Alteration of the wetting character of a composite rock, through the use of nanoparticles as an enhanced oil recovery method, Ben Nevis Formation, Hebron Field, Jeanne d'Arc Basin, offshore Newfoundland, Canada

The Hebron Field is the fourth major offshore development in eastern Canada. Innovative and efficient techniques, such as nano enhanced oil recovery (Nano-EOR) must be applied to the Hebron Field to improve the low oil recovery projections. This research examined the feasibility of adding SiO2 nanoparticles to seawater for EOR in the Hebron Field, by analyzing the fluid-fluid interactions between nanofluids and oil and determining fluid-fluid-rock interactions between nanofluids, oil and reservoir rocks. The experiments were conducted at Hebron reservoir conditions using standard cores that best represented Ben Nevis Formation facies. Stable SiO2 nanoparticle dispersed in seawater decrease the interfacial tension (IFT), and have the function of reducing the oil-water contact angle, making the wetting character of rock surfaces more strongly water wet. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mineral liberation analysis (MLA) results were not conclusive. They did, however, reveal major alterations on quartz, carbonate and clay minerals. Inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analyses verified the dissolution of carbonate minerals in the standard cores.