Catalytic-Effect Comparison Between Nickel and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles During Aquathermolysis-Aided Cyclic Steam Stimulation

Abstract

Summary Cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) is a proven effective technique for boosting oil production. Metal species can act as a catalyst for aquathermolysis reactions between heavy oil and water during the CSS process. For this paper, a series of CSS experiments with and without metal nanoparticles was conducted at temperatures up to 220°C to compare the performance of nickel and iron oxide nanoparticles in promoting aquathermolysis reactions in CSS; further, different loadings of metal nanoparticles were also tested in the CSS experiments. During the experiments, we monitored the variations of oil recovery factor, oil viscosity, gas composition, and water production. The experimental results show that both nickel and iron oxide nanoparticles can act as a catalyst for aquathermolysis reactions and reduce the viscosity of heavy oil. However, their respective catalytic effects differ significantly: nickel nanoparticles can break the C-S bond more effectively than iron oxide metal nanoparticles, thus achieving a higher ultimate oil recovery factor of CSS. The introduction of metal nanoparticles boosted oil production and increased water production from the very first cycle in the CSS process. The gas chromatography (GC) analysis and the pressure data recorded during each soaking period revealed that a higher amount of evolved gas including alkenes and hydrogen sulfide was generated in the early stage, increasing reservoir pressure and forcing more condensed water to be produced from the sandpack.