Investigation into the effect of silica nanoparticles on the rheological characteristics of water-in-heavy oil emulsions

• Published in: Petroleum science Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 1374 - 1386
• Main Authors: Alade, O. S., Al Shehri, D. A., Mahmoud, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing China University of Petroleum (Beijing) 01.12.2019; KeAi Publishing Communications Ltd; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Aquatic reptiles; Complex fluid; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Economics and Management; Emulsions; Energy Policy; Enhanced oil recovery; Fluid injection; Heavy oil emulsions; Heavy oil–silica nanoparticle suspension; Industrial and Production Engineering; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Mineral Resources; Nanoparticles; Oil production; Oil recovery; Original Paper; Production methods; Rheological model; Rheological properties; Rheology; Shear; Shear thinning (liquids); Silica; Silicon dioxide; Viscosity; Viscosity functions; Water; Water drops; Rheological model; Heavy oil emulsions; Heavy oil–silica nanoparticle suspension; Viscosity functions; Complex fluid
• ISSN: 1672-5107; 1995-8226
• DOI: 10.1007/s12182-019-0330-x

The effect of silica nanoparticles on the rheological characteristics of water-in-heavy oil emulsions has been investigated. Enhanced oil recovery methods for heavy oil production (most especially, thermal fluid injection) usually result in the formation of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. In reality, the emulsion produced also contains some fine solid mineral particles such as silica, which, depending on its quantity, may alter the viscosity and/or rheological properties of the fluid. A series of binary-component emulsions were separately prepared by dispersing silica nanoparticles [phase fraction, β s , = 0.5%–5.75% (wt/v)] in heavy oil (S/O suspension) and by dispersing water [water cut, θ w  = 10%–53% (v/v)] in heavy oil (W/O emulsion). Ternary-component emulsions comprising heavy oil, water droplets and suspended silica nanoparticles (S/W/O) were also prepared with similar ranges of θ w and β s . The viscosity was measured at different shear rates (5.1–1021.4 s −1 ) and temperatures (30–70 °C). Both binary-component and ternary-component emulsion systems were observed to exhibit non-Newtonian shear thinning behaviour. The viscosity of the heavy oil and W/O emulsions increased in the presence of silica nanoparticles. The effect was, however, less significant below β s  = 2% (wt/v). Moreover, a generalized correlation has been proposed to predict the viscosity of both binary-component and ternary-component emulsions.