Effect of a SILICA/HPAM Nanohybrid on Heavy Oil Recovery and Treatment: Experimental and Simulation Study.

The addition of nanoparticles has been presented as an alternative approach to counteract the degradation of polymeric solutions for enhanced oil recovery. In this context, a nanohybrid (NH34) of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (MW ∼12 MDa) and nanosilica modified with 2% 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (nSiO-APTES) was synthesized and evaluated. NH34 was characterized by using dynamic light scattering, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis.

Flow Behavior through Porous Media and Displacement Performance of a SILICA/PAM Nanohybrid: Experimental and Numerical Simulation Study.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as additives to improve the rheological properties of polymer solutions and reduce mechanical degradation. This study presents the results of the retention experiment and the numerical simulation of the displacement efficiency of a SiO/hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) nanohybrid (CSNH-AC). The CSNH-AC was obtained from SiO NPs (synthesized by the Stöber method) chemically modified with HPAM chains.