Article
Energy & Fuels
Kang Wang, Qing You, Qiu-Ming Long, Biao Zhou, Pan Wang
Summary: Due to the low permeability and porosity in unconventional reservoirs, a significant amount of trapped crude oil can be released and recovered through the use of nanofluids. This study explores the regulating capabilities of nanofluids at the oil/water/solid three-phase interface. The results demonstrate the reduction of interfacial tension and improved interface properties, as well as the visualization of oil mobilization and displacement mechanisms in micro-to nano-scale pores and throats, offering insights into the enhanced oil recovery mechanisms of nanofluids.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maryam Q. Alsedrani, Girma T. Chala
Summary: This study investigates the effect of injecting silica-based nanofluid into a micromodel for oil recovery. The simulation results show that injecting silica nanofluid into a water wet micromodel provides better oil recovery than an oil wet micromodel. The comparison between experiment and simulation indicates good agreement with a relative error of 19%. Additionally, a low concentration of 0.2% and 1% nanoparticles leads to oil recovery rates of 87% and 88% from the oil wet media, respectively.
ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. Elmuzafar Ahmed, Abdullah S. Sultan, Mohamed Mahmoud, Kamaljit Singh, Muhammad Shahzad Kamal, Shirish Patil, Mazen Kanj
Summary: The study investigated the dynamic interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and VES solution using a porous glass micromodel, showing that IFT increases with shear rate and then reaches a plateau. The findings indicate that the IFT of high concentration VES can be reliably estimated during multiphase flow without the need for separate experiments and waiting for equilibrium to be reached.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jing Zhao, Farshid Torabi, Jun Yang
Summary: This study used two types of silica nanoparticles with varying hydrophobicity in combination with sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate to enhance CO2 foam stability. The results showed that partially hydrophobic nanoparticles were more efficient in generating and stabilizing CO2 foam when mixed with AOT in a proportion of 1:0.16 (wt%/wt%). The synergistic interactions between AOT and NPB led to enhanced mechanical strength of bubbles, higher resistance to gas flow, reduced oil/water interfacial tension, and increased incremental oil recovery.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Radman Hosseinzadeh Semnani, Mahsa Baghban Salehi, Babak Mokhtarani, Ali Sharifi, Mojtaba Mirzaei, Vahid Taghikhani
Summary: This study investigates the performance of novel ionic liquids in a lab-scale Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) setup compatible with Iranian oil reservoir conditions. The results demonstrate the resistance of these ionic liquids to harsh reservoir conditions and their potential to improve oil field production efficiency.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Mehdi Razavifar, Jafar Qajar, Masoud Riazi
Summary: This study experimentally investigated the effects of ultrasonic waves and solvents on the viscosity, asphaltene precipitation behavior, and recovery of heavy asphaltenic crude oil. The results showed that ultrasonic treatment decreased the viscosity of the crude oil by reducing the size of asphaltene aggregates. Additionally, the combined use of ultrasound and solvents had the greatest reduction in oil viscosity compared to using ultrasound waves or solvents alone.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dayo Afekare, Jayne Garno, Dandina Rao
Summary: The study explores the oil recovery potential of untreated and treated silica nanoparticles using an atomic force microscope, shedding light on the mechanism by which these nanoparticles promote the spontaneous detachment of oil molecules from quartz and clay mineral surfaces in shale reservoirs.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
M. Elmuzafar Ahmed, Abdullah S. S. Sultan, Muhammad Shahzad Kamal, Tinku Saikia, Mohamed Mahmoud, Shirish Patil, Mazen Kanj
Summary: This study evaluated a locally synthesized gemini surfactant with high stability, salt tolerance, and CEOR potential for reducing interfacial tension and enhancing oil recovery. The study found that as the gemini surfactant concentration increased, the interfacial tension also increased. The lowest interfacial tension value of 0.12 mN/m was obtained at a concentration of 0.0005 wt%, while the highest value of 0.84 mN/m was recorded at concentrations of 0.5 and 1 wt%. The highest ultimate recovery of 50.26% was achieved at a concentration of 0.005% GmS.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Osamah A. Alomair, Abdullah F. Alajmi
Summary: This study investigates a nanofluid-assisted steam injection approach for enhanced recovery of heavy oil. The results show that this approach significantly improves oil recovery without changing the oil composition or water content. Therefore, the utilization of nanotechnology can reduce steam consumption and improve oil recovery efficiency.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weipeng Yang, Jun Lu, Bing Wei, Haiyang Yu, Tianbo Liang
Summary: This review briefly summarizes recent advances in micromodel studies of surfactant flooding, showcasing the mechanisms of surfactant flooding demonstrated by micromodel studies and pore-scale findings that cannot be captured by traditional coreflood methods.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Z. Zhang, Madhar Sahib Azad, J. J. Trivedi
Summary: This study addresses research gaps in understanding the dominant recovery mechanisms during surfactant flooding in unconventional, oil-wet reservoirs by investigating physico-chemical interactions and microfluidic studies using zwitterionic surfactant solutions. The observations show that significant IFT reduction and wettability alteration are both crucial for successful oil displacement in water-wet media during surfactant flooding in oil-wet formations.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yanxia Zhou, Zhiwei Jiang, Hui Pu, Yahui Ding, Junhui Du, Yufeng Wang, Yunfei Shan
Summary: Nanoparticles have been successfully applied in enhanced oil recovery due to their small size and surface functional groups. However, the effect of nanoparticle size on oil recovery has not been systematically studied. In this research, SiO2 nanoparticles of different sizes were synthesized and their properties were investigated. The experimental results showed that as the SiO2 nanoparticle size decreased, there was a slight increase in interfacial tension, oil contact angle, viscosity, and capillary pressure. Among all the sizes, the 60 nm SiO2 nanoparticle-based nanofluid showed the highest efficiency in recovering oil.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ephraim Otumudia, Hossein Hamidi, Prashant Jadhawar, Kejian Wu
Summary: This study investigates the effect of ultrasound on the removal of emulsion plugging in oil reservoirs. The experiments demonstrate that low frequency and low power ultrasound is the most effective for emulsion recovery.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wenjie Xia, Lihua Tong, Tianzhi Jin, Cuxiao Hu, Lu Zhang, Lei Shi, Jiaqiang Zhang, Weichu Yu, Fuyi Wang, Ting Ma
Summary: The study introduced a microbial strategy using Pseudomonas strain for heavy oil recovery without thermal energy input. Results showed that degradation of heavy oil under CO2 condition performed better than that under N2 condition. This green strategy was proven to be promising and economical for ultra-heavy reservoir oil recovery accessible to CO2.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jun Yin, Xiaoxia Wei, Futang Hu, Changkun Cheng, Xuliang Zhuang, Maoyong Song, Guoqiang Zhuang, Feng Wang, Anzhou Ma
Summary: The halotolerant strain Bacillus velezensis BSA1 can produce biosurfactant and modulate the oil microbiome for enhancing oil recovery in low permeability oil reservoirs. Laboratory experiments showed that the oil recovered by B. velezensis BSA1 was 21.6 +/- 1.87 %. Field application also demonstrated successful results with a cumulative oil production of more than 500 m3 within 12 months. Monitoring of the microbial community in the reservoir revealed an increase in surfactant-producing bacteria and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, contributing to the enhancement of oil recovery.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)