Newly Prepared Nano Gamma Alumina and Its Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery: An Approach to Low-Salinity Waterflooding

Abstract

Nano gamma alumina (NGA) was prepared via a simple synthetic route and used for the preparation of a nanofluid in various salinities on the water-wet sandstone core samples. A new waterflooding experiment on sandstone rock for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been used by taking into account different water salinities. In this paper, the impressiveness of a new EOR process in the presence of alumina-based nanofluids to alter the dynamic adsorption of the sandstone core sample in low- and high-salinity brine injection has been experimentally studied. The nanofluids with a suitable concentration of NGA particles and salinities ranging from 2000 to 200 000 ppm and 25–80 °C were prepared. The results showed a reduced adsorption by the use of nanoparticles at low-salinity conditions. The ultimately optimum recoveries for 2000, 20 000, and 200 000 ppm of nanofluid injection were obtained as 56.95, 64.78, and 71.48%, respectively. It was found that these oil recoveries strongly depend upon the concentration of salinities and were increased with a decreasing salinity loading. Therefore, the dynamic adsorption behavior of nanofluid results shows a key role in clay migration in oil displacement.