Date of Defense
24-6-2026 3:00 PM
Location
F1-1077
Document Type
Thesis Defense
Degree Name
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE)
College
COE
Department
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
First Advisor
Muhammad Rehan Hashmet
Keywords
Hybrid Enhanced Oil Recovery, Nano-Polymer Flooding, Carbonate Reservoirs, Wettability Alteration, Core Flooding.
Abstract
The recovery of oil from oil-wet carbonated reservoirs remains a challenge due to the unfavorable wettability characteristics and the poor sweep efficiency during the displacement process. In this work, the nano-assisted polymer flooding with Sav10 polymer and silica (SiO2), single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were investigated to enhance the oil recovery from the carbonate core samples at low-salinity conditions. The rheology analysis showed that a Sav10 concentration of 1000 ppm resulted in the most appropriate viscosity, around 3 cP, to effectively control mobility during flooding. The contact angle measurements of the individual nanoparticle dispersions and hybrid nanopolymer formulations were conducted to evaluate the wettability alteration behavior. Furthermore, core flooding experiments were performed to measure the incremental oil recovery achieved by the developed systems. The results showed that silica nanoparticles were highly effective, reducing the contact angle from 130.72° to 28.52° and shifting the system to strongly water-wet conditions, with similar performance observed in the hybrid system. SWCNT nanoparticles also significantly improved wettability, reducing the contact angle from 134.81° to 44.1°, with comparable results in hybrid form. In contrast, (TiO2) nanoparticles resulted in only partial wettability alteration, shifting the contact angle from 129° to 105° corresponding to an intermediate-wet state. Core flooding results showed that silica nanoparticle flooding led to a 7% incremental oil recovery, while the hybrid silicapolymer system achieved a similar recovery of 7%. For SWCNT systems, standalone flooding improved recovery by 11%, and the hybrid nano-polymer system resulted in a slightly higher recovery of 12%. Interestingly, the hybrid TiO2-polymer system produced a much higher incremental oil recovery of 25%, suggesting that mechanisms other than wettability alteration played a key role. The results of this work help clarify the role of different nanoparticles in polymer-assisted flooding and provide practical guidance for selecting suitable nano-polymer systems for oil-wet carbonate reservoirs.
Included in
INNOVATIVE HYBRID EOR FORMULATIONS: LOW SALINITY WATER COUPLED WITH NANOPARTICLES AND NANOPOLYMERS FOR CARBONATE RESERVOIRS
F1-1077
The recovery of oil from oil-wet carbonated reservoirs remains a challenge due to the unfavorable wettability characteristics and the poor sweep efficiency during the displacement process. In this work, the nano-assisted polymer flooding with Sav10 polymer and silica (SiO2), single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were investigated to enhance the oil recovery from the carbonate core samples at low-salinity conditions. The rheology analysis showed that a Sav10 concentration of 1000 ppm resulted in the most appropriate viscosity, around 3 cP, to effectively control mobility during flooding. The contact angle measurements of the individual nanoparticle dispersions and hybrid nanopolymer formulations were conducted to evaluate the wettability alteration behavior. Furthermore, core flooding experiments were performed to measure the incremental oil recovery achieved by the developed systems. The results showed that silica nanoparticles were highly effective, reducing the contact angle from 130.72° to 28.52° and shifting the system to strongly water-wet conditions, with similar performance observed in the hybrid system. SWCNT nanoparticles also significantly improved wettability, reducing the contact angle from 134.81° to 44.1°, with comparable results in hybrid form. In contrast, (TiO2) nanoparticles resulted in only partial wettability alteration, shifting the contact angle from 129° to 105° corresponding to an intermediate-wet state. Core flooding results showed that silica nanoparticle flooding led to a 7% incremental oil recovery, while the hybrid silicapolymer system achieved a similar recovery of 7%. For SWCNT systems, standalone flooding improved recovery by 11%, and the hybrid nano-polymer system resulted in a slightly higher recovery of 12%. Interestingly, the hybrid TiO2-polymer system produced a much higher incremental oil recovery of 25%, suggesting that mechanisms other than wettability alteration played a key role. The results of this work help clarify the role of different nanoparticles in polymer-assisted flooding and provide practical guidance for selecting suitable nano-polymer systems for oil-wet carbonate reservoirs.