Multi-scale Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Nanofluids on Interfacial Properties and Their Implications for Enhanced Oil Recovery PDF Download

Author: Wendi Kuang
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781687962522
Category : Enhanced oil recovery
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
As major fractions of oil are left unexploited in reservoirs, novel enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods are needed to recover larger portions of the fluid. Nanofluids have been reported to impact multi-phase flow behavior by various means. Nonetheless, the significance of some of the proposed effects is under debate, and the fundamental pore-scale mechanisms responsible for nanofluid-assisted EOR remain unexplained. In this work, we present the results of a multi-scale experimental study designed to develop a significantly improved understanding of the nanofluid-assisted EOR scheme. We first developed a stability assessment protocol to test the stability of, in total, eighteen nanofluids. Subsequently, the effects of stable nanofluids on interfacial properties were carefully characterized. Moreover, in order to probe the mechanisms of nanofluids at the pore scale, a miniature core-flooding apparatus, coupled with a high-resolution X-ray micro-CT scanner, was used to conduct experiments on rock samples. Oil production performance by spontaneous imbibition of both SiOx- and Al2O3-based nanofluids were tested in aged sandstone and dolomite samples. Furthermore, the effects of SiOx-based nanofluids on wettability were carefully evaluated by performing a pore-scale core-flooding experiment on oil-wet Berea sandstone samples at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. This study reveals that wettability reversal is the primary factor responsible for the observed recovery enhancement when the selected nanofluids are introduced. While the effect of IFT reduction by nanofluids, which has been reported in some studies as a controlling factor, is less significant. However, we observed that the inclusion of surfactant in nanofluids could result in even higher oil recovery by triggering a synergistic effect through simultaneous wettability reversal and IFT reduction. By analyzing the fluid occupancy maps on a pore-by-pore basis, we observed that wettability reversal enabled the invasion of the displacing fluid into small pores by producing an imbibition flow process; while IFT reduction helped the displacing fluid to invade into pores that remained oil-wet. The combined effect of the former and the later phenomena produced the above-mentioned synergistic effect and generated superior oil recovery performance.

Author: Ayub Khezrnejad
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Nanotechnology has found widespread application in a diverse range of industries. Researchers are now investigating whether nanotechnology can be applied to enhance oil recovery. The goal of enhanced oil recovery is to manipulate the fluid-fluid properties (interfacial tension, viscosity), and fluid-rock properties (contact angle, relative permeability) to improve pore scale recovery efficiency. In this study, nanofluids were prepared and injected into micromodels to study their effectiveness on oil recovery. Silicon oxide and aluminum oxide nanoparticles were used. Nanofluid viscosity and interfacial tension between nanofluid and oil was measured and modeled. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of the factors and their interactions. Fluid characterization data shows that nanoparticles are effective in both interfacial tension reduction and viscosity enhancement. The results from the micromodel studies indicate that adding a small amount of nanoparticles to the brine can enhance oil recovery by approximately 10 % - 20 %.

Author: Rahul Saha
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000433617
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Book Description
Sustainable world economy requires a steady supply of crude oil without any production constraints. Thus, the ever-increasing energy demand of the entire world can be mostly met through the enhanced production from crude oil from existing reservoirs. With the fact that newer reservoirs with large quantities of crude oil could not be explored at a faster pace, it will be inevitable to produce the crude oil from matured reservoirs at an affordable cost. Among alternate technologies, the chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique has promising potential to recover residual oil from matured reservoirs being subjected to primary and secondary water flooding operations. Due to pertinent complex phenomena that often have a combinatorial role and influence, the implementation of chemical EOR schemes such as alkali/surfactant/polymer flooding and their combinations necessitates upon a fundamental understanding of the potential mechanisms and their influences upon one another and desired response variables. Addressing these issues, the book attempts to provide useful screening criteria, guidelines, and rules of thumb for the identification of process parametric sets (including reservoir characteristics) and response characteristics (such as IFT, adsorption etc.,) that favor alternate chemical EOR systems. Finally, the book highlights the relevance of nanofluid/nanoparticle for conventional and unconventional reservoirs and serves as a needful resource to understand the emerging oil recovery technology. Overall, the volume will be of greater relevance for practicing engineers and consultants that wish to accelerate on field applications of chemical and nano-fluid EOR systems. Further, to those budding engineers that wish to improvise upon their technical know-how, the book will serve as a much-needed repository.

