Application of functionalized cationic-acidic silica-alumina-based nanofluids for enhanced oil recovery

Abstract

Nanofluids（NFs）have interesting properties and distinctive features that present an unprecedented potential for many applications, especially in the petroleum industry, as the novel enhanced oil recovery（EOR）agent. Unlike any other EOR fluids, the solid-particles suspended in the NFs offer new recovery mechanisms to release the oil trapped in the pores. This research investigates the influences of NFs retention by measuring wettability and interfacial tension（IFT）and its behavior through core flooding with various NFs concentrations. In this research, cationic-acidic silica-alumina-based NFs and synthetic oil were used. The wettability measurements indicated that the silica-alumina-based NFs could alter the rock surface to be more water-wet. On the other hand, the IFT measurement showed the nanofluids did not have a pronounced influence on reducing the IFT between oil and water. The core flooding experiments with different NFs concentrations suggested that the NFs induced the highest incremental oil recovery factor of 9 % with 0.0025 wt.-% concentration. It was also observed that the various NFs concentrations have a non-linear relationship with the wettability and recovery factor.