RESUMEN
Asphaltene precipitation in oil reservoirs, well equipment, and pipelines reduces production, causing pore blockage, wettability changes, and decreased efficiency. Asphaltenes, with their unique chemical structure, self-assemble via acid-base interactions and hydrogen bonding. Nano-inhibitors prevent asphaltene aggregation at the nanoscale under reservoir conditions. This study investigates the effect of two surface-modified nanoparticles, silica, and calcium carbonate, as asphaltene inhibitors and oil production agents. The impacts of these nano-inhibitors on asphaltene content, onset point, wettability, surface tension, and oil recovery factor were determined to understand their mechanism on asphaltene precipitation and oil production. Results demonstrate that these nano-inhibitors can significantly postpone the onset point of asphaltene precipitation, with varying performance. Calcium carbonate nano-inhibitor exhibits better efficiency at low concentrations, suspending asphaltene molecules in crude oil. In contrast, silica nano-inhibitor performs better at high concentrations. Wettability alteration and IFT reduction tests reveal that each nano-inhibitor performs optimally at specific concentrations. Silica nano-inhibitors exhibit better colloidal stability and improve oil recovery more than calcium carbonate nano-inhibitors, with maximum oil recovery factors of 33% at 0.1 wt.% for silica and 25% at 0.01 wt.% for calcium carbonate nano-inhibitors.
RESUMEN
This study aims to investigate the effects of introducing a 50/50 mixture of silica and magnesium oxide nanoparticles (SNP + MgONP) to the viscosity of Al-Ahdab crude oil (Iraq) at varied concentrations and temperatures. It is observed that the viscosity value drops from 38.49 to 7.8 cP. The highest degree of viscosity reduction is measured to be 56.91% at the maximum temperature of 50 °C and the greatest concentration of 0.4 wt% SM4. The Bingham model can be used to classify the behavior of the crude oil before the Nano-mixture is added. The liquid behavior grew closer to Newtonian behavior once the Nano-mixture was added. Along with a rise in plastic and effective viscosity values, the yield stress value decreases as the concentration of the Nano-mixture increases. The numerical data demonstrate that when the volume proportion of nanoparticles increases, the pressure distribution decreases. Furthermore, as the nanoparticle volume fraction increases, the drag decrease would also increase. SM4 obtains a maximum drag reduction of 53.17%. It is discovered that the sample SM4 has a maximum flow rate increase of 2.408%. Because they reduce the viscosity of crude oil, nanoparticles also reduce the friction factor ratio.
RESUMEN
This study explores enhanced oil recovery (EOR) strategies, with a focus on carbonate reservoirs constituting over 60% of global oil discoveries. While "smart water" injection proves effective in EOR for carbonate reservoirs, offshore application challenges arise due to impractical volumes for injection. To address this, we propose a novel continuous injection approach, systematically investigating it on a laboratory scale using the Iranian offshore reservoir, Sivand. Thirty-six contact angle tests and twelve flooding experiments are meticulously conducted, with key ions, potassium, and sulfate, playing pivotal roles. Optimal wettability alteration is observed at 4 times potassium ion concentration in 0-2 times sulfate concentrations, driven by ionic strength and charge interactions. Conversely, at 3-5 times sulfate concentrations, the optimal contact angle shifts to 2 times potassium ion concentration, suggesting a mechanism change linked to increasing sulfate ion ionicity. A significant wettability alteration, evidenced by a 132.8° decrease, occurs in seawater with a twofold concentration of potassium ions and a fivefold concentration of sulfate ions. Micromodel experiments introduce an innovative alternation of smart water and seawater injections. The first scenario, smart water followed by seawater injection, reveals negligible post-seawater injection oil recovery changes. In contrast, the second scenario yields a maximum recovery of 7.9%. The first scenario, however, boasts superior overall sweep efficacy, reaching approximately 43%. This research expands understanding of smart water and seawater injection in EOR, presenting a viable solution for optimizing offshore carbonate reservoir recovery. The insights contribute to evolving EOR methodologies, emphasizing tailored strategies for varying reservoir conditions.
RESUMEN
In this study, the adsorption of benzoic acid and phenols in the aqueous phase by MOF-Cu adsorbent was investigated. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) device was used to analyze the concentration of contaminants in the solution. Three isotherms, Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin were performed for adsorption of Benzoic Acid (BA) and Phenol contaminants. Correlation factor for adsorption isotherms were fitted into Langmuir aqueous BA and Phenol would be 99.89 and 99.98%, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption capacity MOF-Cu of BA and Phenol is 636.73 and 524.42 mg/g, respectively. In this study, high contaminant adsorption with π-π interaction and hydrogen bonding leads to the high capacity of MOFCu. In addition, the increase in adsorption capacity of benzoic acid is due to the electronegative property of oxygen in the carbonyl group and the similarity of the carboxylic acid functional group with the adsorbent. The result shows, that at initial time adsorption, has been a non-linear trend. In addition, the first-order kinetic model is not a suitable option for fitting the experimental data of adsorption kinetics and the adsorption kinetics of BA and Phenol is very well compatible with the semi-second order with the correlation Factor being 99.7 and 99.78, respectively. Also, the equilibrium adsorption capacity in pseudo-second order kinetic for BA and Phenol is 613.5 and 523.56 mg/g respectively.