RESUMO
Nano-composites positively impact subsurface porous media's properties during enhanced oil recovery. In this paper, γ-Al2O3/ZnO/urea nano-composites were selected to improve simultaneous water alternative associate gas (SWAG) tests based on better results in comparison to pure γ-Al2O3 in the static phase. According to the interfacial tension (lowest), contact angle (lowest), zeta potential (highest absolute value), and viscosity (lowest) tests in the presence of nano-composites, 80 ppm was chosen as the optimum concentration (OP) to perform SWAG experiments. The interfacial tension (mN m-1) and contact angle (°) values of nano-fluids at concentrations of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 ppm were higher than that of alumina and were (27.50, 130.12), (24.38, 80.32), (21.63, 70.98), (15.63, 40.69), (10.75, 8.50), and (6.80, 46.01) mN m-1, respectively. It was evident that considering effective, efficient parameters before performing the main SWAG test was important, and due to using OP, the recovery factor increased from 55.9 to 83.1% at a constant SWAG ratio (1:1) and temperature (40 °C). Furthermore, higher instant oil and lower produced water were seen as OP during the nano-composite-assisted SWAG test at 80 ppm.
RESUMO
Generally, crude oil production in mature oil reservoirs is difficult. In this regard, some nanoparticles have been used to upgrade injected water into oil reservoirs. These nanoparticles can be used in a variety of injectable waters, including smart water (SMW) with special salinity. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the injection of SMW with ZnO-γAl2O3 nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The performance of SMW with ZnO-γAl2O3 nanoparticles in regard to contact angle (CA), interfacial tension (IFT) reduction, and oil production with core flooding tests was investigated. The newly prepared ZnO-γAl2O3 structure was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses in this research. The effects of different concentrations of nanofluids on zeta potential (ZP) and conductivity were investigated. The ZP test confirmed the results of the stability tests of the developed nanofluids in water-based solutions. After the introduction of ZnO-γAl2O3 nanoparticles into the formation of brine and SMW solutions, oil-water (O/W) IFT was reduced. Based on the results, the IFT decreased more when nanoparticles and ions were present in the system. The results of the present study showed that at the concentration of SW+300 ppm ZnO-γAl2O3, the IFT value reached 11 mN/m from 27.24 mN/m. The results of the CA tests showed that improving the capabilities of salt water in the presence of nanoparticles has resulted in a very effective reduction. Also, in this regard, very hydrophilic wettability was achieved using SMW with stable nanoparticles. Moreover, the results of the present study showed that at the concentration of SMW+300 ppm ZnO-γAl2O3 nanoparticles, the CA value reached 31 from 161°. In the end, the solution of SW+300 ppm ZnO-γAl2O3 improved the OR by 15 and 24%. This research indicated that it is possible to develop and implement different nanoparticles by combining SMW to manage reservoir rock wettability and maximize OR from carbonate reservoirs. Thus, this combination as an effective agent could significantly increase reservoir sweep efficiency. Thus, as a result, using the established hybrid technique has distinct advantages over using SMW flooding alone.