Author: K.R.V. Subramanian
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429886985
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 532

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Book Description
Nanofluids are solid-liquid composite material consisting of solid nanoparticles suspended in liquid with enhanced thermal properties. This book introduces basic fluid mechanics, conduction and convection in fluids, along with nanomaterials for nanofluids, property characterization, and outline applications of nanofluids in solar technology, machining and other special applications. Recent experiments on nanofluids have indicated significant increase in thermal conductivity compared with liquids without nanoparticles or larger particles, strong temperature dependence of thermal conductivity, and significant increase in critical heat flux in boiling heat transfer, all of which are covered in the book. Key Features Exclusive title focusing on niche engineering applications of nanofluids Contains high technical content especially in the areas of magnetic nanofluids and dilute oxide based nanofluids Feature examples from research applications such as solar technology and heat pipes Addresses heat transfer and thermodynamic features such as efficiency and work with mathematical rigor Focused in content with precise technical definitions and treatment

Author: Noorhana Yahya
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642146732
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
This volume covers all aspects of carbon and oxide based nanostructured materials. The topics include synthesis, characterization and application of carbon-based namely carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, fullerenes, carbon filled composites etc. In addition, metal oxides namely, ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3, ferrites, garnets etc., for various applications like sensors, solar cells, transformers, antennas, catalysts, batteries, lubricants, are presented. The book also includes the modeling of oxide and carbon based nanomaterials. The book covers the topics: Synthesis, characterization and application of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibres, fullerenes Synthesis, characterization and application of oxide based nanomaterials. Nanostructured magnetic and electric materials and their applications. Nanostructured materials for petro-chemical industry. Oxide and carbon based thin films for electronics and sustainable energy. Theory, calculations and modeling of nanostructured materials.

Author: Renfeng Jiang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The application of nanotechnology in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is emerging because nanoparticles have the potential to alter rock properties like wettability and fluid properties such as interfacial tension (IFT). In addition, a newly-proposed theory of the structural disjoining pressure (SDP) has become popular in the scientific community as well. However, a systematic literature review shows that ambiguity exists regarding which components in nanofluid play the role of changing wettability and interfacial tension (IFT). In addition, there are only a limited number of numerical and experimental studies to investigate the theory of the structural disjoining pressure (SDP), none of which can strictly confirm the theory. This motivates us to study these potential candidates of the mechanisms of nano-enhanced oil recovery (nano-EOR). We first conducted experiments using the contact angle goniometer to measure the contact angle and the interfacial tension (IFT) for various nanofluid compositions and the results showed that the addition of bare silica nanoparticles could reduce the contact angle. Specifically, a reduction in nanoparticle size and an increase in nanofluid concentration could further reduce the contact angle. However, bare nanoparticles did not change the interfacial tension (IFT). In order to investigate the theory of the structural disjoining pressure (SDP), we extended the model with a configuration that simulates the real case of the detachment of an oil droplet. The results showed that four conditions favor the spreading of the nanofluid on the substrate and the detachment of the oil droplet from the substrate to which it attached due to the structural disjoining pressure (SDP). These conditions include a high nanofluid concentration, a small nanoparticle size, a small contact angle of the nanofluid/oil/substrate system looking from the nanofluid phase, and a large oil droplet. Three imaging experiments were conducted using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and dynamic fluid-film interferometry (DFI) to verify the theory of nanofluid spreading due to the structural disjoining pressure (SDP). ESEM imaging experiments showed the result of a single layer of nanoparticles but could not eliminate the effect of evaporation. Combining the ESEM images with the results from DFI in a liquid cell eliminated the evaporation effect and confirmed that nanoparticles are capable of spreading over the substrate in a thin film that is composed of one single layer of nanoparticles. Moreover, an experiment into the extension of the coffee ring effect showed the discovery of a new coffee ring pattern. Finally, we conducted a nanofluid flooding experiment using carbonate rocks. It was able to isolate the effect of the two confirmed mechanisms on the oil recovery rate at core-scale and tested the potential of nano-enhanced oil recovery (nano-EOR) at core-scale. We determined that an increase in oil recovery of 6% was due to the wettability alteration and another 6% increase in oil recovery was due to the mechanism of the structural disjoining pressure (SDP) for our low permeable carbonate core.

