Imbibition and Oil Drainage Mechanisms of Nanoparticle Compound Polymer Fracturing Fluids

Unconventional low-permeability reservoirs present significant production challenges due to the poor imbibition and displacement efficiency of conventional polymer fracturing fluids. The injection of nanoparticle (NP) compounds into polymer fracturing fluid base systems, such as linear gels or slickwater, has garnered significant research interest due to their superior performance. However, previous studies have primarily focused on evaluating the fluid’s properties, while its imbibition and oil displacement mechanisms within reservoirs remain unclear. Herein, the imbibition mechanism of nanoparticle composite polymer fracturing fluid was systematically investigated from macro and micro perspectives using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), interfacial rheology, and other technical means. The results showed that the imbibition recovery using polymer fracturing fluid was 10.91% higher than that achieved with conventional slickwater. Small and medium pores were identified as the primary contributors to oil drainage. Nanoparticles can be adsorbed on the rock wall in the deep reservoir to realize wettability reversal from oil-wet to water-wet, reducing crude oil adhesion. Furthermore, a strong interaction between the adsorbed NPs and cleanup agents at the oil–water interface was observed, which reduces interfacial tension to 0.95 mN·m−1, mitigates the Jamin effect, and enhances interfacial film deformability. NPs increase the interfacial dilatational modulus from 6.0 to 14.4 mN·m−1, accelerating fluid exchange and oil stripping. This work provides a consolidated mechanistic framework linking NP-induced interfacial modifications to enhanced pore-scale drainage, offering a scientific basis for designing next-generation fracturing fluids. We conclude that NP-compound systems hold strong potential for low-permeability reservoir development, and future efforts must focus on optimizing NP parameters for specific reservoir conditions and overcoming scalability challenges for field deployment.