Applying silica nanoparticles and nanoclay in nanoflooding to improve the effeciency of enhanced oil recovery(EOR): experimental investigation

Abstract

Nanoflooding is a novel chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique, has the potential to increase the oil production. This study investigates the synergistic effects of nanosilica, nanoclay and their combinations in nanoflooding to enhance oil recovery efficiency and mitigate asphaltene deposition. Two micromodel cases were studied: a cylindrical sand model and a cylindrical asphaltenic sand model. Various formulations including silica nanoparticles with different concentrations (0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%), nanoclay concentrations (0.001%, 0.005%, 0.01%) to stabilize the nanomaterials and enhance the displacement efficiency we did add a biopolymer with the concentration of 0.1/100ml, also we added a surfactant to the injected solution to keep the dispersion of nanomaterials and reduce the interfacial tension. Experimental setups simulated reservoir conditions, focusing on nanoparticle interactions with reservoir fluids and rock surfaces. Core flood experiments revealed that silica nanoparticles alone increased the recovery factor, with further enhancements observed at higher concentrations (0.1% optimal) and with the addition of biopolymer . Nanoclay also improved recovery, with optimal performance observed at a concentration of 0.005%, and its combination with biopolymer further enhanced the recovery factor. The highest recovery factors were achieved using nanocomposite (nanosilica + nanoclay) and biopolymer combinations, supplemented with surfactant to reduce interfacial tension (IFT).