Experimental investigation of silica nanoparticle morphology on interfacial properties, diffusion behavior, and oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs: Insights into spherical and rod-shaped particles

IF 5.2 2区化学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Journal of Molecular Liquids Pub Date : 2025-09-22 DOI:10.1016/j.molliq.2025.128557

Seyyed Hadi Riazi, Elnaz Khodapanah, Seyyed Alireza Tabatabaei-Nezhad

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Carbonate reservoirs pose substantial challenges for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to their heterogeneous structure and predominantly oil-wet nature. This study explores the influence of silica nanoparticle morphology, spherical versus rod-shaped, on key EOR mechanisms, specifically wettability alteration and interfacial tension (IFT) reduction, under reservoir-representative conditions. Silica nanoparticles were synthesized via the sol–gel method and dispersed in nanofluids at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 wt%. A comprehensive set of experiments, including static contact angle measurements, pendant drop IFT tests, dynamic IFT monitoring, zeta potential analysis, and core flooding tests, was conducted at temperatures up to 80 °C and pressures up to 2000 psi.

Results demonstrated that rod-shaped nanoparticles were more effective in reducing contact angle (from 152° to 35°) and IFT (from 25.6 to 9.6 mN/m) compared to their spherical counterparts. Zeta potential measurements confirmed the superior stability of rod-shaped nanofluids and stronger electrostatic interactions with carbonate rock surfaces, facilitating improved nanoparticle adsorption and wettability alteration toward more water-wet conditions. Dynamic IFT analysis revealed that nanoparticle morphology significantly influenced interfacial adsorption kinetics and diffusion behavior. Rod-shaped nanoparticles exhibited higher surface concentration (8.51 × 10⁻⁷ mol/m²), greater diffusion coefficients, and higher activation energy barriers for desorption, indicating more stable interfacial adsorption.

Core flooding experiments at the optimal nanoparticle concentration (0.2 wt%) confirmed these findings, showing oil recovery enhancements of 18 % and 14 % for rod-shaped and spherical nanoparticles, respectively. These improvements were attributed to enhanced wettability alteration, IFT reduction, and flow diversion within the carbonate matrix.

This work presents the first comprehensive evaluation of silica nanoparticle morphology under realistic reservoir temperature and pressure conditions in carbonate formations. While previous studies have primarily focused on particle size and concentration, this study uniquely highlights particle shape as a critical yet underexplored parameter influencing interfacial behavior and EOR efficiency. These findings offer valuable guidance for designing next-generation nanofluids for optimized EOR performance.

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碳酸盐储层中二氧化硅纳米颗粒形貌对界面性质、扩散行为和采收率的影响实验研究：球形和棒状颗粒

碳酸盐岩储层由于其非均质结构和主要的油湿性，给提高采收率（EOR）带来了巨大的挑战。本研究探讨了在储层代表性条件下，纳米二氧化硅颗粒形态（球形与杆状）对提高采收率关键机制的影响，特别是润湿性改变和界面张力（IFT）降低。通过溶胶-凝胶法合成二氧化硅纳米颗粒，并以0.01 ~ 0.2 wt%的浓度分散在纳米流体中。在温度高达80°C、压力高达2000psi的条件下，进行了一套全面的实验，包括静态接触角测量、垂坠IFT测试、动态IFT监测、zeta电位分析和岩心驱油测试。结果表明，与球形纳米颗粒相比，棒状纳米颗粒在降低接触角（从152°降至35°）和IFT（从25.6 mN/m降至9.6 mN/m）方面更有效。Zeta电位测量证实了棒状纳米流体的优越稳定性和与碳酸盐岩表面更强的静电相互作用，促进了纳米颗粒的吸附和润湿性向更水湿条件的改变。动态IFT分析表明，纳米颗粒形态对界面吸附动力学和扩散行为有显著影响。杆状纳米颗粒表现出更高的表面浓度（8.51 × 10−7 mol/m2）、更大的扩散系数和更高的解吸活化能，表明界面吸附更稳定。在最佳纳米颗粒浓度（0.2 wt%）下的岩心驱油实验证实了这些发现，杆状纳米颗粒和球形纳米颗粒的采收率分别提高了18%和14%。这些改善归因于碳酸盐基质中润湿性改变、IFT降低和流体转移的增强。这项工作首次全面评价了碳酸盐地层中真实储层温度和压力条件下二氧化硅纳米颗粒的形态。虽然之前的研究主要集中在颗粒的大小和浓度上，但这项研究独特地强调了颗粒形状是影响界面行为和提高采收率的关键参数，但尚未得到充分的探索。这些发现为设计优化EOR性能的下一代纳米流体提供了有价值的指导。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Molecular Liquids 化学-物理：原子、分子和化学物理

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

16.70%

发文量

2597

审稿时长

78 days

期刊介绍： The journal includes papers in the following areas: – Simple organic liquids and mixtures – Ionic liquids – Surfactant solutions (including micelles and vesicles) and liquid interfaces – Colloidal solutions and nanoparticles – Thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals – Ferrofluids – Water, aqueous solutions and other hydrogen-bonded liquids – Lubricants, polymer solutions and melts – Molten metals and salts – Phase transitions and critical phenomena in liquids and confined fluids – Self assembly in complex liquids.– Biomolecules in solution The emphasis is on the molecular (or microscopic) understanding of particular liquids or liquid systems, especially concerning structure, dynamics and intermolecular forces. The experimental techniques used may include: – Conventional spectroscopy (mid-IR and far-IR, Raman, NMR, etc.) – Non-linear optics and time resolved spectroscopy (psec, fsec, asec, ISRS, etc.) – Light scattering (Rayleigh, Brillouin, PCS, etc.) – Dielectric relaxation – X-ray and neutron scattering and diffraction. Experimental studies, computer simulations (MD or MC) and analytical theory will be considered for publication; papers just reporting experimental results that do not contribute to the understanding of the fundamentals of molecular and ionic liquids will not be accepted. Only papers of a non-routine nature and advancing the field will be considered for publication.