Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of Mechanisms of Enhanced Oil Recovery via Nanoparticle-Surfactant Solutions

Abstract

The enhancement in surfactant performance at downhole conditions in the presence of nanomaterials has fascinated researchers’ interest regarding the applications of nanoparticle-surfactant (NPS) fluids as novel enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. However, the governing EOR mechanisms of hydrocarbon recovery using NPS solutions are not yet explicit. Pore-scale visualization experiments clarify the dominant EOR mechanisms of fluid displacement and trapped/residual oil mobilization using NPS solutions. In this study, the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles on the EOR properties of a conventional surfactant (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, SDBS) was investigated via experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation approaches. Oil recovery was reduced with increased temperatures and micromodel heterogeneity. Adding nanoparticles to SDBS solutions decreases the fingering and channeling effect and increases the recovery factor. The simulation prediction results agreed with the experimental results, which demonstrated that the lowest amount of oil (37.84%) was retained with the micromodel after MWCNT-SDBS flooding. The oil within the micromodel after Al2O3-SDBS and SiO2-SDBS flooding was 58.48 and 43.42%, respectively. At 80 °C, the breakthrough times for MWCNT-SDBS, Al2O3-SDBS, and SiO2-SDBS displacing fluids were predicted as 32.4, 29.3, and 21 h, respectively, whereas the SDBS flooding and water injections at similar situations were at 12.2 and 6.9 h, respectively. The higher oil recovery and breakthrough time with MWCNTs could be attributed to their cylindrical shape, promoting the MWCNT-SDBS orientation at the liquid–liquid and solid–liquid interfaces to reduce the oil–water interfacial tension and contact angles significantly. The study highlights the prevailing EOR mechanisms of NPS.

Synergistic Effects of SiO2-Rhamnolipid Nanofluid on Oil-Water Distribution in Low-Permeability Reservoirs

“…It can be used to investigate wettability control, ITF, emulsification, and flow path for oil displacement via nanofluid. According to previous studies, ,, during the micromodel test, nanofluid injection can mobilize residual oil not only from high-permeability zones but also from a small fraction of low-permeability zones. The results suggested that the “nanoparticle-surfactant” system offers greater improvement in the macroscopic and microscopic sweep efficiency of the aqueous fluid from the heterogeneous porous medium.…”

“…Current studies indicated that the addition of conventional surfactants, such as SDS, - cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and Tween surfactant, into SiO 2 nanofluid results in a higher oil recovery compared to surfactant solutions or pure nanofluid alone. Yekeen et al conducted a micromodel test to investigate the synergistic influence of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and various nanomaterials, and the lowest amount of residual oil was 37.84% after multiwalled carbon nanotubes-SDBS flooding. Dai et al prepared nanofluid with silica nanoparticles and nonionic surfactant.…”

“…Surfactant flooding is a time-tested method to lower residual oil saturation via reducing oil/water interfacial tension and altering the reservoir wettability. , However, there are some challenges to overcome, including the loss of surfactant molecules on rock surfaces, - surfactant intolerance to reservoir conditions, - and limited efficacy in mobilizing trapped oil within small pore spaces. , Especially in low-permeability reservoirs, the application of surfactant is further hindered by extreme environmental conditions. As compared to surfactant, nanoparticles exhibit superior robustness and stability.…”

Effect of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Surfactants and Their Impact on the Interfacial Properties of the Oil–Water–Rock System

“…Recently, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) has received widespread attention for its potential EOR applications. − NPs are particles typically ranging from 1 to 100 nm in size. − Several types of nanomaterials have been studied for application in EOR, including titanium dioxide, ,, graphene, silica dioxide, ,− aluminosilicate, zirconium dioxide, ,, and silica dioxide in the CO 2 -brine system. , Laboratory investigations have demonstrated that the surfactant performance can be enhanced by combining the surfactant solution with nanomaterials to improve the interfacial properties between the oil–water-rock system. ,,,,, Nourinia et al . reported that adding zinc oxide/monmorillonite nanocomposites into a natural surfactant derived from cyclamen persicum reduced the IFT to a minimum of 2.5 mN/m.…”

Impact of Methylene Blue on Enhancing the Hydrocarbon Potential of Early Cambrian Khewra Sandstone Formation from the Potwar Basin, Pakistan

“…The global energy demand is rising and projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years , and may even increase by around 60% by 2040, primarily due to population growth, urbanization, and economic development in many countries. − Crude oil is the principal source of energy worldwide, and the increasing number of depleted oil reservoirs (containing approximately 70% of the remaining crude oil) requires immediate attention. , Hence, the development of innovative production enhancement strategies is essential in order to cope with the increasing energy demand and to optimize recovery from existing hydrocarbon fields. , Several enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, such as chemical EOR and thermal EOR, are used to increase the recovery and sweep efficiency during water flooding and gas injection. − In this respect, the wettability of the rock is an essential parameter for improving the trapped oil recovery and sweep efficiency. , However, subsurface formations are naturally contaminated with organic acids, which renders them hydrophobic − and leads to the early breakthrough of injected fluid, which leaves behind large volumes of hydrocarbons. , …”