Effects of particle shape and size on nanofluid properties for potential Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Abstract

Abstract. Application of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in oil and gas industry is very important to increase oil recovery and prolong the lifetime of a reservoir but it has been very costly and losing properties of EOR agent due to harsh condition. Nanoparticles have been used in EOR application since they are not degradable in reservoir condition and used in smaller amount compared to polymer usage. Commonly, EOR techniques are focusing on increasing the sweep efficiency by controlling the mobility ratio between reservoir fluid and injected fluid. Thus, this research aimed to analyze the nanofluid viscosity at different particle size and shape, volumetric concentration and types of dispersing fluid, as well as to determine the oil recovery performance at different nanofluid concentration. The nanofluid viscosity was investigated at nanoparticle sizes of 15nm and 60nm and shapes of 15nm spherical-solid and porous. Five nanofluid samples with concentration ranging from 0.1wt.% to 7wt.% were used to investigate the effect of volumetric concentration. Distilled water, ethanol, ethylene glycol (EG) and brine were used for the effect of dispersing fluids. Oil recovery was investigated at five different concentrations of nanofluid samples through flooding test. It was found that viscosity of nanofluid increased with decreasing particle size and increasing volumetric concentration. Solid shape particle and increasing dispersing fluid viscosity resulted in higher nanofluid viscosity. The higher the nanofluid concentration, the higher the oil recovery obtained. It can be concluded that nanofluid properties have been significantly affected by the environment and the particle used for potential EOR application.

Comprehensive Review on the Role of Nanoparticles and Nanofluids in Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery: Interfacial Phenomenon, Compatibility, Scalability, and Economic Viability

“…Injection fluid with ethylene glycol has been reported to have the highest viscosity compared to ethanol, water, and deionized water when equal concentrations of the same size SiO 2 NPs were dispersed in different continuous phases at constant temperature. 13 The authors performed the oil recovery experiment using the highest viscosity injection fluid, neglecting others, which were lacking in their study. However, many others have selected water as the continuous phase to make the process more economical.…”

“…Different continuous phases play a significant role in determining the viscosity properties of injection fluids, which is essential for oil recovery. Injection fluid with ethylene glycol has been reported to have the highest viscosity compared to ethanol, water, and deionized water when equal concentrations of the same size SiO 2 NPs were dispersed in different continuous phases at constant temperature . The authors performed the oil recovery experiment using the highest viscosity injection fluid, neglecting others, which were lacking in their study.…”

“…However, it has been discovered that various NFs made from various nanomaterials and the continuous phase used each have a different impact on the reservoir rock. , Therefore, it is crucial for investigators to comprehend how various types of NPs affect oil recovery. To address this issue, a detailed discussion of the various types of NPs and their unique properties that influence EOR is the focus henceforth in this review.…”

Diffusion Coefficient and Interfacial Tension with Addition of Silica Nanoparticles in CO₂-Surfactant-Water-Hexane for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Using Molecular Dynamic Simulation

“…Enhanced oil recovery is a technique employed to extract the residual oil, which could not be recovered using conventional method. This technique can recover up to 60% of oil compared to the 20-40% recovery using conventional method [1]. Gas i.e CO2, N2, hydrocarbon gases and air injection are usually injected to displace the oil and increase the oil recovery.…”