This document discusses the application of nanotechnology for enhancing oil recovery through the use of nanofluids or smart fluids. It provides background on oil reserves and recovery rates. Nanofluids are described as a new class of fluids containing stable suspensions of nanostructures that can enhance properties like thermal conductivity. The document outlines several potential applications of nanofluids in the oil and gas industry, such as improved sensors, coatings, and catalysts. It also discusses how nanofluids exhibit improved rheological properties and can increase oil recovery rates in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs compared to other recovery methods. Further research is needed to develop new nanomaterials and solutions to recover more oil economically.

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Application of Nanotechnology for
Enhancing Oil Recovery: Nanofluids/
Smart Fluids
Dr. Narendra Kumar Agnihotra
TCE QSTP-LLC, Doha, Qatar
Email: nkagnihotra@tce.co.in
Offshore Middle East Conference 21-23 January, 2013, Doha, Qatar

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World Oil Scenario
 Proven oil reserves currently stand at 1,197.7 billion barrels
 ~ 81% of total proven oil reserve available in the world
 ~ 7.0x1012 barrel of oil will remain in oilfields
Source: OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin, 2012

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 Only 40-50% oil can be recovered through available technologies
Secondary
 Injecting fluids to increasing the pressure
Tertiary
 Injecting steam to heating oil
and reduce viscosity
 Pumping CO2 to reduce
Pressure & reduce viscosity
Other stages
 Injecting Chemical agents/
Polymer Surfactants etc to
reduce surface tension,
wettability, interfacial tension etc
Primarily  10-15% recovery by buoyancy force
State of Art Technologies

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What is Nanotechnology?
1 Nanometer = 10-9 meter
- Billionth part of meter
 Control / manipulation of materials on an atomic / molecular scale
- Normally dealing with sizes of 1 to 100 nanometers
- Fabrication of device / system within the nanometer length scale
 Nanotechnology is
Engineering with
molecules and atoms

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Applications: Oil & Gas Industry
 Better Equipment
 Nanotubes :Lighter, stronger and
corrosion-resistant structural materials
in platforms for offshore drilling
 Silicon carbide, a ceramic powder,
exceptionally hard materials harder,
wear-resistant and more durable
drilling equipment
 Small drill-hole evaluation instruments to
reduce drilling costs and to provide
greater environmental sensitivity
because of less drill waste.

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 New Sensors for Improving Exploration
 Reliable/economical sensors from optical
fibers for measuring temperature, pressure,
oil-flow rate and acoustic waves in oil wells
 “Nanodust” to provide data on reservoir
characterization, fluid-flow monitoring and
fluid-type recognition.
 Explore more oil reserves sites
 Remove harmful toxic substances such as NOx,
SOx and VOC from oil vapor and mercury, Cd,Pb
from soil and water
 Remove Controlled agglomeration of particles
 Polyimide (PI)/TiO2 membranes for gas separation
 Nano filters & Nano membranes
Nano filters
Sensors
Applications: Oil & Gas Industry

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Applications: Oil & Gas Industry
 Ceramic and intermetallic nanocoatings :
Nanomaterials coatings: Anti-wear for
drilling parts, corrosion-resistance, wear-
resistance, shock-resistance, enhanced
thermal conductivity
 Designer properties to enhance hydro-
phobic or hydrophilic behavior, to enhance
materials for waterflood applications
roller-cone with bits for oil drilling
 Catalysts :Nano-catalysts may also offer a
solution for on-site upgrading of bitumen and
heavy crude oil
 Heavy oil will be converted into the light oil gas

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What is Nanofluid/Smart fluid?
 New class of fluids
 Dilute liquid suspension of nanostructured materials (<100nm) in base
fluid.
 Not simply liquid –solid mixture
 High Specific properties such as durable & stable suspension, no
agglomeration & chemical change in fluid
 Enhancing magnetic, electrical and thermal conductivity
 Nanoemulsion as “Smart fluid”
 Ferro fluids, suspension of nano-sized magnetic particles, are
magnetically controllable smart fluids and used in improving oil recovery
by enhancing surfactant flooding

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Nanofluid/Smart fluid

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Complex phenomenon of nanofluids
 Promise large-scale performance gains from tight reservoirs
 Efficiently Heavy crude oil exploration
 Reduce surface tension in the range of 70-90% on oil boundary in
comparison with active agent aqueous solution
Nanofluids possess enhanced
thermophysical properties
 Thermal conductivity,
 Thermal diffusivity,
 Viscosity
 Convective Heat transfer
coefficients
Nanofluids: Specific Properties
Thermophysical Properties

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Rheological curve of anionic surfactant aqueous solution without
addition and with addition of nanoparticles
 Viscosity of surfactant aqueous solution became more than double by
adding the nanoparticles
Flow Characteristic & Interfacial Tension
 Presence of nanoparticles changes rheological properties and increases the
effect of surfactant solutions on oil recovery processes
 Presence of nanoparticles reduces the interfacial tension
Source: Suleimanov et al, 2011, JPSE 78, 431–437

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Chatzis & Morrow SPEJ (1994,561)
Oil Recovery Vs Capillary Number
 Wettability alteration, advanced drag reduction and binders for sand consolidation

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Comparison of finite oil recovery, %OOIP (Original Oil in Place) from
Homogeneous and Heterogeneous pore medium
 In homogeneous medium, finite oil recovery increases 17% compared to
water and 12% compared to surfactant solution
Nanofluids: Improved Oil Recovery
 Similarly, in heterogeneous medium, the finite oil recovery increases
17% and 22% compared to surfactant and water.
Source: Suleimanov et al, 2011, JPSE 78, 431–437

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Concluding Remarks
 Nanoscience & Interfacial Engineering can lead to new development in
Oil & Gas Industry
 New surfactants, nanomaterials are required to recover the immobile oil
from tight reservoir and to improve oil and gas production in an
economical way.
 Nanofluid can provided solutions for EOR from exhausted oil rigs
 Nanocatalyst can help to increase the production of Upstream &
downstream units with environment friendly approaches.
 Extensive research required to improve the materials for oil & gas
Industries.

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Thank You