Saber Mohammadi
Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI)
Iran
Title: Monitoring wettability alteration of porous media by silica nanoparticles: An experimental approach
Biography
Biography: Saber Mohammadi
Abstract
Understanding the porous media wettability is crucial for optimizing EOR processes. The oil-water wetting preferences strongly affect all facets of reservoir performance, mainly in waterflooding process as an EOR technique. The use of nanotechnology has recently gained momentum in oil and gas industry. However, the role of nanoparticles on wettability conditions of porous media has remained a topic of debate in the available literature. In this work, the effect of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles on wettability of reservoir rock is investigated through contact angle measurement of oil-water-rock system, and pore-scale water flooding in five-spot glass micro-models at different temperatures and concentration of nanoparticles. Obtained results showed that the wettability of oil-wetted rocks in presence of silica nanoparticles changes from oil-wet to water wet. Furthermore, as the temperature of the system and concentration of nanoparticles increase the effect of nanoparticles on wettability alteration of reservoir rock is much more pronounced. Also, the wettability alteration occurred in less time in this situation. The results of flooding experiments with nanosolution illustrated that the oil recovery factor and breakthrough time of displacing fluid increases in presence of nanoparticles dispersed in water upto concentration of 0.50 wt%; for concentration of nanoparticles more than 0.50 wt%, the recovery factor decreased due to reduction of porous medium permeability as well as plugging of pores-throats by dispersed nanoparticles. Results of this work reveal the potential applications of silica nanoparticles on wettability alteration of porous media as well as on improvement of oil recovery efficiency during water flooding process.