Insight into the Synergic Effect of Ultrasonic Waves, SDS Surfactant, and Silica Nanoparticles on Wettability Alteration of Carbonate Rocks

• Published in: Arabian journal for science and engineering (2011) 2022-09, Vol.47 (9), p.11609-11622
• Main Authors: Kamkar, Athare, Hosseini, Hashem, Norouzi-Apourvari, Saeid, Schaffie, Mahin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbonate rocks; Contact angle; Distilled water; Engineering; Enhanced oil recovery; Fatty acids; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Petroleum engineering; Radiation; Research Article-Petroleum Engineering; Science; Seawater; Silicon dioxide; Surfactants; Ultrasonic radiation; Variance analysis; Wettability
• ISSN: 2193-567X; 1319-8025; 2191-4281
• DOI: 10.1007/s13369-021-06356-2

The impact of ultrasonic radiation, as an emerging enhanced oil recovery technique, on reservoir fluid properties is of great importance in petroleum engineering. Although the effect of sonication on fluid properties has been widely investigated, the wettability alteration of carbonate rocks via different solutions under ultrasonic radiation has not been considered. In this study, the synergic impact of ultrasonic radiation on the wettability alteration of carbonate rocks was studied by using distilled water, seawater, SDS surfactant, silica nanoparticles, and SDS surfactant–silica nanoparticles solutions. Variance analysis showed that all parameters under ultrasonic radiation, including types of water, surfactant solution, nanoparticles, sonication time, and temperature, were meaningful and had influences on the wettability alteration. The contact angle decreased notably by raising the temperature and sonication time. Ultrasonic waves improved the elimination of chemisorbed fatty acids on the surface, and this could be one of the mechanisms of wettability alteration by the ultrasonic application.