The heat exchange intensification under incomplete hydrophobization oil reservoirs

Abstract

High-viscosity oil recovery often requires thermal methods of enhanced oil recovery combining surface acting agent (SAA) injection. Thermal treatment allows increasing hydrocarbon movability. Efficiency raisings’ limiting factor of this method includes injecting agent’s thermal loss (water and steam) as well as SAA molecules thermal destruction. This article assesses nanoparticles adding in SAA water solution’s influence. The authors consider a theoretic capability of increasing heat exchange’s inetnsity between oil reservoir and injected agents by means of adding nanoparticles as well as increase of the SAA thermostability’s capability under high temperatures influence. The results of the laboratory experiments on SAA’s adsorbed layer structure on the surface of solid state show the structure’s dependence on SAA concentration in the solution. According to the developed mathematic model, a periodic adsorbed field will lead to the increase of heat transfer coefficient by means of the Nusselt number increment. This will allow increasing efficiency of thermal methods EOR application.