An overview on the significance of carbon-based nanomaterials in upstream oil and gas industry

Nanotechnology, as a groundbreaking domain in progressing a wide range of scientific issues, has gained enormous interests in recent decades. However, among all the available engineered nanomaterials, carbon-based nanostructures have received significant attention mainly due to the outstanding features of carbon and their proven efficient influences. The present work aims to provide a concise overview on the applications of various kinds of carbon nanomaterials in upstream sector of oil and gas industry, such as, drilling and enhanced oil recovery operations. For this purpose, first a brief introduction is provided on the history and structure of the carbon nanomaterials following by detailed description of their applications and significance in oil and gas industry. Specifically, this study provides a general overview on the main applications of graphene, carbon nanotube, graphite, diamond, fullerene, and carbon black, while there is a specific focus on their applications in improving the efficiency of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, drilling operations and reservoir evaluation. Besides, the role of various residues in manufacturing the carbon materials, especially activated carbon, is explained. At the end, several applied research topics are recommended for future work at this field.