Nanoparticles For Enhanced Oil Recovery Research Articles

Effect of silica-based hybrid nano-surfactant on interfacial tension reduction for enhanced oil recovery

Crude oil production has considerably stabilized economic growth on a global scale. Unfortunately, the difficulties of oil production from a reservoir is being a global concern. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is one of the methods employed recently to increase oil production rate. Nanotechnology has been identified as one of the effective EOR techniques employed using nanoparticles (NPs) as a suitable candidates. Altering a reservoir's petrophysical property such as reducing interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and other liquids is an essential factor that plays a significant role in EOR. Considering the significant effects shown by silicon dioxide (SiO2) and iron dioxide (Fe2O3) NPs in EOR, the present study is aimed at investigating the influence of Fe2O3-SiO2 hybrid NPs supported with a surfactant on IFT. The hybrid NPs were produced and separately incorporated with surfactants of anionic sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The physical and chemical properties of the hybrid NPs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, respectively. According to the results, the XRD pattern of the Fe2O3-SiO2 hybrid NPs displayed a crystalline structure of Fe2O3 NPs. The FTIR spectra of Fe2O3-SiO2 hybrid NPs showed characteristic absorptions of Fe2O3 and SiO2, indicating successful hybrid formation. The viscosity of Fe2O3-SiO2 nanofluids has increased from 0.95 to 1.85 cP. Upon introducing a hybrid nano-surface of SDBS and PVP, the viscosity values increased to 1.95 cP and 1.90 cP, respectively. Moreover, the Fe2O3-SiO2 hybrid NPs has reduced oil/brine/nanofluids IFT from 17.39 mN m−1 to 5.03 mN m−1. Additional reductions were observed when the surfactants were included. Consequently, IFT (mN m−1) was reduced from 17.39 to 3.08 for Fe2O3-SiO2-PVP and from 17.39 to 2.55 for Fe2O3-SiO2-SDBS. The finding of this study can help for a better understanding of the significant effect of silica-based hybrid nano-surfactant for IFT reduction which in turn could enhance oil production.

Nanofluid based on 1-dodecylpyridinium chloride for enhanced oil recovery

The use of nanoparticles is considered promising for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), especially when they are combined with surfactants. However, the combination of nano-sized material with surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) is an unexplored EOR method. In this work, the advantages of mixing Al2O3 nanoparticles with the SAIL 1-dodecylpyridinium chloride were investigated. Stable nanofluids in brine could only be achieved using the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizing agent. It was found that the addition of nanoparticles (and PVP) to the surfactant formulation helped to: slightly increase its viscosity, enhance its water-oil interfacial tension (IFT) reduction capacity, and reduce the adsorption on carbonate rocks (adsorption on sandstone was found to be excessive). IFT was selected as target property to minimize for the design of EOR formulations. Core flooding tests were carried out with surfactant (0.5 wt% [C12py]Cl), surfactant-polymer (0.5 wt% [C12py]Cl, 1.0 wt% PVP) and nanofluid (0.05 wt% Al2O3, 1.0 wt% PVP, 0.5 wt% [C12py]Cl) formulations in brine (0.5 wt% NaCl). Additional oil recoveries of 3.4%, 7.4% and 12.0% OOIP were achieved, respectively, the nanofluid formulation being the most promising for the application. Moreover, it was found capable of changing the wettability of carbonate rocks from oil-wet to intermediate-wet. The significance of this work lies in showing the new possibilities resulting from the combination of SAILs and nanoparticles for EOR, specifically the combination of [C12py]Cl with Al2O3.

