Nano-silica to reduce of surfactant adsorption in oil recovery: A review
A.F.A. Rahman, Agus Arsad, Dai‐Viet N. Vo, M.B. Bahari
Abstract
Oil recovery in geological reservoirs can be enhanced by surfactant flooding, yet this technique is limited by surfactant adsorption on rocks.Here we review the use of nano-silica to decrease surfactant adsorption and to recover more oil, with a focus on surfactant flooding and adsorption, nano-silica properties and development, strategies to reduce surfactant adsorption, and the use of other nanoparticles such as zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, and titanium dioxide.During classical waterflooding, more than 60% of the oil remains trapped in reservoirs due to adsorption of surfactants onto reservoir rocks, which can reach up to 2.84 mg/g.The use of nano-silica reduces surfactant adsorption by 43%, lowers the adsorption density to 1.61 mg/g, and, in turn, improves oil recovery from 4.43 to 9.11%.