Abstract
Various nanoparticles (NPs) have been discovered as revolutionary agents of change in reservoir properties such as rheology, interfacial tension (IFT), and surface wettability that could lead to enhanced oil displacement. In recent years, Silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) and various metal oxide NPs have recorded successes in oil recovery, thus, understanding composites of NPs fluids is anticipated to provide unprecedented outcomes. The present study is aimed at evaluating the synergy impact of the NPs concentrations of Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 on rheology, IFT, and rock surface wettability. The composite of Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 was firstly synthesized and characterized to determine its physical and chemical properties. Subsequently, nanofluids of Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 were prepared at different concentrations using brine as a fluid dispersant phase and investigated on the rheology, IFT, and wettability at 60 °C. The results have shown that the dispersion stability of the Fe 2 O 3 NPs was found to have increased from −11 mV to −38 mV when SiO 2 NPs were introduced and led to an increase in the viscosity of the composite fluids from 0.88 cP to 1.95 cP. The base case IFT (brine/oil system) was observed to be 17.39 mN/m, and upon introduction of the Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 composite, the IFT significantly reduced to 0.21 mN/m as a result of the high attachment of the NPs at the oil/fluid interface. Furthermore, combining SiO 2 with the Fe 2 O 3 has facilitated the adsorption capacity of the NPs composite leading to the spreading of the nanocomposite fluids on the surface of sandstone which eventually alters the wettability from 140.65° to 26.23°. The study has shown the synergy effect of composite NPs which resulted in reducing the IFT and wettability by 98 and 81% respectively in advance of 50–60% reductions commonly observed when individual NPs have been used. • The stability of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) was improved when combined with SiO 2 NPs which led to viscosity increment. • High attachment of the NPs at the oil/fluid interface was observed while utilizing Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 NPs. • The composite fluids cause additional spreading of the fluids on the surface of the sandstone. • The synergy effect of Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 NPs has resulted in reducing the IFT and wettability by 98 and 81% respectively.
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