Chemical flooding using a polymer and/or surfactant has been widely applied in oilfields worldwide for enhanced oil recovery. Chemical adsorption in reservoirs has a significant effect on the rock permeability and wettability and hence can affect the overall oil production. In this work, two chemicals, namely, the xanthan gum (XG) biopolymer and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) anionic surfactant, were used individually as displacement fluids. The amount of chemical adsorption on the rock surface and the residual resistance factor (permeability reduction) were calculated throughout the flooding experiments using an unconsolidated sandstone (SS) pack model. The effects of the injected chemicals’ concentration and reservoir salinity on adsorption capacity have been examined. Additionally, the effect of the addition of nanosilica particles (NSPs) to the injected fluid on the rock adsorption was also investigated. The results showed that the amount of XG and SDBS adsorption on the rock surface increased, albeit to a different extent, by increasing the chemical concentration at the applied salinities (0, 3.5, 5, and 10%) of the displacement fluids. Also, the permeability reduction increased with the increase in XG and SDBS concentrations; however, permeability reduction due to SDBS flooding was lower than that of XG in SS. The use of NSPs as a coinjectant to the XG and SDBS displacement fluids increased the adsorption on the SS rock. A plausible mechanism for the adsorption of the XG/NSP and SDBS/NSP blends on the SS surface was proposed. A density function theory calculation was employed to establish a relation between the adsorptivity of NSPs on SDBS and XG and the total energy and dipole moment of the molecules.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.