Laboratory Investigation of Nanofluid-Assisted Polymer Flooding in Carbonate Reservoirs

Abstract

In the petroleum industry, the remaining oil is often extracted using conventional chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques, such as polymer flooding. Nanoparticles have also greatly aided EOR, with benefits like wettability alteration and improvements in fluid properties that lead to better oil mobility. However, silica nanoparticles combined with polymers like hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) improve polymer flooding performance with better mobility control. The oil displacement and the interaction between the rock and polymer solution are both influenced by this hybrid approach. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the injection of nanofluid-polymer as an EOR approach. It has been observed that nanoparticles can change rock wettability, increase polymer viscosity, and decrease polymer retention in carbonate rock. The optimum concentrations for hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (2000 ppm) and 0.1 wt% (1000 ppm) silica nanoparticles were determined through rheology experiments and contact angle measurements. The results of the contact angle measurements revealed that 0.1 wt% silica nanofluid alters the contact angle by 45.6°. The nano-silica/polymer solution resulted in a higher viscosity than the pure polymer solution as measured by rheology experiments. A series of flooding experiments were conducted on oil-wet carbonate core samples in tertiary recovery mode. The maximum incremental oil recovery of 26.88% was obtained by injecting silica nanofluid followed by a nanofluid-assisted polymer solution as an EOR technique. The application of this research will provide new opportunities for hybrid EOR techniques in maximizing oil production from depleted high-temperature and high-salinity carbonate reservoirs.

Nanoparticles Technology for Improving Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage Process Performance: A Review

“…The terms “wettability”, “wettability alteration”, “reducing interfacial tension”, and “adsorption” depicted in Figure , are within the context of chemical EOR. These terms refer mainly to the synergistic application of nanoparticles with surfactants to improve their action in rocks such as sand and carbonate, changing the initial wettability of the oil by increasing surfactant adsorption and decreasing interfacial tension values. − Similarly, the integration of nanoparticles into polymer flooding improves the thermo-mechanical properties of these compounds, while mitigating polymer losses under thermodynamically harsh conditions. − The words “in situ enhancement”, “thermal conductivity”, “heavy oil”, “magnetized nanoparticles”, and “steam injection” are related in the context of thermal oil recovery. As we will see in Section , the use of nanoparticles has demonstrated in situ heavy oil upgrading through the catalytic effect of the nanoparticles in techniques such as steam injection. ,,− ,− ,− , …”

“…Figure shows some of the mechanisms that are mentioned in Table : (i) nanoparticle stabilized emulsion; (ii) a decrease of the polymer adsorption; (iii) an improved mobility control …”

Stability and Rheological Properties of the Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose-Based Graft Copolymer/Halocynthia roretzi Drasche-Based Cellulose Nanocrystal/Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Dispersion for Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery

“…21−23 The practical applications of a variety of nanoparticles, such as SiO 2 , 24,25 TiO 2 , 26 ZrO 2 , 27 and Fe 3 O 4 , 28 have concentrated on reservoir characterization, nanotracking, well drilling, and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Furthermore, the main applications of nanoparticles in the field of EOR include foam stabilization, 25,29 emulsion stabilization, 30 polymer viscosity improvement, 26,31 and oil− water interfacial tension reduction. 32 However, the majority of widely used nanoparticles are mainly metal oxides and nonmetal oxides, which are more or less prone to cause environmental pollution.…”

“…In the past few years, nanomaterials have attracted comprehensive attention in the petroleum industry owing to their superior characteristics and performance, including high specific surface area and surface energy, small size effect and quantum size effect, etc. − The practical applications of a variety of nanoparticles, such as SiO 2 , , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , and Fe 3 O 4 , have concentrated on reservoir characterization, nanotracking, well drilling, and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Furthermore, the main applications of nanoparticles in the field of EOR include foam stabilization, , emulsion stabilization, polymer viscosity improvement, , and oil–water interfacial tension reduction . However, the majority of widely used nanoparticles are mainly metal oxides and non-metal oxides, which are more or less prone to cause environmental pollution.…”

Unlocking the Power of Artificial Intelligence: Accurate Zeta Potential Prediction Using Machine Learning

“…Nanoparticles have shown great potential in medical applications such as drug delivery, imaging, and cancer therapy, as they can be designed to target specific cells and tissues [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In addition, they are being explored for their use in the oil and gas industry [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], energy storage and conversion [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], environmental remediation [ 20 , 21 ], and information and communication technology, including the manufacture of smaller and faster electronic devices and data storage systems [ 22 , 23 ]. Overall, nanoparticles hold great potential for a wide range of applications and their unique properties make them a promising area of research.…”