control capillary number and relative permeability behavior and, thus, influence ultimate recovery. Additives, such as nanoparticles, are known to affect surfactant properties and are regarded as promising EOR agents. However, their detailed interactions with surfactants are not well understood. Thus, in this work, we examined the influence of silica nanoparticles on the ability of surfactants to lower γ and to increase viscosity at various temperatures and salinities. Results show that the presence of nanoparticles decreased γ between n‐decane and various surfactant formulations by up to 20%. It was found that γ of nanoparticles–surfactant solutions passed through a minimum at 35 °C when salt was added. Furthermore, the viscosity of cationic surfactant solutions increased at specific salt (1.5 wt.%) and nanoparticle (0.05 wt.%) concentrations. Results illustrate that selected nanoparticles–surfactant formulations appear very promising for EOR as they can lower brine/n‐decane interfacial tension and act as viscosity modifiers of the injected fluids.

Investigating the Performance of Carboxylate-Alumoxane Nanoparticles as a Novel Chemically Functionalized Inhibitor on Asphaltene Precipitation

“…As mentioned in Sections and , PBMA nanoparticles possess a smaller size in comparison with BMA nanoparticles. This vital characteristic assists them in having better dispersion in liquid phases, inducing more interactions with asphaltenes in synthetic oil. − Another reason for this phenomenon can be ascribed to the surface area of nanoparticles. Due to the fact that the surface area of PBMA is higher than BMA, it can provide an opportunity for PBMA to expose more of their body surface to asphaltene molecules, causing greater adsorption capacity …”

Effect of Interface Structure and Behavior on the Fluid Flow Characteristics and Phase Interaction in the Petroleum Industry: State of the Art Review and Outlook

“…In nanoemulsion flooding, to prepare the ideal nanoemulsion to improve nanoemulsion stability, several surfactants and nanoparticles must be tested in the laboratory to select the appropriate surfactant and nanoparticle according to the subsurface environment in which the interfacial system is located. , In this process, surfactant screening is required to optimize the surfactant formulation to make the surfactant compatible with nanoparticles, but this process is time-consuming . Moreover, surfactant screening is highly risky because it will determine the displacement efficiency of nanoemulsion flooding. , Another issue that greatly affects the displacement efficiency of nanoemulsion flooding is the adsorption behavior of the interface. The adsorption of various chemical components such as alkalis, surfactants, and polymers is affected by phase interactions and external environmental factors; therefore, different interface structures are formed under different conditions.…”

Synergistic Effect of Low Salinity Surfactant Nanofluid on the Interfacial Tension of Oil–Water Systems, Wettability Alteration, and Surfactant Adsorption on the Quartz Surface

“…Yekeen et al 77 stated that the presence of the aromatic molecule in the SDBS surfactant helps in the uniform dispersion of SNP in LSS systems, which offers a better reduction in IFT. Further, Ivanova et al 78 stated that the electrostatic repulsive force generated by the similar charge of nanoparticle and surfactant helps the nanoparticle to preferentially occupy the interface of the aliphatic hydrocarbons−liquid system and results in IFT reduction. On further comparison, the percentage of IFT reduction for the n-decane−LSS−SNF system has shown a 72% reduction, and 63% is observed for the n-heptane−LSS−SNF system.…”