Controlling CO2 movement with surface-treated nanoparticles
Personnel
Behdad Aminzadeh, Xing Zhang, Yanzun Li, Doo Hyun Chung, David DiCarlo, Chun Huh, Keith
Johnston, and Steve Bryant
Objectives of Research
To determine if nanoparticles can help prevent CO2 leaks through the in-situ formation of
CO2 in water foam
Background and Hypothesis
Time 1
Surface-treated silica nanoparticles have been shown to stabilize oil in water and CO2 in
water emulsions (see Figure). Can these emulsions form spontaneously during CO2
displacements in rock, and if so, will they
Time 2
beneficially alter the flow patterns?
Methods
1)  Perform displacements using low pressure
analog fluids and observe the flow patterns with
and without nanoparticles using CT scanning
2) Perform experiments using CO2
3) Determine optimal nanoparticles
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and
operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
Controlling CO2 movement with surface-treated nanoparticles
Cross-­‐sec6on view Early Results (Behdad Aminzadeh)
1) Much less preferential flow when nanoparticles were
present before low-pressure analog fluid injection
2) Matched with pressure and effluent results
3) Suggested in-situ formation of emulsion
(Geophysical Research Letters, 2011)
Later work
Extend to high pressure CO2
Determine optimal nanoparticles and
injection scenarios
w/o w/ Longitudinal view w/o Time 1
w/ Later results (Behdad and Doo Hyun Chung)
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a. Imaged CO2 flow WITHOUT nanopar6cles
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Small changes for CO2 with and without nano
Too much mobility contrast to overcome?
Viscosity of CO2 is 20 times less than that of brine –
analog fluid viscosity ratio was only 2
Time 2
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b. Imaged CO2 flow WITH nanopar6cles
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and
operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
0
Controlling CO2 movement with surface-treated nanoparticles
Effluent curves Final Results (Behdad, Xing Zhang, Yanzun Li)
More placement of CO2 (Top Figure)
More retention of CO2 (Top Figure)
CO2 injec6on CO2 Saturation
By using different nanoparticle formulations in
different cores found CO2 results that were similar
to analog fluids!
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0.5 Time 1 1
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Volume injected (PV)
Destroyed preferential flow of CO2 (Bottom Figure)
Conclusions
By emplacing nanoparticles in the formation brine
before injecting CO2 we can emplace more CO2
with less chance of preferential flow or leakage
Time 2
a. Imaged CO2 flow WITHOUT nanopar6cles
b. Imaged CO2 flow WITH nanopar6cles
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and
operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.