Enhanced Oil Recovery through the Application of Nanoparticles with Irvingia Gabonensis in Flooding Process in the Reservoir

Abstract

This experimental investigation is aimed at establishing the ability of nanofluids formula from a mixture of nanoparticles and oil extracted from Irvingia gabonensis (bush mango) in enhancing recovery from oil reservoir. The laboratory study involved the use of core flooding unit, crude oil, brine, nano-particles and Irvingia gabonensis. In this study, nanofluids formulated from nanoparticles of aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) respectively were used in flooding the crude oil saturated core plug sample after water flooding process. Finally, oil extracted from Irvingia gabonensis which served as organic polymer was mixed with the nanofluids of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO respectively, the mixture of the respective nanofluids and the organic polymer was used in flooding the crude oil saturated core samples, its effects on oil recovery from the core samples were obtained. The results from nanofluids flooding with the nanoparticle of aluminum oxide and zinc oxide indicated oil recovery of 38.9% and 42.8% correspondingly. However, when the respective nanofluids mixed with the organic polymer were applied in flooding the core samples, the oil recovery greatly improved to 47.7% and 52.7% for the Al 2 O 3 and ZnO nanofluid flooding respectively. This experiment showed that nanoparticles of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO can enhance oil recovery from the reservoir but the addition of Irvingia gabonensis to the nanofluid of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO further optimized oil recovery from crude oil saturated core samples. Therefore Irvingia gabonensis has shown the ability of enhancing oil recovery through the mechanisms of viscosity increment and mobility reduction of the displacing fluid.