Effects of nanosilica on fine migration and location distribution of blockage at different pH and temperatures: Modelling and experimental studies

There are a lot of fine particles in sandstone reservoirs that are not strongly bonded to the rock's surface. These fine particles move with the fluid flow and cause formation damage and facilities' erosion. An effective method for preventing fine migration is using nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, modelling and experimental methods were utilized to investigate NPs' effect on fine migration. The Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to model NPs' effect on the stability of fines on the rock's surface. Long sand packs were utilized to study the silicon dioxide NPs' effect on fine migration and location distribution of blockage in experiments at different pH and temperatures. Modelling results showed that the presence of NPs reduces the zeta potential of fine surfaces from −27.6 and −35.6 mV to −1.8 and −6.7 mV at pH = 8 and pH = 12, respectively. Based on the DLVO theory, it was concluded that NPs increase the particles' stability on the rock's surface. The experimental results showed that although fine migration increases with an increase in pH and temperature, the presence of SiO2 decreases it by 58% and 38% at pH = 8 and 12, respectively. The results showed that the performance of NPs reduced with an increase in pH and temperature. It was shown that the presence of NPs influences the location distribution of pressure drop and leads to permeability being more homogeneous in porous media during low salinity water injection.