Effects of Nanoparticles on Thermal Conductivity Enhancement in Different Oils
Date
2018-12-11
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Abstract
In recent years, depleting amount of energy extracted from conventional oil reservoirs, together with an industrial shift towards heavy oil/bitumen recovery has become more pronounced. Today, steam injection heating methods are primary used by industry for heavy oil/bitumen recovery. However, these methods have a detrimental effect on the environment, high-energy consumption and limited application, especially for the deep reservoirs. Therefore, there is a high priority to investigate alternative approaches. To date, the most progressive alternative technique that has proven its potential during pilot-plant tests is “Nanocatalytic in-situ heavy oil/bitumen upgrading via hot-fluid injection,” developed by Catalysis and Adsorption for Fuels and Energy (CAFE) research group at the University of Calgary. Nevertheless, continual improvement of the technique is of utmost importance. Therefore, this study is intended for proposal of new nanofluid system suitable for high-temperature injection into the reservoir with consecutive heavy oil/bitumen upgrading. New nanofluid system posses enhanced thermal properties represented by thermal conductivity, which is one of the critical parameters that affects the performance of oil recovery. Experimental studies on the thermal conductivity of oil-based medias were conducted and the effects of particle type, solid mass fraction, particle size distribution and temperature augmentation were evaluated. The results showed that the thermal conductivity values of nanofluid systems is substantially higher than that of the base fluids. Thermal conductivity enhancement trend was found to increase with increase in particle dosage. The highest thermal conductivity enhancement was determined for nanofluids with smaller average hydrodynamic particle size. Moreover, presence of chemo-physical interactions between nanoparticles and base fluid led to additional intensification of thermal conductivity. Also, the temperature augmentation in a range from 80 to 110°C exhibited a positive effect on thermal conductivity enhancement of vacuum residue-based nanofluid system. The present study holds great promise for the application of nanoparticle technology in enhancing heavy oil upgrading and recovery.
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Keywords
nanofluids, thermal conductivity, nanoparticles, in-situ upgrading, oil recovery
Citation
Mustafin, R. (2018). Effects of Nanoparticles on Thermal Conductivity Enhancement in Different Oils (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.