Experimental Investigation of Fe3O4-SiO2 Magnetic Nanoparticles Performance in Demulsification of Oil/Water Emulsions Using the Glass Micromodel

The use of the Fe₃O₄ and SiO₂ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in produced water treatment and oil separation was enhance the amounts of oil produced from the reservoirs via permitting various oil recovery processes to occur for example interfacial tension (IFT) reduction, formation and stabilization of the emulsions, oil wettability alteration, and reduction in the viscosity. To the best of our knowledge the application of the grafted Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ MNPs has been studied in this work for oil separation from produced water in the reservoir is a novel application. The functionalization of the two nanoparticles (SiO₂ and Fe₃O₄) together develop the oil production process from reservoirs because each one has its certain surface property and different effects on oil separation. The results showed the high efficiency of these nanoparticles in oil removal which give high oil removal rate (> 90%). The removal rate was evaluated by the collaborative effects of the synthesized nanoparticles observed by the various mechanisms of the two nanoparticles in the micromodel. The obtained results for the application of Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ nanoparticles in oil removal revealed that the awareness about the reservoir conditions and the stability of the emulsions formed are important parameters for developing oil recovery process