The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Porous Material: Microfluidic Chips
2.2. Fluid Properties
2.3. Experimental Setup
2.4. Experimental Procedures
2.4.1. Contact Angle Measurement
2.4.2. Wettability Alteration of Microfluidic Chips
2.5. Microfluidic Experiments
Image Processing and Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Fluid-Solid Interactions
3.2. Wettability Effect on Trapping
3.3. Displacement Via PSiNPs
4. Conclusions
- A hydrocarbon-soluble siliconizing fluid can successfully generate glass substrates and microfluidic chips of different wettability conditions via controlling the concentration, as proved by contact angle measurement on glass substrates and dynamic flow behavior in the microfluidic chips.
- Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles considerably changed the magnitude of contact angle in water-, intermediate- and oil-wet substrates by 11.4°, 43.9°, and 97.55°, respectively.
- The oil recovery due to SSW flooding was 80.5%, 76.0%, and 74.0% of IOIP for water-wet, intermediate-wet, and oil-wet medium, respectively. However, nanoflooding improved the performance to 88.1%, 84.0%, and 85.5% of IOIP for water-wet, intermediate-wet, and oil-wet chips, respectively.
- The recovery mechanism by PSiNPs is credited to the wettability alteration, nanoparticle adsorption, IFT reduction, and small particle sizes.
- The medium wettability condition controls the displacement invasion pattern, invasion of unswept regions behind the displacement front, and mobilization of trapped clusters by stepwise increases in flowrate.
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Nomenclature
C | Number of isolated components in an image |
CA | Contact angle |
E | Euler number |
EOR | Enhanced Oil Recovery |
H | Number of holes with a component in an image |
IFT | Interfacial tension |
IOIP | Initial oil in place |
IW | Intermediate-wet |
NF | Nanofluid |
NPs | Nanoparticle |
OW | Oil-wet |
PSiNPs | Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles |
PVI | Pore volume injected |
RGB | Red green blue (image format) |
sol | Solution |
SSW | Synthetic seawater |
WW | Water-wet |
References
- Bera, A.; Belhaj, H. Application of nanotechnology by means of nanoparticles and nanodispersions in oil recovery—A comprehensive review. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2016, 34, 1284–1309. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kamal, M.S.; Adewunmi, A.A.; Sultan, A.S.; Al-Hamad, M.F.; Mehmood, U. Recent Advances in Nanoparticles Enhanced Oil Recovery: Rheology, Interfacial Tension, Oil Recovery, and Wettability Alteration. J. Nanomater. 2017, 2017, 1–15. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Peng, B.; Zhang, L.; Luo, J.; Wang, P.; Ding, B.; Zeng, M.; Cheng, Z. A review of nanomaterials for nanofluid enhanced oil recovery. RSC Adv. 2017, 7, 32246–32254. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rafati, R.; Smith, S.R.; Haddad, A.S.; Novara, R.; Hamidi, H. Effect of nanoparticles on the modifications of drilling fluids properties: A review of recent advances. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2018, 161, 61–76. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Crews, J.B.; Gomaa, A.M. Nanoparticle Associated Surfactant Micellar Fluids: An Alternative to Crosslinked Polymer Systems. In Proceedings of the SPE International Oilfield Nanotechnology Conference and Exhibition, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 12–14 June 2012. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- U.S. Energy Information Administration—EIA. Independent Statistics and Analysis. 2019. Available online: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/ (accessed on 11 August 2020).
