Development and Evaluation of Surfactant Nanocapsules for Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Applications

Molecules

FaridB. Cortés¹  Stefania Betancur Marquez¹  Karol Zapata¹  Mónica Lozano¹  CamiloA. Franco¹  Oveimar Santamaria²  Natalia Ospina³ 

[1] Grupo de Investigación en Fenómenos de Superficie—Michael Polanyi, Departamento de Procesos y Energía, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín, 050034 Medellín, Colombia;Grupo de Investigación en Yacimientos de Hidrocarburos, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Sede Medellín, 050034 Medellín, Colombia;Petroingeniería Regional de Antioquia, Petroraza S.A.S., Calle 80 Sur47D 88 Sabaneta, Colombia;

关键词: adsorption;    enhanced oil recovery (EOR);    nanocapsules;    surfactant;    vacuum residue;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules23071523

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The primary objective of this study is the synthesis of nanocapsules (NC) that allow the reduction of the adsorption process of surfactant over the porous media in enhanced oil recovery processes. Nanocapsules were synthesized through the nanoprecipitation method by encapsulating commercial surfactants Span 20 and Petro 50, and using type II resins isolated from vacuum residue as a shell. The NC were characterized using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, solvency tests, softening point measurements and entrapment efficiency. The obtained NC showed spherical geometry with sizes of 71 and 120 nm for encapsulated Span 20 (NCS20), and Petro 50 surfactant (NCP50), respectively. Also, the NCS20 is composed of 90% of surfactant and 10% of type II resins, while the NCP50 material is 94% of surfactant and 6% of the shell. Nanofluids of nanocapsules dispersed in deionized water were prepared for evaluating the nanofluid—sandstone interaction from adsorption phenomena using a batch-mode method, contact angle measurements, and FTIR analysis. The results showed that NC adsorption was null at the different conditions of temperatures evaluated of 25, 50, and 70 °C, and stirring velocities up to 10,000 rpm. IFT measurements showed a reduction from 18 to 1.62 and 0.15 mN/m for the nanofluids with 10 mg/L of NCS20, and NCP50 materials, respectively. Displacements tests were conducted using a 20 °API crude oil in a quarter five-spot pattern micromodel and showed an additional oil recovery of 23% in comparison with that of waterflooding, with fewer pore volumes injected than when using a dissolved surfactant.

【 授权许可】

Unknown