Improved Oil Recovery by High Magnetic Flux Density Subjected to Iron Oxide Nanofluids

Oil recovery in offshore environments can be increased by using nanofluids with electromagnetic waves generated from an antenna in the oil reservoir. In the case of offshore environments, these constraints can be avoided if a horizontal antenna is towed close to the seabed, which maximises the electromagnetic energy transferred from the overburden to the reservoir and nanofluids in the reservoir. In this research, a new enhanced antenna is used with iron oxide (Fe2O3) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids for oil recovery applications at the laboratory scale. In the antenna study, it was observed that the curve antenna with magnetic feeders gave a 1978% increase in the magnetic field signal strength compared to the case without magnetic feeders. The curve antenna with magnetic feeders produced a 473% increase in the electric field signal strength compared to the case without magnetic feeders. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel method. The iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticle sizes were in the range of 30.27-37.60 nm. FESEM and HRTEM images show that the samples have good crystallinity and that the grain size increased as temperature increased. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) samples sintered at 500°C showed a high initial permeability and Q-factor and a low loss factor compared to samples sintered at 500°C. The sample had a very high initial permeability and a low loss at low frequencies; therefore, it was suitable for the preparation of the nanofluid and oil recovery applications. Oil recovery through the usage of 0.1 % (w/w) iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanofluid with an EM field generated from the curve antenna with magnetic feeders was 33.45% of OOIP (original oil in place). In a similar case where 0.1 % (w/w) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluid with an EM field was used, 22.46 % of OOIP was recovered. These results imply that injecting 0.1% w/w iron oxide nanofluid coupled to the curve antenna with magnetic feeders has potential for oil recovery for improved water flooding systems because the high magnetic flux density that acts on the nanoparticles is proportional to the magnetic field strength.