Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Druetta, Pablo; Raffa, Patrizio; Picchioni, Francesco

doi:10.3390/app8122596

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 162 publications

(272 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Among the methods of enhanced oil recovery, there is a wide range of processes that take advantage of the thermal properties of steam to generate the decomposition of heavy molecules through gasification, methanation, steam reforming, hydrogenation, aquathermolysis, and water-gas shift reactions [47]. The aquathermolysis reactions begin with the cleavage of the bonds C-S present in the molecular structure of the n-C 7 asphaltenes, generating the production of H 2 S, because C-S bonds are the bonds with smaller energy of dissociation [126]. The reaction mechanism is shown below…”

Section: Influence Of Nanoparticles In Steam Injection Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanotechnology Applied to Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes: A Review

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increasing demand for fossil fuels and the depleting of light crude oil in the next years generates the need to exploit heavy and unconventional crude oils. To face this challenge, the oil and gas industry has chosen the implementation of new technologies capable of improving the efficiency in the enhanced recovery oil (EOR) processes. In this context, the incorporation of nanotechnology through the development of nanoparticles and nanofluids to increase the productivity of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils has taken significant importance, mainly through thermal enhanced oil recovery (TEOR) processes. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of nanotechnology applied to oil recovery technologies with a focus on thermal methods, elaborating on the upgrading of the heavy and extra-heavy crude oils using nanomaterials from laboratory studies to field trial proposals. In detail, the introduction section contains general information about EOR processes, their weaknesses, and strengths, as well as an overview that promotes the application of nanotechnology. Besides, this review addresses the physicochemical properties of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils in Section 2. The interaction of nanoparticles with heavy fractions such as asphaltenes and resins, as well as the variables that can influence the adsorptive phenomenon are presented in detail in Section 3. This section also includes the effects of nanoparticles on the other relevant mechanisms in TEOR methods, such as viscosity changes, wettability alteration, and interfacial tension reduction. The catalytic effect influenced by the nanoparticles in the different thermal recovery processes is described in Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7. Finally, Sections 8 and 9 involve the description of an implementation plan of nanotechnology for the steam injection process, environmental impacts, and recent trends. Additionally, the review proposes critical stages in order to obtain a successful application of nanoparticles in thermal oil recovery processes.

show abstract

Section: Influence Of Nanoparticles In Steam Injection Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanotechnology Applied to Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes: A Review

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, this technology can be considered relatively new, and large field applications have not been documented in the literature [15]. Druetta et al reported a comprehensive review of the application of nanotechnology in EOR [16]. However, this research also recognized that there are some limitations of the technology that must be addressed.…”

Section: Css With Nanoparticlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of nanoparticles to generate physical and chemical changes due to their interaction with heavy crude oils has been widely proposed. Heat transfer improvement and viscosity reduction (e.g., breakage of C-S bonds and hydrogenation of unsaturated bonds) are among the proposed mechanisms during the interaction of crude oil and nanoparticles [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

Section: Css With Nanoparticlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefit–Cost and Energy Efficiency Index to Support the Screening of Hybrid Cyclic Steam Stimulation Methods

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most of the evaluations of thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods in numerical simulations mainly focus on the identification of recovery processes with the greatest potential to increase oil recovery. In some cases, the economic aspects of the EOR methods evaluated are also considered. However, these studies often lack the evaluation of the energy efficiency of the proposed methods as a strategy to support the selection of profitable recovery processes. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the potential of different hybrid cyclic steam stimulation (CSS, with flue gas, foam, nanoparticles, or solvents) methods based on a numerical simulation study using a radial model representative of a large heavy oil reservoir in the Middle Magdalena Basin, Colombia. The simulation results were used to estimate the benefit–cost (B/C) ratios and energy efficiency (EE) indices that can be used to screen and rank the hybrid CSS methods studied. When comparing different hybrid methods, it was found that CSS with nanoparticles or solvents performed better during the first two steam cycles (higher oil saturations). However, CSS with foam and flue gases showed higher incremental oil production (≥3564 bbls or 567 m3) during the sixth steam cycle. Based on an energy cost index (ECI = [(B/C) / EE]), CSS with foam outperformed (ECI ≈ 453) cyclic steam injection with flue gases (ECI ≈ 21) and solvents (ECI ≈ 0.1) evaluated during the sixth steam cycle. The results show that this methodology can be used to guide decision-making to identify hybrid CSS methods that can increase oil recovery in a cost-effective manner and provide an efficient energy balance.

show abstract

“…The properties of foam fluids related to oil recovery can be modified to better adapt to the geological conditions; this is usually accomplished by changing the composition, preparation method, and/or preparation conditions of the foam system [4,5]. Most improvements have focused on improving the stability, salt resistance, temperature resistance and oil resistance of the foam [6,7]. Bubbles in the foam fluid can lose their shape over the course of the flooding process, as the foam system is in a state of foaming-flowing-defoaming dynamic equilibrium in the porous media encountered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-Low Interfacial Tension Foam System for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Liu

Luo

et al. 2019

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The liquid phase of foam systems plays a major role in improving the fluidity of oil, by reducing oil viscosity and stripping oil from rock surfaces during foam-flooding processes. Improving the oil displacement capacity of the foam’s liquid phase could lead to significant improvement in foam-flooding effects. Oil-liquid interfacial tension (IFT) is an important indicator of the oil displacement capacity of a liquid. In this study, several surfactants were used as foaming agents, and polymers were used as foam stabilizers. Foaming was induced using a Waring blender stirring method. Foam with an oil-liquid IFT of less than 10–3 mN/m was prepared after a series of adjustments to the liquid composition. This study verified the possibility of a foam system with both an ultra-low oil-liquid IFT and high foaming properties. Our results provide insight into a means of optimizing foam fluids for enhanced oil recovery.

show abstract

Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Cited by 35 publications

References 162 publications

Nanotechnology Applied to Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes: A Review

Nanotechnology Applied to Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes: A Review

Benefit–Cost and Energy Efficiency Index to Support the Screening of Hybrid Cyclic Steam Stimulation Methods

Ultra-Low Interfacial Tension Foam System for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About