Design and screening of synergistic blends of SiO2 nanoparticles and surfactants for enhanced oil recovery in high-temperature reservoirs

Nhu Y Thi Le, Duy Khanh Pham, Kim Hung Le and Phuong Tung Nguyen

Abstract

SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the sol–gel method in an ultrasound reactor and monodispersed NPs with an average particle size of 10–12 nm were obtained. The synergy occurring in blending NPs and anionic surfactant solutions was identified by ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) reduction measured by a spinning drop tensiometer (Temco500). The oil displacement efficiency of the synergistic blends and surfactant solutions at Dragon South-East (DSE) reservoir temperature was evaluated using contact angle measurement (Dataphysics OCA 20). It was found that SiO₂/surfactant synergistic blends displace oil as well as their original surfactant solutions at the same 1000 ppm total concentration. Abundant slag appearing in the SiO₂/surfactant medium during oil displacement could be attributed to an adsorption of surfactants onto the NPs. The results indicate that at a concentration of 1000 ppm in total, the original surfactant SS16-47A and its blend with SiO₂NPs in the ratio of 8:2 exhibited an IFT reduction as high as fourfold of the IFT recorded for the DSE oil–brine interface and very high speed of oil displacement. Therefore, it could potentially be applicable to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in high-temperature reservoirs with high hardness-injection-brine, like the one at DSE. This opens up a new direction for developing effective EOR compositions, which require less surfactant and are environmentally safer