- Maghzi, A.; Mohammadi, S.; Ghazanfari, M.H.; Kharrat, R.; Masihi, M. Monitoring wettability alteration by silica nanoparticles during water flooding to heavy oils in five-spot systems: A pore-level investigation. Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci. 2012, 40, 168–176. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hendraningrat, L.; Torsæter, O. Understanding Fluid-Fluid and Fluid-Rock Interactions in the Presence of Hydrophilic Nanoparticles at Various Conditions. In Proceedings of the SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition, Adelaide, Australia, 14–16 October 2014. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Li, S.; Torsaeter, O. The Impact of Nanoparticles Adsorption and Transport on Wettability Alteration of Intermediate Wet Berea Sandstone. In Proceedings of the SPE Middle East Unconventional Resources Conference and Exhibition, Muscat, Oman, 26–28 January 2015. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, H.; Ramakrishnan, T.S.; Nikolov, A.; Wasan, D. Enhanced Oil Recovery Driven by Nanofilm Structural Disjoining Pressure: Flooding Experiments and Microvisualization. Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 2771–2779. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alhammadi, A.M.; Alratrout, A.; Scanziani, A.; Bijeljic, B.; Blunt, M.J. In situ characterization of mixed-wettability in a reservoir rock at subsurface conditions. Sci. Rep. 2017, 7, 10753. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Herring, A.; Sheppard, A.; Andersson, L.; Wildenschild, D. Impact of wettability alteration on 3D nonwetting phase trapping and transport. Int. J. Greenh. Gas Control. 2016, 46, 175–186. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Zhao, B.; MacMinn, C.; Juanes, R. Wettability control on multiphase flow in patterned microfluidics. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2016, 113, 10251–10256. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Khishvand, M.; Alizadeh, A.H.; Kohshour, I.O.; Piri, M.; Prasad, R.S. In situ characterization of wettability alteration and displacement mechanisms governing recovery enhancement due to low-salinity waterflooding. Water Resour. Res. 2017, 53, 4427–4443. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Aziz, R.; Niasar, V.; Ferrer, P.J.M.; Godinez-Brizuela, O.E.; Theodoropoulos, C.; Mahani, H. Novel insights into pore-scale dynamics of wettability alteration during low salinity waterflooding. Sci. Rep. 2019, 9, 1–13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Zarikos, I.; Terzis, A.; Hassanizadeh, S.M.; Weigand, B. Velocity distributions in trapped and mobilized non-wetting phase ganglia in porous media. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8, 13228. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Datta, S.S.; Ramakrishnan, T.S.; Weitz, D.A. Mobilization of a trapped non-wetting fluid from a three-dimensional porous medium. Phys. Fluids 2014, 26, 022002. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Herring, A.; Robins, V.; Sheppard, A.P. Topological Persistence for Relating Microstructure and Capillary Fluid Trapping in Sandstones. Water Resour. Res. 2019, 55, 555–573. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Blunt, M.J. Multiphase Flow in Permeable Media: A Pore-Scale Perspective; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2017. [Google Scholar]
- Wardlaw, N.C.; Yu, L. Fluid topology, pore size and aspect ratio during imbibition. Transp. Porous Media 1988, 3, 17–34. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mahmud, W.M.; Nguyen, V.H. Effects of Snap-Off in Imbibition in Porous Media with Different Spatial Correlations. Transp. Porous Media 2006, 64, 279–300. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tanino, Y.; Blunt, M.J. Capillary trapping in sandstones and carbonates: Dependence on pore structure. Water Resour. Res. 2012, 48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Herring, A.; Harper, E.J.; Andersson, L.; Sheppard, A.P.; Bay, B.K.; Wildenschild, D. Effect of fluid topology on residual nonwetting phase trapping: Implications for geologic CO2 sequestration. Adv. Water Resour. 2013, 62, 47–58. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Omran, M.; Omran, H.; Torsaeter, O. Investigation of the Ionic Interactions of Using Nanoparticles in Waterflooding. In Proceedings of the SPE Europec Featured at 82nd EAGE Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 8–11 December 2020. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Omran, M.; Akarri, S.; Bila, A.; Torseater, O. Screening of nanoparticles with considering the pore structure and initial oil connectivity effects. In Paper SPE- 200729-MS, Proceedings of SPE Norway Subsurface Conference, Bergen, Norway, 14 September 2020; SPE: Richardson, TX, USA, 2020. [Google Scholar]
