Modified Chitosan and Nanocellulose Stabilized Nanoemulsion with Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery
Name: ROBERTA TRISTAO PINTO
Publication date: 01/04/2025
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ALVARO CUNHA NETO | Examinador Interno |
| LORRAINE LOUISE GRECO CAVALCANTI DE ARAUJO | Examinador Externo |
| LUIZ CARLOS LOBATO DOS SANTOS | Examinador Externo |
| VAGNER TEBALDI DE QUEIROZ | Examinador Interno |
| VALDEMAR LACERDA JUNIOR | Presidente |
Summary: In the current scenario of petroleum reserve depletion, chemical injection is a vital technique for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This article presents an approach for developing an oil recovery fluid through experimental investigations and mechanistic descriptions of nanoemulsified systems. The nanoemulsions were stabilized by a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), an anionic amphiphilic polymer synthesized from chitosan (NaP-CMQ), and cellulose nanoparticles (CNC) extracted from banana pseudostem. The utilized compounds underwent comprehensive characterization. The physicochemical properties of the nanoemulsions include surface tension, pH, conductivity, droplet size (DLS), zeta potential, rheological behavior, phase behavior, IFT, wettability, and miscibility with crude oil. DLS results confirmed the formation of nanometric oil droplets (<500 nm) in the nanoemulsion phase for all systems. Nanoemulsions stabilized with polymer and surfactant were more efficient in reducing IFT (1.88 mN/m), while nanoemulsions stabilized with polymer/surfactant and nanoparticles promoted greater wettability alteration (19°). Rheological experiments demonstrated pseudoplastic behavior of the nanoemulsions through the adjustment of flow parameters using the power-law model. Crude oil emulsification studies revealed favorable miscibility with crude oil at 70°C, with synergistic interactions between polymer, surfactant, and nanoparticle. The recovery factor was 48.1 % of the original oil in place (OOIP) for the nanoemulsion stabilized with NaP-CMQ+CTAB+CNC. In summary, the developed nanoemulsion-based systems exhibit promising physicochemical and stabilization characteristics for EOR applications.
