Inhibition of Scale Formation Using Silica Nanoparticle

Abstract

Because of the wide use of water injection for enhanced oil recovery in the oil fields in order to displace oil into the production well, many reservoirs experience scale deposition problem. Scale formation leads to block production tubing and other facilities through the path of production and also significant reductions in productivity. One of the most common methods for preventing or lowering the amount of scale formation is applying the scale inhibitors. In this work, Silica Nanoparticles are used as a scale inhibitor.Conductivity is used as a property of the fluid that shows the amount of ion in the solution that leads us to predict the amount of scale formed in the solution. Finally an optimum amount of Silica Nanoparticles could reduce the rate of conductivity decreasing of the solution and consequently lower the scale deposition which is the aim of this challenging subject in the oil industry.

Review of Nanotechnology Impacts on Oilfield Scale Management

“…Because of the incompatibility of injection and formation water compositions, the risk of scale formation often occurs in the production tubing. Safari et al studied different particle sizes and concentrations of SiO 2 NPs as SI for gypsum scale formed in this way . In this study, the conductivity through a static test method was used to evaluate the inhibition performance of oilfield SiO 2 SINP.…”

“…Safari et al studied different particle sizes and concentrations of SiO 2 NPs as SI for gypsum scale formed in this way. 131 In this study, the conductivity through a static test method was used to evaluate the inhibition performance of oilfield SiO 2 SINP. Conductivity measurements were used to determine the number of ions in the solution, leading to detect the amount of scale deposited in the solution.…”

Review of Synthesis and Evaluation of Inhibitor Nanomaterials for Oilfield Mineral Scale Control

“…R represents the retardation factor, and J d (min −1 ) is the SINM deposition rate coefficient to medium surfaces. J d value can be calculated based upon the filtration theory (Ryan and Elimelech, 1996;de Jonge et al, 2004):…”

“…Another commonly investigated metal oxide for its impact in scaling control is silica (SiO 2 ) NP (Safari et al, 2014). One study showed that the presence of silica NP can slow down solution conductivity reduction rate in an oversaturated solution, indicative of reducing scale deposition.…”

“…Instead, CNT functions by modifying the crystalline structure of the deposited CaCO 3 solid from calcite to aragonite, subjecting the scale particles to be difficult to be adsorbed on the surface of processing facilities. In another study (Ghorbani et al, 2012), laboratory studies have been conducted to investigate the adsorption of PPCA onto the surfaces of a carbonbased nanoparticle (CBNP) for the objective of improving the The presence of metal oxide nanomaterials can improve scale inhibitor performance and distort scale crystal structure Kumar et al, 2012;Do et al, 2013;Safari et al, 2014;Tavakoli et al, 2018;Moghadasi et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2019 Carbon based nanomaterials Carbon based nanomaterials either purchased commercially or synthesized via established synthesis approach…”