- Pradhan, S.; Shaik, I.; Lagraauw, R.; Bikkina, P. A semi-experimental procedure for the estimation of permeability of microfluidic pore network. MethodsX 2019, 6, 704–713. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rabbani, A.; Jamshidi, S.; Salehi, S. An automated simple algorithm for realistic pore network extraction from micro-tomography images. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2014, 123, 164–171. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Naderi, K.; Babadagli, T. Clarifications on Oil/Heavy Oil Recovery Under Ultrasonic Radiation Through Core and 2D Visualization Experiments. J. Can. Pet. Technol. 2008, 47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Er, V.; Babadagli, T.; Xu, Z. Pore-Scale Investigation of the Matrix−Fracture Interaction During CO2Injection in Naturally Fractured Oil Reservoirs. Energy Fuels 2010, 24, 1421–1430. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Naderi, K.; Babadagli, T. Pore-scale investigation of immiscible displacement process in porous media under high-frequency sound waves. J. Fluid Mech. 2011, 680, 336–360. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Telmadarreie, A.; Trivedi, J.J. New Insight on Carbonate-Heavy-Oil Recovery: Pore-Scale Mechanisms of Post-Solvent Carbon Dioxide Foam/Polymer-Enhanced-Foam Flooding. SPE J. 2016, 21, 1655–1668. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cui, J.; Babadagli, T. Retrieval of solvent injected during heavy-oil recovery: Pore scale micromodel experiments at variable temperature conditions. Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 2017, 112, 837–849. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schindelin, J.; Arganda-Carreras, I.; Frise, E.; Kaynig, V.; Longair, M.; Pietzsch, T.; Schmid, B. Fiji: An open-source platform for biological-image analysis. Nat. Methods 2012, 9, 676–682. Available online: https://imagej.net/Fiji (accessed on 11 August 2020). [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Toriwaki, J.; Yoshida, H. Fundamentals of Three-Dimensional Digital Image Processing; Springer: Berlin, Germany, 2009. [Google Scholar]
- Sivanesapillai, R.; Steeb, H. Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations. Geofluids 2018, 2018, 1–13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Metin, C.O.; Baran, J.R.; Nguyen, Q. Adsorption of surface functionalized silica nanoparticles onto mineral surfaces and decane/water interface. J. Nanopart. Res. 2012, 14, 1–16. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Karimi, A.; Fakhroueian, Z.; Bahramian, A.; Pour Khiabani, N.; Darabad, J.B.; Azin, R.; Arya, S. Wettability Alteration in Carbonates using Zirconium Oxide Nanofluids: EOR Implications. Energy Fuels 2012, 26, 1028–1036. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hendraningrat, L.; Li, S.; Torsater, O. Effect of Some Parameters Influencing Enhanced Oil Recovery Process using Silica Nanoparticles: An Experimental Investigation. In Proceedings of the SPE Reservoir Characterization and Simulation Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 16–18 September 2013. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hu, Z.; Azmi, S.M.; Raza, G.; Glover, P.W.J.; Wen, D. Nanoparticle-Assisted Water-Flooding in Berea Sandstones. Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 2791–2804. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Property | Value |
---|---|
Chip dimensions | 45 mm × 15 mm × 1.8 mm |
Network dimensions | 20 mm × 10 mm × 0.02 mm |
Chip pore volume | 5.7 µL |
Network pore volume | 2.3 µL |
Chip porosity | 57% |
Chip permeability | 2.5 Darcy |
Network permeability 1 | 8.3 ± 0.1 Darcy |
Average pore size 2 | 130 µm |
Wettability state | Water-wet |
Fluid | Property 1 | Oil Composition (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Oil | Density (g/cc) | 0.886 ± 0.0002 | Saturates | 71.57 |
Aromatics | 20.81 | |||
Viscosity (mPa·s) | 34 ± 0.5 | Resins | 7.44 | |
Asphaltenes | 0.18 | |||
Synthetic seawater | Concentration (ppm) | 38,318 | NaCl | 74.40 |
Density (g/cc) | 1.0243 ± 0.00003 | KCl | 1.85 | |
Viscosity (mPa·s) | 1.0250 ± 0.0005 | NaHCO3 | 0.57 | |
pH | 7.97 ± 0.002 | NaHCO3 | 10.62 | |
CaCl2.6H2O | 4.24 | |||
IFT (mN/m) | 10.60 ± 0.33 | MgCl2.6H2O | 8.25 | |
SrCl2.6H2O | 0.07 | |||
Nanofluid | Suspending agent | Synthetic seawater | ||
Concentration of NPs (wt.%) | 0.1 | |||
Density (g/cc) | 1.0232 ± 0.00003 | |||
Viscosity (mPa·s) | 1.07 ± 0.003 | |||
pH | 7.85 ± 0.005 | |||
Size 2 (nm) | 32.9 ± 0.376 | |||
IFT (mN/m) | 4.33 ± 0.30 | |||
NPs basis | Silica (sol-gel-cationic) | |||
NPs surface area | 140–220 m2/g | |||
NPs wetting state | Hydrophilic NPs |
Reference | Concentration (v/v %) | Wettability State |
---|---|---|
Naderi and Babadgli [28] | Not specified | “Very oil-wet” |
Er and Babadgli [29] | 10% | “Oil-wet” |
Naderi and Babadgli [30] | Not specified | “Strongly oil-wet” |
Telmadarreie and Trivedi [31] | 10% | 144° |
Cui and Babadgli [32] | 10–15% | 125° |
System | Contact Angle (Degree) | % Change in CA 1 |
---|---|---|
SSW-oil-glass (water-wet) | 44.52° ± 0.06° | −25.02% |
NF-oil-glass (water-wet) | 33.38° ± 0.13° | |
SSW-oil-glass (intermediate-wet) | 91.30° ± 0.01° | −48.08% |
NF-oil-glass (intermediate-wet) | 47.40° ± 0.06° | |
SSW-oil-glass (oil-wet) | 146.30° ± 0.01° | −66.67% |
NF-oil-glass (oil-wet) | 48.75° ± 0.06° |
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Omran, M.; Akarri, S.; Torsaeter, O. The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study. Processes 2020, 8, 991. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8080991
Omran M, Akarri S, Torsaeter O. The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study. Processes. 2020; 8(8):991. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8080991
Chicago/Turabian StyleOmran, Mohamed, Salem Akarri, and Ole Torsaeter. 2020. "The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study" Processes 8, no. 8: 991. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8080991