Experimental Assessment of Guar Gum and Silicon Oxide Nanoparticle Hybrid for Enhanced Oil Recovery

This study investigated the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential of hybrid formulations comprising guar gum polymer and silicon oxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles. The research aimed to address the limitations of using only polymer (Guar gum) as EOR agent, by exploring the synergistic effects of guar gum and SiO₂ nanoparticles in improving oil recovery efficiency. The study involved core flooding experiments using Niger-Delta sandstone samples with different concentrations of guar gum and SiO₂ nanoparticles in both low-salinity (30,000 ppm) and relatively high-salinity (60,000 ppm). The results showed that the guar gum-SiO₂ nanocomposite formulations significantly outperformed the individual components in terms of oil recovery. The rheological analysis indicated that the inclusion of SiO₂ nanoparticles improved the viscosity and viscoelastic properties of the hybrid fluids, enhancing their mobility control capabilities. Core flooding experiments demonstrated that the guar gum-SiO₂ nanocomposite formulations significantly outperformed the individual components, with the cumulative oil recovery rates reaching up to 83% in the low salinity condition of 30,000ppm and due to increase in salinity of 60,000ppm reduced recovery percentage of 79%. The study revealed that hybrid nanocomposites effectively mitigated permeability damage, a prevalent challenge associated with the use of polymers as enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agents. The incorporation of SiO₂ nanoparticles played a crucial role in preserving permeability by preventing the plugging of pore spaces, thereby enabling improved fluid flow and oil displacement.