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Dispersion Stability and Transport of Nanohybrids through Porous Media

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Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotube-silica nanohybrid particles are a very promising material that could be used for enhanced oil recovery because of their interfacial activity. To demonstrate the basic principle, aqueous nanohybrid particle dispersions were evaluated by looking at the effect of pH, surfactant, and polymer. The results showed that pH did not have significant effect on the dispersion stability of nanohybrid particles. Although surfactant could improve the dispersion stability, it reduced the interfacial activity of the nanohybrid particles, causing them to stay in the aqueous phase. The best nanohybrid particle dispersion stability was found upon polymer addition, where the dispersions were stable for more than a week even at low polymer concentration (50 ppm). One-dimensional sand-pack studies were performed to evaluate the flow of the nanohybrid particles through porous media. The results showed that most of the nanohybrid particles (>99%) could pass through a column packed with glass beads while a measurable fraction of the particles was retained in the column packed with crushed Berea. When the columns contained a residual saturation of decane, additional nanohybrid particles were retained at the oil/water interface in both glass beads and crushed Berea sand media. The sand pack studies showed that not only can the nanohybrid particles flow through porous media but also about half of the particles injected will go the O/W interface when the porous medium contains a residual saturation of hydrocarbon, where they could be used to support a catalytic conversion of components of the oil in reservoirs.

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Abbreviations

C/C 0 :

Normalized particle concentration observed at the column effluent (–)

CMC:

The critical micelle concentration (mol/103 cm3)

nC60 :

Fullerene (–)

D :

Specific energy band of Raman spectra, in the frequency of 1,300 cm−1

d :

Particle size of the packing materials (mm)

G :

Specific energy band of Raman spectra, in the frequency of 1,580–1,590 cm−1

G/D :

Raman spectra band ratio indicating the carbon impurities and imperfection (–)

kΩ:

Resistivity unit for the turbidity measurement of dispersed particles (kΩ)

mD:

Millidarcy, unit of permeability (10−15 m2 or 1 × 10−3 μm2)

NaDDBS:

Sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, anionic surfactant (–)

O/W:

Oil and water interface, or oil-in-water emulsion (–)

PV:

Pore volume of the packed column (–)

SHDPDS:

Sodium hexadecyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate (–)

SWNT:

Single-walled carbon nanotube (–)

W/O:

Water-in-oil emulsion (–)

Φ:

Column diameter (cm)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Geological Engineering, University of Oklahoma, 1210 Sarkey’s Energy Center, 100 E. Boyd St., Norman, OK, 73019-1003, USA

    Luis C. Villamizar & Bor Jier Shiau

  2. Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Sarkey’s Energy Center, Rm T-335, 100 E. Boyd St., Norman, OK, 73019-1003, USA

    Prapas Lohateeraparp, Jeffrey H. Harwell & Daniel E. Resasco

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  1. Luis C. Villamizar
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  2. Prapas Lohateeraparp
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  3. Jeffrey H. Harwell
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  4. Daniel E. Resasco
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  5. Bor Jier Shiau
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Correspondence to Bor Jier Shiau.

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Villamizar, L.C., Lohateeraparp, P., Harwell, J.H. et al. Dispersion Stability and Transport of Nanohybrids through Porous Media. Transp Porous Med 96, 63–81 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-012-0073-2

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