The aim of this project is to develop and validate an innovative concept by in-situ producing nanomaterials under reservoir-like conditions, and examining the effect of nanomaterials on oil recovery by both numerical and experimental means. Four working packages are arranged to achieve this goal, including WP1 – nanoparticle fabrication and characterisation, WP2- exploring oil removal mechanisms by nanoparticles, WP3-nanoparticle mobility study and WP4-synergies and planning for field study.
The work has been going very well according to the plan. Briefly, different nanomaterials production methods have been studied, and a range of nanomaterials were produced and characterised; rheological, interfacial and morphology properties were obtained, and three flooding systems were established including pore scale, mesoscale and core scale setup. Suitable nanoparticles were identified that could be used for future field test. The major results can be summarized as: 1) The in-situ production and stabilization concept was validated in laboratorial conditions at the pore scale and pore scale. The nanomaterials examined included carbon nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and microemulsions under reservoir-like conditions. 2) The effect of nanoparticles on the improved oil recovery and the governing mechanisms of oil recovery were identified. The effect of capillary and viscous forces on the oil mobilization were revealed by both pore-scale experiment and numerical simulation. 3) The mobility of nanoparticles through different samples from pore scale to core scale were examined and the controlling factors on the nanoparticle mobility were revealed. 4) Aiming for future field test, a number of nanoparticles were examined and the right candidate were identified. 5) In addition to the concept of using nanoaprticles directly for enhanced oil recovery, we validated two related novel concepts in core samples, i.e. in-situ production of nanoparticles as potential reservoir sensors, and ii) controlled delivery of chemicals to reduce chemical usage, which represent as two promising results for future take-up. 6) With a similar concept, we extended the application of nanoparticles for soil remediation.
In short summary, all the planned WPs were implemented and the project has been completely satisfactory. These work has resulted in 42 journal papers published over the project period, as detailed in the Publication section. In addition, we presented the work results in 22 conferences, including 3 as the keynote/plenary speaker.
