CPG

Abstract:

Applications of nanomaterials and nanotechnology in the oil and gas industry have been on the rise over the past decade. As a major step forward in realizing the vision of a much in-demand “Reservoir-on-a-Chip” technology, microfluidic devices have been applied as micromodels for oil reservoirs, which opened a new window into high throughput advancement of reservoir and oilfield chemistry. In this review, recent progress and perspectives on applications of microfluidics technology in the oil and gas industry are discussed.

Microfluidics consist of microfabricated structures that have small volume capacity and features for liquid handling, with cross sections that range from nanometer to micrometer. The dimensions, geometries and surface properties of microfluidic chips are precisely tailored through nanofabrication and post chemical modification, so that the nano/micro-scale porosity and wettability of the microchannels can be tuned to faithfully resemble natural reservoir rocks. Miniaturized microfluidic device provides an ideal tool for studying the transport processes of fluids at high temporal and spatial resolution. With the advantage of excellent optical transparency, microfluidic micromodels allow us to directly visualize and quantify the multiphase flows and geochemical fluid−rock interactions by advanced spectroscopic and microscopic imaging techniques, elucidating the complex fluid behavior in oil recovery processes. As an example, a specifically designed micromodel system enables water−oil displacement experiments to be performed rapidly in very small-volume samples for dramatically accelerated screening of candidate chemicals or nano-agent additive formulations for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations, significantly reducing time and cost compared to conventional coreflooding experiments.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://kfupm.zoom.us/j/95714248535?pwd=Y0RGSnhmK3g5cVhJcG42QVV0TXlCUT09

Meeting ID: 957 1424 8535
Passcode: 241326