Recovery of heavy crude oil with electrical enhanced oil recovery using lignin nanoparticles: A review

Abstract

This research work addresses the problem of extraction of heavy oil efficiently with the simultaneous use of Electrical EOR (enhanced oil recovery) and environment friendly nanofluids. The economic extraction of heavy crude oil remains a major concern to resolve as it is extremely viscous and difficult to flow, making standard extraction techniques inefficient, it is attainable by reduction of oil viscosity through implementation of EOR techniques. Electrical EOR processes utilize electrical resistance heating, microwave heating, and electromagnetic induction heating. The traditional thermal methods experience substantial heat loss to the surrounding formation in thin pay zones and through the wellbore in deep wells. This results in either early fluid injection breakthrough in high permeability zones or challenges in fluid penetration into the formations in low permeability zones and reservoir heterogeneity which makes the process less efficient. By using electrical approaches in enhanced recovery methods, these difficulties can be overcome because they are all based on the emission of specific waves to raise the temperature of the reservoir, handle difficulties of reservoir heterogeneity and heat losses in thin formations. Therefore, electrical EOR is being developed as a more advanced and efficient approach than conventional EOR methods. Additionally, nanomaterials (or nanofluids) can be used with these electrical approaches, as an effective medium to ease the heavy oil extraction, as they alter rock wettability, reduce fluid viscosity, increase thermal conductivity, and change interfacial tension, further changing the molecular interaction between the different interfaces. However, the preparation of nanomaterial for EOR poses environmental concerns. So, the objective of this review is to assess the increased efficiency of the Electrical EOR by using abundantly present eco-friendly nanoparticles such as organic polymer Lignin. This work proposes to use lignin-based nanoparticles for the first time as the best ecofriendly nanoparticle to extract heavy oil efficiently using Electrical EOR.