Research and Application Progress of Nano-particles in Enhanced Oil Recovery

doi:10.11885/j.issn.1674-5086.2024.01.22.02

Abstract

Abstract: For low porosity and low permeability reservoir, heavy oil reservoir and other reservoirs, chemical flooding, gas flooding and other methods are limited by reservoir conditions, and nanoparticles can be introduced to improve the technology. In order to make the industry further understand how to improve oil recovery, the mechanism of nanoparticles is described, including reducing the interfacial tension, structural disjoining pressure, improving the wettability and fluid properties, and pore channels plugging. On the one hand, nanoparticles adsorbed on the oil-water interface can reduce the interfacial tension of oil and water to improve oil recovery, on the other hand, they can form a steric barrier to improve the stability of emulsion or foam. When the nanoparticles gather in the three phase contact area of oil, water and rock, they rely on Brownian motion and electrostatic repulsion to produce structural separation and compression, so that the oil droplets are removed from the rock surface and adsorbed on the rock surface to improve the wettability. Nanoparticles can also improve crude oil rheology by adsorption of asphaltene and extend displacement range by pore channels plugging. In addition, the research development and field application of enhanced oil recovery of nanoparticles at home and abroad are also introduced.

Key words: nano-particles, enhanced oil recovery, interfacial tension, wettability, structural disjoining pressure, pore channels plugging

CLC Number:

TE357

LU Cong, ZHU Qiuyan, GUO Jianchun. Research and Application Progress of Nano-particles in Enhanced Oil Recovery[J]. Journal of Southwest Petroleum University(Science & Technology Edition), 2026, 48(3): 123-132.

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