Synthesis of smart fluids for the efficient removal of residual oil from subsurface
Year: 2023
Authors: Ntente, Ch; Strekla, A; Theodoropoulou, M; Tsakiroglou, C D
Aqueous solutions of polyphenols extracted from the leaves of plants are used to synthesize and stabilize aqueous suspensions of iron oxide nanoparticles by green chemistry routes. The interfacial properties and wetting properties of nano-colloids are measured to assess their capacity to generate stable Pickering emulsions. The rheological properties of emulsions are measured, and their stability is inspected by observing the phase separation (macro-scale) and measuring the drop size distribution (micro-scale). The capacity of emulsions to remove residual oil from soils is evaluated with visualization tests of drainage / primary imbibition / secondary imbibition performed on a glass-etched pore network for an oil / aqueous solution system. In each test, the transient changes of the fluid saturation along with the pressure drop across the porous medium are measured and correlated with dimensionless parameters, such as the capillary number and viscosity ratio.
