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sensors to provide improved information about the reservoir.
3,4
Other emerging applications of nanotechnology in oil reservoir en-
gineering are in the sector of developing new types of “smart flu-
ids” for improved/enhanced oil recovery, drilling, etc.
4-7
Among
these are new nanoformulations of surfactants/polymers, microe-
mulsions, colloidal dispersion gels (CDG), biliquid foams (aphrons).
More recent developments deal with so-called “nanofluids”.
6,7
These are designed by introducing small volumetric fractions of
nanosized solid particles to a liquid phase in order to enhance or
improve some of the fluid properties. Nanofluids can be designed to
be compatible with reservoir fluids/rocks and be environmentally
friendly. Some newly developed nanofluids have shown extremely
improved properties in such applications as drag reduction, bind-
ers for sand consolidation, gels, products for wettability alteration,
and anticorrosive coatings.
6,7
Presently, the term “nanofluid” is
used mainly to define suspensions of solid nanoparticles, though
there is noticeable tendency to extend it to nanoparticles of any na-
ture.
8
In the following this term will be used in the latter, general
meaning.
In the present publication we will discuss a lesser investigated
subject of upstream nanotechnologies for petroleum fluids proper.
The discussion is based on our original experimental studies and
on other published experimental data. In support, we analyze
available databases of the properties of world (dead) crudes. The
main conclusion is that native crude oils may be classified as “as-
sociation nanofluids”. Hence, all conventional/emerging technolo-
gies for reservoir engineering should be optimized/designed with
an account for (still under-investigated) complex phase diagrams of
intrinsic nanocolloids, primarily those formed by asphaltenes. At
the least, this would help to preserve a delicate inner structure of
native crudes (the approach which may be regarded as “petroleum
nanoecology”).
The discussion begins with necessary descriptions of some
concepts in “nanotechnologies” and “petroleum colloids”, which are
frequently misinterpreted or misused.
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