Investigation into the effect of silica nanoparticles on the rheological characteristics of water-in-heavy oil emulsions

The effect of silica nanoparticles on the rheological characteristics of water-in-heavy oil emulsions has been investigated. Enhanced oil recovery methods for heavy oil production (most especially, thermal fluid injection) usually result in the formation of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. In reality, the emulsion produced also contains some fine solid mineral particles such as silica, which, depending on its quantity, may alter the viscosity and/or rheological properties of the fluid. A series of binary-component emulsions were separately prepared by dispersing silica nanoparticles [phase fraction, beta(s), = 0.5%-5.75% (wt/v)] in heavy oil (S/O suspension) and by dispersing water [water cut, theta(w) = 10%-53% (v/v)] in heavy oil (W/O emulsion). Ternary-component emulsions comprising heavy oil, water droplets and suspended silica nanoparticles (S/W/O) were also prepared with similar ranges of theta(w) and beta(s). The viscosity was measured at different shear rates (5.1-1021.4 s(-1)) and temperatures (30-70 degrees C). Both binary-component and ternary-component emulsion systems were observed to exhibit non-Newtonian shear thinning behaviour. The viscosity of the heavy oil and W/O emulsions increased in the presence of silica nanoparticles. The effect was, however, less significant below beta(s) = 2% (wt/v). Moreover, a generalized correlation has been proposed to predict the viscosity of both binary-component and ternary-component emulsions.