Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Scientific Journal

Experimental Study on the Combination of Nanoparticles and Surfactant Solutions to Investigate Various Mechanisms in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Articles in Press

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

Pardis Changiziyan 1
Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini-Nasab 2
Faramarz Hormozi 1

1 Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Semnan University, Iran

2 School of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijche.2026.586308.1598
Abstract
Conducting enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations remains a critical challenge in the petroleum industry, necessitating innovative techniques to increase the efficiency of production from mature and low-permeability oil reservoirs. In this paper, a hybrid approach combining silica (SiO₂) and gamma-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) nanoparticles with an anionic surfactant was experimentally investigated to assess their combined effects on key solution properties. Experiments were conducted under constant salinity and temperature to evaluate changes in wettability, interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, density, and pH. A Central Composite Design (CCD) method was employed to optimize the concentration of nanoparticles and analyze their interactions with SDS. Results indicated that the formulated hybrid nanofluid substantially altered the wettability of the oil-wet glass surface, as indicated by the increase in the contact angle. The lowest IFT (1.485 mN/m) was achieved with one formulation, while the formulation selected for micromodel flooding (0.09 wt% SiO₂ + 0.05 wt% γ-Al₂O₃ + 0.1 wt% SDS) was chosen based on its overall performance across the measured properties, particularly wettability alteration and viscosity enhancement. The solutions also exhibited increases in viscosity and density by increasing the concentration of nanoparticles, which may influence fluid mobility and transport behavior. Oil recovery experiments in a quasi two-dimensional glass micromodel confirmed the effectiveness of the selected formulation, achieving an oil recovery of 60.6% of the original oil in place (OOIP) under the investigated conditions, compared with 13% for brine. These findings suggest that the hybrid nanoparticle–surfactant system may improve oil displacement under the investigated laboratory conditions.

Keywords

Hybrid EOR, Nanoparticles
Surface properties
Contact angle
Interfacial Tension (IFT)
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 26 September 2026

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