Effect of Engineered Nanoparticles on Enhancement of Composite Properties Relevant to Oilfield Applications

Abstract

Materials with enhanced properties permitting operations under increasingly harsh conditions such as high pressure, high temperature, high salinity, and sour environments are in critical need for the oil industry. The recent progress in composite materials has been facilitated by engineered nanoparticles dispersed or in situ generated in different matrix media. The cases representing examples considered in this paper include elastomers filled with carbon nanotubes, both in as-received and surface-functionalized compositions; metal matrix composites with added diamond nanoparticles; and scintillating glass ceramic nanocomposites. New nanocomposite materials prepared, characterized, and tested demonstrate enhanced mechanical and optical properties, as well as improved thermal and chemical stability, in line with requirements for demanding oilfield applications.

Click Reaction Functionalization of Hydroxylated Nanoparticles by Cyclic Azasilanes for Colloidal Stability in Oilfield Applications

“…Colloidal systems of functionalized nanoparticles have been evaluated in oil industry for enhanced oil recovery, formation damage remediation, flow assurance, and water treatment operations [1]- [8]. Surface modified nanoparticles have also been considered for applications as tracers in reservoir studies, active media in thermal management fluids, and fillers in high performance elastomers [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]. Conventional functionalization of nanoparticles, which mostly use alkoxysilanes and chlorosilanes for covalent bonding to surface, need catalytic amount of water for the reactions to proceed, require multiple hours to fully saturate the surface, and release by-products capable of interfering with the desired functional or chemical behavior of the modified surface [14].…”

Flexible Scintillation Silica Fiber with Engineered Nanocrystals for Remote Real-Time X-ray Detection

“…These composite fibers combine many advantages of silica optical fibers with the outstanding fluorescent properties of the embedded functional nanocrystals. Depending on the controllable size of the nanocrystals, the optical scattering effect can be minimized, favoring their high transparency. , This property would be very beneficial for the practical applications of nanocrystalline fibers (NCFs).…”

“…Depending on the controllable size of the nanocrystals, the optical scattering effect can be minimized, favoring their high transparency. 25,26 This property would be very beneficial for the practical applications of nanocrystalline fibers (NCFs).…”