Low Salinity Hot Water Injection with Addition of Nanoparticles for Enhancing Heavy Oil Recovery under Reservoir Conditions

Abstract

Abstract In this study, a novel technique of low salinity hot water (LSHW) injection with addition of nanoparticles has been developed to examine the synergistic effects of thermal energy, low salinity water (LSW) flooding, and nanoparticles for enhancing heavy oil recovery, while optimizing the operating parameters for such a hybrid enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. Experimentally, one-dimensional (1D) displacement experiments under different temperatures have been performed, while two types of nanoparticles (i.e., SiO2 and Al2O3) are respectively examined as the additive in the LSW. The performance of LSW injection with and without nanoparticles at various temperatures is evaluated, allowing optimization of the timing to initiate low salinity water injection. The corresponding initial oil saturation, production rate, water cut, and ultimate oil recovery, are continuously monitored and measured under various operating conditions. Compared to conventional water injection, the low salinity water injection is found to effectively improve heavy oil recovery as an EOR technique in the presence of nanoparticles. Also, the addition of nanoparticles into the LSHW can promote synergistic effect of thermal energy, wettability alteration, and reduction of interfacial tension (IFT), which improves water displacement efficiency and thus enhances oil recovery. It has been experimentally demonstrated that such LSHW injection with the addition of nanoparticles can be optimized to greatly improve oil recovery up to 40.2% in heavy oil reservoirs with low energy consumption.