Application of nanotechnology by means of nanoparticles and nanodispersions in oil recovery - A comprehensive review

The present review provides recent trend of nanotechnology in the upstream oil sector research. The experimental developments in laboratory for possible field applications have been. discussed in this paper. The literature review on laboratory works shows that the nanoparticles are effective to recover similar to 10% additional oil in core flooding experiment. It has also been found that the choice of nanoparticle for application in oil recovery depends on nature of the reservoir rock. The mechanisms of oil production by nanoparticles have also been described with proper explanation. The simulation results deliver the information of spontaneous transportation of nanoparticles through porous media. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.