Surface modification of nanoparticles to improve oil recovery Mechanisms: A critical review of the methods, influencing Parameters, advances and prospects

• Surface modification of NPs can be classified as in-situ or post-synthesis. Both employ identical procedures. • Grafting-from increases grafting densities and polymer coverage of the NP surface than grafting-to. • Surface modifications can reduce particle hydrophilicity and thus particle retention on the rock surface. • In order to guide future research in this field, leading surface modification methods must be described in detail. The utilization of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has a lot of benefits however, the usage of bare NPs still has a few drawbacks, including instability, agglomeration and aggregation, which can cause pore channel obstruction and quick sedimentation resulting in low oil recovery. Nonetheless, surface modification of NPs can circumvent these problems however, an account of leading approaches for surface modification and their effect on improving EOR effectiveness interconnected with NPs microscopic features, with the aim of providing a guide for future efforts in this area is essential. Here, a critical review on surface modification of NPs to improve oil recovery mechanisms is presented. Surface modification of NPs can be classified into two categories: in-situ surface modification and post-synthesis surface modification, both of which involve grafting, coupling, surfactant usage, and esterification to achieve the same results. Surface modifications can reduce particle hydrophilicity, reducing particle retention on rock surfaces. Depending on the NPs' surface nature, many techniques based on surface affinity for different chemical groups have been created. The study equally revealed that functionalized NPs have excellent mobility regulation, thermal stability and rheological properties, and they make oil droplets stable against coalescence. Moreover, the application of different surfaced modified NPs in EOR were reviewed. Finally, the challenges encountered were identified with proffered solutions, future trend and research opportunities were outlined. Since each modification type is tailored to the final application, there is no single best NPs surface modification technique. As a result, when it comes to specific goals, all techniques are equally weighted.

Enhanced oil recovery with nanofluids based on aluminum oxide and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid

Surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) have multiplied the possibilities of surfactant enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods. Among their multiple promising features, the possibility of functionalization and their stability at harsh conditions should be highlighted for the application. They have been successfully applied to increase oil recovery by improving crucial parameters such as: formulation stability, reduction of water–oil interfacial tension, and wettability. Recently, nanoparticles have attracted attention for EOR applications due to their capacity to modify the properties of rock surfaces. However, to date no research has been conducted on the combination of SAILs with nanoparticles for EOR. In this work, the combination of the SAIL 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, [C12mim]Cl, with Al2O3 nanoparticles is proposed for EOR. Stable dispersions in brine were achieved, using the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizing agent, and characterized through density and dynamic viscosity measurements. According to stability and interfacial tension studies, a nanofluid consisting of 0.05 wt% [C12mim]Cl, 0.05 wt% Al2O3 and 1.0 wt% PVP, in brine (5.0 wt% NaCl) was proposed for EOR in carbonate reservoirs. The presence of nanoparticles reduced the adsorption of the surfactant-polymer formulation on carbonate rocks and changed the aged rock wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. An additional oil recovery of 10.4 %OOIP was achieved with the surfactant-polymer formulation, in comparison with 14.8 %OOIP obtained with the nanofluid.

Atomistic insight into oil displacement on rough surface by Janus nanoparticles

Janus nanoparticles (NPs) hold great potential in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), although the mechanism remains unclear. In the study, the displacement dynamics of trapped oil in the rough channel by Janus NPs are unraveled through atomistic modeling. The results indicate that Janus NPs with large polar faces significantly recover more oil from the nano-pocket (nano groove of the surface). The structure of adsorbed NPs on the wall of oil-trapping nano-pockets strongly causes the local wettability alteration, which ultimately determines the oil recovery. The crucial events in oil recovery by Janus NPs, termed ‘adsorption invasion process’, are identified, which comprise of anchoring onto the surface, pinning at the edge, and entering inside the pocket. The controlling factors are further detailed, including identification of the residual oil, displacement pressure, and the geometry of the oil-water interface inside nano-pockets. With the proposed analysis, the “huff-n-puff” mode is verified as the optimized application method for Janus NPs. For the first time, our results bring to light the dynamic wettability alteration on the rough surface by Janus NPs from atomistic insights. The findings reveal the intrinsic EOR mechanism of Janus NPs, which could guide the design and application of Janus NPs in EOR.

