Laboratory investigations of silicon dioxide nanoparticle enhanced oil recovery for application in the offshore reservoir, Hebron Field

Kim, Jenny (2018) Laboratory investigations of silicon dioxide nanoparticle enhanced oil recovery for application in the offshore reservoir, Hebron Field. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The silicon dioxide nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery as a water additive is a growing research field. The challenge of using silicon dioxide nanoparticles offshore, such as Hebron Field, is an instability of the nanoparticles in the seawater. The use of hydrochloric acid is proposed as a silicon dioxide nanoparticle stabilizer in seawater, and its effectiveness was investigated at room temperature, and at Hebron Field temperature (62°C) over a 14-day period, via visual examination and particle size measurements. The nanofluids were then prepared by adding hydrochloric acid to the nanoparticles, then dispersing the resulting mixture in seawater for the coreflood experiments. The coreflood experiments conducted at Hebron Field conditions on the Berea sandstone cores, in which 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 wt% silicon dioxide nanofluids were injected as a tertiary method, showed increasing oil recovery (3.3, 9.3, and 14.9% increments, respectively) with increasing nanoparticle concentration. The coreflood experiment on the Hebron Field core with 0.05 wt% nanofluid also exhibited 11.9% incremental oil recovery. The hydrochloric acid added in the nanofluid was found to have minimal effect on the recovery factor.

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