Author: Patrizio Raffa
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110640430
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
This book aims at presenting, describing, and summarizing the latest advances in polymer flooding regarding the chemical synthesis of the EOR agents and the numerical simulation of compositional models in porous media, including a description of the possible applications of nanotechnology acting as a booster of traditional chemical EOR processes. A large part of the world economy depends nowadays on non-renewable energy sources, most of them of fossil origin. Though the search for and the development of newer, greener, and more sustainable sources have been going on for the last decades, humanity is still fossil-fuel dependent. Primary and secondary oil recovery techniques merely produce up to a half of the Original Oil In Place. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes are aimed at further increasing this value. Among these, chemical EOR techniques (including polymer flooding) present a great potential in low- and medium-viscosity oilfields. • Describes recent advances in chemical enhanced oil recovery. • Contains detailed description of polymer flooding and nanotechnology as promising boosting tools for EOR. • Includes both experimental and theoretical studies. About the Authors Patrizio Raffa is Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen. He focuses on design and synthesis of new polymeric materials optimized for industrial applications such as EOR, coatings and smart materials. He (co)authored about 40 articles in peer reviewed journals. Pablo Druetta works as lecturer at the University of Groningen (RUG) and as engineering consultant. He received his Ph.D. from RUG in 2018 and has been teaching at a graduate level for 15 years. His research focus lies on computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Author: Tianzhu Qin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781658425513
Category : Microfluidics
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Chemical additives such as surfactants, microemulsions (MEs), and nanofluids are often added to brine to enhance oil recovery or remediate aquifers contaminated by non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). The goal of this fundamental study was to examine the effect of these additives on multiscale oil displacements in six aged sandstones and carbonates (Berea, Bentheimer, Tensleep, Arkose, Edwards, and Fond Du Lac) and identify the test conditions in which chemicals exhibit superior performance. Several mechanisms such as reduction in NAPL/brine interfacial tension (IFT), oil emulsification, reduced NAPL layer thickness, and wettability alteration were responsible for the recovery enhancement. Macroscale tests indicated that the solubilization capacity of MEs was superior in Tensleep compared to Berea and Edwards due to MEs’ unique ability to penetrate microporous dolomites and alter their wettability. This solubilization ability was confirmed by x-ray microtomography experiments with Arkose where MEs were able to restore the wettability of pore surfaces by penetrating rough carbonate cements and desorbing asphaltenes in the form of small emulsified NAPL droplets. The surfactant formulation was further optimized to improve MEs’ ability to enhance NAPL recovery. Four different nonionic surfactants (alkyl glucosides, linear/branched alcohol ethoxylates) were selected to establish structure-function relationships in some of these rocks. The synergistic mixing of alkyl glucosides with alkylphenol ethoxylates exhibited a compact geometrical packing at NAPL/brine interfaces and a complementary effect on IFT reduction and wettability alteration, recovering the largest amounts of NAPL in carbonate-bearing rocks compared to other surfactants. This mixture was then used to prepare a nanofluid composed of microemulsions with in-situ synthesized silica nanoparticles. The microscale NAPL displacements by the nanofluid in Arkose sandstone was examined using a micro-CT scanner integrated with a miniature core flooding system. The incremental NAPL removal with the nanofluid (34.3%) was higher than that of ME (20%) due to the emulsification of NAPL into smaller droplets. The latter could penetrate small capillary elements of the rock that were inaccessible to ME, causing stronger wettability alteration especially in microporous carbonate cements. The microscale dynamics of NAPL displacement was examined by injecting various amounts of nanofluid into Fond Du Lac carbonate. Tomography data revealed that NAPL droplets were emulsified within the first injected pore volume, mobilizing almost 50% of NAPL. The size of these droplets decreased from 9 to 3 μm with increasing amount of nanofluid delivered into the pores through advection and diffusion. Subsequent nanofluid injection further removed NAPL from the smaller pores by changing their wettability, leading to a reduced thickness of adsorbed NAPL layers, a narrower in-situ contact angle distribution, and an additional 16% of NAPL removal.

Author: Neha Saxena
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030785483
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 45

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Book Description
This book focuses on the use of natural surfactants in enhanced oil recovery, providing an overview of surfactants, their types, and different physical–chemical properties used to analyse the efficiency of surfactants. Natural surfactants discuss the history of the surfactants, their classification, and the use of surfactants in petroleum industry. Special attention has been paid to natural surfactants and their advantages over synthetic surfactants, including analysing their properties such as emulsification, interfacial tension, and wettability and how these can be used in EOR. This book offers an overview for researchers and graduate students in the fields of petroleum and chemical engineering, as well as oil and gas industry professionals.

Author: Pu Han (Petroleum Engineer)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
"Nanomaterials have been widely studied and applied in the oil and gas industry. Among the developed nanomaterials, nano-sized crosslinked polymeric gel particle (nanogel) has shown great potential in recovering residual oil and improving oil recovery. This dissertation carried out their potential EOR mechanisms and the synergetic effect between nanogel and low salinity water. Nanogel used in this study was synthesized through the suspension polymerization process in our lab. The morphology, size distribution, and zeta potential were studied for nanogel dispersed in brine with variable ionic strength. The injectivity of nanogel was elucidated at first to ensure their in-depth penetration ability. The oil-water interfacial tension reduction and oil-in-water emulsion stabilization were studied with three kinds of nanogel and two types of oil at various nanogel concentrations, temperatures, and brine salinities. The core flooding experiments have indicated the residual oil can be fragmented and produced out in oil-in-water emulsion. This shear-induced emulsification property denotes nanogel can significantly improve oil phase mobility, especially for heavy oil. In addition, the diameter of emulsified oil drops in the effluent is inversely proportional to the shear rate. The synergistic effect between nanogel and low salinity water was found on both wettability alteration and interfacial tension reduction. From kinetic adsorption measurements, the adsorption was driven by both van der Waals force and electrostatic attraction during nanogel transport through porous media. The limestone flooded with nanogel and low salinity water achieved a 62.4% ultimate oil recovery. These results suggest that the synergistic effect between low salinity water and nanogel offers a promising platform for enhancing oil recovery"--Abstract, page iv.