Polyelectrolyte–nanocomposite for enhanced oil recovery: influence of nanoparticle on rheology, oil recovery and formation damage

Abstract

Gum arabic (GA) capacity as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agent is studied and compared to the commonly applied xanthan gum (XG). FTIR and TGA characterisation of these two polyelectrolytes and a rheology study by viscosity measurement was conducted on their polymeric and nano-polymeric solution at varying concentrations of the polymers and nanoparticles (NP). Coreflooding experiments were conducted based on a sequence of waterflooding and three slugs of increasing concentration of polymeric (and nano-polymeric) solutions to evaluate EOR performance. Results show similar rheology and oil recovery for 1.0 wt% GA and a 0.1 wt% XG polymeric solution. And the viscosity of GA tends to be Newtonian at a relatively high shear rate. The magnitude of incremental oil recovery of the first slug is independent of the GA concentration but significant for XG. However, the impact of nano-polymeric solution on oil recovery is higher than the polymeric solution. The increase in NP concentration played a vital role in oil recovery, thereby connoting the significance of IFT, contact angle, and its associated mechanisms for EOR. And FTIR affirms that the hydroxyl group in XG is less than GA, thus responsible for adsorption of GA compared to XG.

Surface functionalized Fe3O4‐polyacrylamide dispersion for improved oil recovery at harsh conditions

“…These peaks occur at 30.2, 35.5, 43.2, 53.6, 62.8, and 74.3°, corresponding to the Miller indices (220), (311), (400), (422), (440), and (533), respectively. These peaks can be attributed to the inverted spinel structure of Fe 3 O 4 crystal, as reported in previous literature 19,48,49 . The presence of these characteristic peaks suggests that the magnetic properties of the SMag‐NPs were maintained after surface modification.…”

“…These peaks can be attributed to the inverted spinel structure of Fe 3 O 4 crystal, as reported in previous literature. 19,48,49 The presence of these characteristic peaks suggests that the magnetic properties of the SMag-NPs were maintained after surface modification. Furthermore, it indicates that the crystal structure of the original SMag-NPs remained unaffected by the surface modification process.…”

“…The EOR technology to mobilize trapped oil and can be classified as chemical EOR, thermal EOR, gas EOR and others. Chemical EOR processes involve different mechanisms, including surface wettability alteration, 1,6 reduction of oil–water interfacial tension (IFT), 6,9‐11 microbes reactions, 12‐14 and mobility control by polymer/additives, 15‐20 which have been successfully used at the field scale but still suffer many problems such as reliability, scalability and long‐term stability.…”

“…36 Another salient observation is that adding NPs increased the viscosity of the injection fluid, which could improve the conformance control in a tertiary recovery process. [17][18][19]27,[37][38][39] However, the success of NPs in the EOR process is beyond pure property influences, that is, the transport capability through narrow pores and economic affordability has to be considered.…”

Overview of Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs

“…This mechanism can be significantly enhanced in the case of the implementation of the process of in situ combustion in carbonate-type reservoirs due to the appearance of additional amounts of carbon dioxide due to the thermal and chemical decomposition of carbonates. Carbon dioxide, together with oil and water, can form foam, which has a positive effect on the oil displacement process [111]. During combustion, surface-active substances (surfactants), alcohols and other chemical compounds are also formed, which can cause the manifestation of the mechanism of oil displacement by emulsions [112], which has a positive effect on the oil displacement process [111].…”