Study on the Dual Enhancement Effect of Nanoparticle–Surfactant Composite Systems on Oil Recovery Rates
Abstract
nanoparticles to nonionic surfactant alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10) in the composite system is 3:2, the oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) decreases to 0.005 mN/m, and the contact angle changes from the original 128° to 42°, achieving effective wettability alteration. Core displacement experiments demonstrate that the recovery rate using nanoparticles alone is 46.8%, and using surfactant alone is 52.3%, while the composite system achieves 71.5%, representing a 39.2 percentage point improvement over water flooding. The composite system operates through multiple mechanisms including interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, stable emulsion formation, and enhanced sweep efficiency. The wedging effect of nanoparticles at pore throats and the interfacial activity of surfactants form significant synergistic enhancement, providing a new technical pathway for efficient development of low-permeability reservoirs.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques
Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization
Petroleum Processing and Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Nanomaterials
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 102–102
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN