FOAM STABILIZATION AND INTERACTIVE PROPERTIES OF KONO-BOUE CLAY NANOPARTICLES IN OIL RECOVERY

Abstract

Different materials have been employed in chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) to recover more residual oil from reservoir rock formations. Surfactants have been used though better recovery margin is expected when in conjunction with nanoparticles (NPs) (Silica and more recently clay). This combination reduces surfactant loss to the reservoir formation and enhances foam stability. The interactive properties and foam stability of locally available Kono Boue (KB) clay NPs were studied to establish its suitability for applications in CEOR. The KB clay NPs were synthesized using Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) mediated (sol-gel) route and characterized with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Wettability alteration, Interfacial Tension (IFT) and Foam stability. The XRD and EDXRF confirmed the clay as Kaolinite (Al > 16 %; Si > 30 %). Surface morphologies showed platy polycrystallites of different sizes on the SEM while characteristic vibrations of Si-O stretching (780 and 1056 cm-1) and Al-OH bending (698 cm-1) vibrations were obtained from the FT-IR. Control of particle sizes (85, 63, 66, 60, 66 and 90 nm) was achieved using different concentrations (0, 2.08, 6.25, 8.33, 10.42 and 14.58 mM) respectively of SDS at constant clay particles (10 g). The samples were calcined at 900 °C for 2 h. IFT reduction between the oil and the aqueous media at constant SDS concentration increased with decrease in particle sizes from 85 to 60 nm. Similarly, wettability alteration also showed changes from nearly neutral-wet towards more water-wet condition with particle size variation. The foam stability experiment confirmed that the clay NPs with the least particle size of 60 nm gave the most stable foam.