A State-of-the-Art Review of Nanoparticles Application in Petroleum with a Focus on Enhanced Oil Recovery

Research on nanotechnology application in the oil and gas industry has been growing rapidly in the past decade, as evidenced by the number of scientific articles published in the field. With oil and gas reserves harder to find, access, and produce, the pursuit of more game-changing technologies that can address the challenges of the industry has stimulated this growth. Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the petroleum industry both upstream and downstream, including exploration, drilling, production, and enhanced oil recovery (EOR), as well as refinery processes. It provides a wide range of alternatives for technologies and materials to be utilized in the petroleum industry. Nanoscale materials in various forms such as solid composites, complex fluids, and functional nanoparticle-fluid combinations are key to the new technological advances. This paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review on the application of nanoparticles and technology in the petroleum industry, and focuses on enhanced oil recovery. We briefly summarize nanotechnology application in exploration and reservoir characterization, drilling and completion, production and stimulation, and refinery. Thereafter, this paper focuses on the application of nanoparticles in EOR. The different types of nanomaterials, e.g., silica, aluminum oxides, iron oxide, nickel oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, polymers, and carbon nanotubes that have been studied in EOR are discussed with respect to their properties, their performance, advantages, and disadvantages. We then elaborate upon the parameters that will affect the performance of nanoparticles in EOR, and guidelines for promising recovery factors are emphasized. The mechanisms of the nanoparticles in the EOR processes are then underlined, such as wettability alteration, interfacial tension reduction, disjoining pressure, and viscosity control. The objective of this review is to present a wide range of knowledge and expertise related to the nanotechnology application in the petroleum industry in general, and the EOR process in particular. The challenges and future research directions for nano-EOR are pinpointed.

Technology Focus: EOR Performance and Modeling (January 2011)

Technology Focus SPE hosted two enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) conferences in 2010: One was the 2010 SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium in Tulsa and the other was the 2010 SPE EOR Conference at Oil & Gas West Asia, Muscat, Oman. Many other SPE conferences had sessions on EOR technologies. Therefore, it is not surprising that more than 350 papers were presented on the topic in the past year. These papers covered past field-application experiences and accomplishments, current strides, and future directions. As in previous years, when I selected papers to highlight EOR this year, I classified the papers into the categories of gas injection, chemical methods, thermal methods, conformance control, microbial EOR, carbonate-reservoir EOR, reservoir-problem-identification technologies, and novel EOR methods such as low-salinity waterflooding and nanoparticles for EOR. However, it was still quite difficult to select only four to highlight from so many outstanding papers. In the past few EOR features, I highlighted chemical methods, CO2 EOR and sequestration, low-salinity waterflooding, particle gel for conformance control, wettability alteration, and methods to identify reservoir channels. Even though those topics are still quite important and many new ideas and information were presented this year, I decided to give preference to topics not highlighted before and to papers that comprehensively summarize field experiences. Overall, the leading-edge EOR technologies presented in SPE meetings this past year will be applied increasingly on a global scale and will increase the oil recovery of mature oil fields significantly as the technologies mature. EOR Performance and Modeling additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org SPE 133089 • “Rock/Fluid Characterization for Miscible-CO2 Injection: Residual-Oil Zone, Seminole Field, Permian Basin” by M.M. Honarpour, SPE, Hess Corporation, et al. SPE 129899 • “Potential for Polymer Flooding Reservoirs With Viscous Oils” by R.S. Seright, SPE, New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center. See SPE Res Eval & Eng, August 2010, page 730. SPE 132487 • “Air Injection in Heavy-Oil Reservoirs—A Process Whose Time Has Come (Again)” by M.G. Ursenbach, SPE, University of Calgary, et al. See J Can Pet Technol, January 2010, page 48. SPE 129925 • “Nanoparticle-Stabilized Supercritical CO2 Foams for Potential Mobility-Control Applications” by David Espinosa, SPE, University of Texas at Austin, et al. SPE 129692 • “Demonstration of Low-Salinity EOR at Interwell Scale, Endicott Field, Alaska” by Jim Seccombe, SPE, BP plc, et al. SPE 139667 • “Tertiary Oil Recovery and CO2 Sequestration by Carbonated-Water Injection” by N.I. Kechut, SPE, Heriot-Watt University, et al. SPE 132359 • “Identifying Injector/Producer Relationships in Waterflood Using Hybrid Constrained Nonlinear Optimization” by H. Lee, University of Southern California, et al.