Understanding Fluid-Fluid and Fluid-Rock Interactions in the Presence of Hydrophilic Nanoparticles at Various Conditions

摘要

Examining fluid behavior in the presence of nanoparticles is essential to understand the displacement mechanism when a nanoparticle is used as novel enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. Recent investi- gations showed that nanoparticles have great potential for EOR in the lab-scale. Since its displacement mechanism is not yet clearly understood, studies about fluid-fluid and fluid-rock interactions will be essential as a way to unlock how its mechanism. Saline water is studied in the presence of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles at different conditions such as temperature, concentration, various salt ions and nanoparticle size and initial rock wettability. The fluid properties measurement involves density, viscosity, pH and surface conductivity. Crude oil from a field in the North Sea is employed to measure interfacial tension between oil-phase and aqueous phase (saline water and nanofluids) at different temperatures. Contact angle is also measured among quartz rock as solid phase and those fluid phases at different initial rock wettability. These compatibility tests is useful to have better understanding about displacement mechanism and boundary of using nanoparticles as EOR method (Nano EOR) before applying in the field-scale. The processes and observations are outlined and also further detailed in the paper as a part to unlock nanoparticles flooding as a future promising EOR method.