Spontaneous Imbibition Oil Recovery by Natural Surfactant/Nanofluid: An Experimental and Theoretical Study
Khoramian R. Kharrat R. Pourafshary P. Golshokooh S. Hashemi F.
October 2022MDPI
Nanomaterials
2022#12Issue 20
Organic surfactants have been utilized with different nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations due to the synergic mechanisms of nanofluid stabilization, wettability alteration, and oil-water interfacial tension reduction. However, investment and environmental issues are the main concerns to make the operation more practical. The present study introduces a natural and cost-effective surfactant named Azarboo for modifying the surface traits of silica nanoparticles for more efficient EOR. Surface-modified nanoparticles were synthesized by conjugating negatively charged Azarboo surfactant on positively charged amino-treated silica nanoparticles. The effect of the hybrid application of the natural surfactant and amine-modified silica nanoparticles was investigated by analysis of wettability alteration. Amine-surfactant-functionalized silica nanoparticles were found to be more effective than typical nanoparticles. Amott cell experiments showed maximum imbibition oil recovery after nine days of treatment with amine-surfactant-modified nanoparticles and fifteen days of treatment with amine-modified nanoparticles. This finding confirmed the superior potential of amine-surfactant-modified silica nanoparticles compared to amine-modified silica nanoparticles. Modeling showed that amine surfactant-treated SiO2 could change wettability from strongly oil-wet to almost strongly water-wet. In the case of amine-treated silica nanoparticles, a strongly water-wet condition was not achieved. Oil displacement experiments confirmed the better performance of amine-surfactant-treated SiO2 nanoparticles compared to amine-treated SiO2 by improving oil recovery by 15%. Overall, a synergistic effect between Azarboo surfactant and amine-modified silica nanoparticles led to wettability alteration and higher oil recovery.
enhanced oil recovery , mathematical modeling , nanoparticles , natural surfactant , spontaneous imbibition
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School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Department Petroleum Engineering, Leoben, Montanuniversität, 8700, Austria
Faculty of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, 513351996, Iran
Faculty of Chemistry, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 7155713876, Iran
School of Mining and Geosciences
Department Petroleum Engineering
Faculty of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
Faculty of Chemistry
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