This book assesses the current development and potential applications of
nanoparticle technology in oil industry and explores new research
directions in this frontier field. It outlines the theory and practical
challenges of the nanoparticle colloidal behavior in oil matrixes and
aqueous solutions, the interactions between rock and nanofluid,
nanoparticles and asphaltenes, and the surface phenomena relevant to the
application of this technology. The book also describes the transport
behavior of nanoparticles in oil/sand media for in-situ upgrading and
recovery of heavy oil. Currently, the main objectives of applying
nanoscale materials in oil industry are the remediation of formation
damage, the improvement of energy efficiency, the abatement of
environmental footprints and the increment of recovery factors of oil
reservoirs, to name a few. The book consists of 15 chapters with
contributions by leading experts in the topics of fabrication methods,
opportunities and challenges in the oil & gas industry, modeling and
application of nanofluids in the field and environmental applications of
nanoparticles. The growing demand for oil has led to the need to exploit
unconventional oil resources, such as heavy and extra-heavy crude oil.
However, in the current context, upgrading and recovery of heavy oil are
highly energy and water intensive, which consequently results in
environmental impacts. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new
ideas and alternatives in the field of in-situ and ex-situ upgrading and
recovery to improve current technologies and make them both
environmentally sound and cost-effective. Research conducted by the
authors and numerous other researchers has shown that nanoparticle
technology could be successfully employed for enhancing the upgrading
and recovery of heavy oil with cost-effective and environmentally
friendly approaches. Examples on the applications of nanoparticles in
heavy oil include the adsorption, oxidation, and gasification/cracking
of asphaltenes, a problematic constituent present in heavy oils; in-situ
upgrading of the Athabasca bitumen by multi-metallic in-situ prepared
nanocatalysts; the inhibition of precipitation and deposition of
asphaltnes; and the enhanced perdurability against asphaltene damage in
oil sands porous media by injection of nanofluids; sequestration of oil
from spilled by nanoparticles, cleaning up oil sand process affected
water by integrating nanoparticle with conventional treatment processes,
etc.
