Enhanced Oil Recovery by Hydrophilic Silica Nanofluid: Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of Parameters and Mechanisms on Recovery Potential

Nanofluids as an EOR technique are reported to enhance oil recoveries. Among all the nanomaterial silica with promising lab results, economic and environmental acceptability ideal material for future applications. Despite potential recoveries, understanding two-fold impact of parameters such concentration, salinity, stability, injection rate, irreproducibility results has arisen ambiguities that have delayed field This integrated study is conducted ascertain impacts concentration salinity on recovery stability evaluates corresponding changes in mechanism variance parameters. Initially, nanofluids’ was evaluated by tertiary flooding at different concentrations (0.02, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1) wt. % 20,000 ppm salinity. The optimum 0.05 highest terms recovery, wettability change, IFT reduction selected. Then nano-flooding carried out higher salinities a %. For mechanism’s evaluation, contact angle, porosity reduction, along differential profile were analyzed. found its %, which reduced when further increased mechanisms changed compromised stability. Whereas also had 30,000 resulting lower destabilized solution but enhanced recoveries enhancing macroscopic pore throat plugging.