The growing demand for energy, coupled with the continued dominance of fossil fuels as the primary energy source, necessitates eco-friendly technologies that simultaneously enhance oil recovery (EOR) and reduce the impact of their emissions. Only one task, which is the CO2-EOR project, can combine these two sustainable development goals. Further, employing green nanotechnology, including nanoparticles and nanofluids, ensures a sustainable approach to controlling and enhancing rock wettability, thereby enhancing hydrocarbon production and carbon storage. However, the performance of nanofluids in subsurface formations is limited by the stability of these nano-dispersions at the harsh conditions of reservoirs. This work thus synthesizes silica nanoparticles from waste bentonite as a green source and modifies the surface properties with a silane group to formulate a stable nanofluid for subsurface applications. The produced nanoparticles were characterized via Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zetasizer, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Moreover, the efficiency of nanoparticles as wettability-modifying agents was studied using contact angle and spontaneous imbibition tests. FTIR measurements confirmed the presence of silane on the surface of hybrid silica nanoparticles, as indicated within the Wavenumber 2950 cm-1. Moreover, XRD measurements revealed that hybrid nanoparticles showed lower noise than pure ones. Results also showed that silane-treated nanoparticles (hybrid) are more tolerant to high salinity (≥ 0.5wt% brine), and green-synthesized nanoparticles have a drastic ability to invert the wettability of oil-wet surfaces (θ≥123°) to water-wet (θ ≤ 28°) at ambient conditions and also reduce the contact angle from 175° to 68°) at CO2-EOR conditions. The study concludes that these green nanofluids are highly efficient for EOR and carbon geosequestration projects when properly formulated.
Nanomaterials have an excellent potential for improving the rheological and tribological properties of lubricating oil. In this study, oleic acid was used to surface-modify nanoparticles to enhance the dispersion and stability of Nanofluid. The surface modification was conducted for inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) TiO₂ and CuO with oleic acid (OA) surfactant, where oleic acid could render the surface of TiO2-CuO hydrophobic. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the surface modification of NPs. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of adding modified TiO₂-CuO NPs with weight ratio 1:1 on thermal-physical propertie
... Show MoreIn this work, some mechanical properties of the polymer coating were improved by preparing a hybrid system containing Graphene (GR) of different weight percentages (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2wt%) with 5wt% carbon fibres (CF) and added to a polymer coating by using casting method. The properties were improved as GR was added with further improvement on adding 5wt% of CF. The impact strength of acrylic polymer with GR increases with increasing weight ratio of GR; maximum value was obtained when the polymer coating was incorporated with 1wt% GR and 5wt% CF. The impact strength of acrylic polymer with GR and GR/CF composites incorporated with GR at 1wt% and CF at 5wt%. Hardness increase with increasing weight ratio of Gr and a significant imp
... Show MoreIn this work, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite was prepared and hybrid with Graphene (Gr) by casting method. The morphological and optical properties were investigated. Fourier Transformer-Infrared (FT-IR) indicates the presence of primary distinctive peaks belonging to vibration groups that describe the prepared samples. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed a uniform dispersion of graphene within the PVP-MWCNT nanocomposite. The results of the optical study show decrease in the energy gap with increasing MWCNT and graphene concentration. The absorption coefficient spectra indicate the presence of two absorption peaks at 282 and 287 nm attributed to the π-π* electronic tr
... Show MoreIn this work, chemical and thermal treatment were used to enhance silica extract on the purity of rice husk and to reduce the impurities associated with the extraction of silica. The thermal degradation of rice husk was studied. The characteristics and thermal degradation behavior of rice husk which investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Hydrochloric acid was used to soak the rice husk and the study of leaching influence is followed by XRF tests for samples before and after the combustion process. Acid treatment and combustion method seem to have a clear effect on silica purity. The pyrolysis processes were carried out at Laboratory temperature up to 650 oC in the presence of nitrogen gas flowing at 150 ml/min. The effect o
... Show MoreThere is a growing imperative to extract oil not only through primary and secondary means but also via tertiary recovery methods to meet the escalating global energy demands. Consequently, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is slated to increase significance in the oil industry in the coming years. The amalgamation of low salinity water (LSW) with chemicals to augment oil recovery has gained substantial traction in recent years owing to its demonstrated effectiveness. In this study, a systematic investigation utilizing contact angle measurements to elucidate the underlying mechanisms was undertaken. The results reveal that the contact angle (CA) demonstrated the effectiveness of the combined fluid in altering the wettability from oil-
... Show MoreHydrocarbon displacement at the pore scale is mainly controlled by the wetness properties of the porous media. Consequently, several techniques including nanofluid flooding were implemented to manipulate the wetting behavior of the pore space in oil reservoirs. This study thus focuses on monitoring the displacement of oil from artificial glass porous media, as a representative for sandstone reservoirs, before and after nanofluid flooding. Experiments were conducted at various temperatures (25 – 50° C), nanoparticles concentrations (0.001 – 0.05 wt% SiO2 NPs), salinity (0.1 – 2 wt% NaCl), and flooding time. Images were taken via a high-resolution microscopic camera and analyzed to investigate the displacement of the oil at dif
... Show MoreHydrocarbon displacement at the pore scale is mainly controlled by the wetness properties of the porous media. Consequently, several techniques including nanofluid flooding were implemented to manipulate the wetting behavior of the pore space in oil reservoirs. This study thus focuses on monitoring the displacement of oil from artificial glass porous media, as a representative for sandstone reservoirs, before and after nanofluid flooding. Experiments were conducted at various temperatures (25 – 50° C), nanoparticles concentrations (0.001 – 0.05 wt% SiO2 NPs), salinity (0.1 – 2 wt% NaCl), and flooding time. Images were taken via a high-resolution microscopic camera and analyzed to investigate the displacement of the oil
... Show MoreIn oil and gas well cementing, a strong cement sheath is wanted to insure long-term safety of the wells. Successful completion of cementing job has become more complex, as drilling is being done in highly deviated and high pressure-high temperature wells. Use of nano materials in enhanced oil recovery, drilling fluid, oil well cementing and other applications is being investigated. This study is an attempt to investigate the effect of nano materials on oil well cement properties. Two types of nano materials were investigated, which are Nano silica (>40 nm) and Nano Alumina (80 nm) and high sulfate-resistant glass G cement is used. The investigated properties of oil well cement included compressive strength, thickening
... Show More