The Effect of a Novel Surface Modified Nanoparticles on Wettability Alteration and Enhanced Oil Recovery

Recently, nano-fluids (N-fluids) have emerged as cost-effective and efficient materials for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In this context, N-fluids have shown significant potential in altering the wettability of carbonate rocks and reducing the interfacial tension between oil and water. In this study, titanium dioxide was synthesized and surface-modified using a specific approach. The synthetic solution was then prepared synergistically with engineered low-salinity water. Generally, in previous studies, changes in wettability and interfacial tension in the presence of synthetic N-fluids did not result in substantial changes in contact angle and interfacial tension. However, in this study, the greatest change in contact angle and interfacial tension was achieved through an innovative surface modification approach, indicating the presence of effective compounds within the N-fluid structure. TEM, XRD, and FT-IR analyses were employed to confirm the structure of the surface-modified N-particles. To investigate the effect of synthetic N-fluids on oil recovery, contact angle measurements, interfacial tension evaluations, and core flooding tests were conducted. In the presence of synthetic N-fluid, the interfacial tension (IFT) decreased from 19.88 mN/m (reference value) to 2.8 mN/m, and the contact angle reduced from the initial value to 26°. The results demonstrated a significant hydrophilic wettability change for the core rock.