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R. M. Jadhav and J. S. Sangwai
Areas of flow assurance also face the disruption of processes caused by heavy oil
transportation. Flow assurance deals with the efficient flow of recovered hydrocarbons from the reservoirs to the processing industries. Flow assurance has become
an important term in the production process of oil transportation scenario owing to
the need for ensuring the smooth working of the processing facilities. Difficulties in
flow assurance operations (asphaltene deposition, hydrates, wax deposition, etc.) can
cause major problems on a large scale. Problems in flow can cause processing delay
which can lead to loss of capital. Heavy oils especially due to their viscous nature
and asphaltene deposition cause flow stringencies. They get deposited on the inner
surface of pipelines forming large blockages and restricting flow. Different mechanisms exist to counter the problems of asphaltene deposition such as solvent and
asphaltene inhibition treatments but these techniques become troublesome at subsea
levels.
Few applications have been sought out using nanoparticles and their properties to
find a solution to these problems. Nanofluids can be used as asphaltene inhibitors to
control the precipitation. Mohammadi et al. (2011) have tested the asphaltene inhibition qualities of silica-, zirconium- and titanium-based nanofluids and found that
titanium oxide nanofluids were effective in controlling asphaltene precipitation at
acidic conditions. Owing to the hydrogen bonding caused between the nanoparticles
and asphaltenes, the precipitation is limited. The use of heating to keep the flow in
check has also been explored through the use of paramagnetic nanoparticles for subsea pipelines (Mehta et al. 2014). It has been observed that nanoparticles exhibiting
paramagnetic behaviour generate heat when under the influence of a magnetic field.
These can be developed to provide temperature control over the flow of hydrocarbons
inside the pipe. Such innovative solutions in the field of flow assurance have seen
steady growth, allowing further optimal processing.
4.3 Challenges in the Application of Nanotechnology
Nanomaterials certainly have their advantages and potential in the field of heavy
oil recovery. Excellent use as catalysts in enhancing the existing EOR techniques
is significant merit. However, limitations can be found in the applications which
can negatively impact the process economy. Fabrication processes of nanomaterials
are quite expensive which makes them a priced commodity. It is evident that EOR
operations require the injection of copious volumes of stimulants into the reservoir to
extract oil. Injection of nanomaterial-based stimulants can affect the economy of the
process. This heavily affects the application of nanomaterials on operational terms.
Introducing nanoparticles in the reservoir is a dicey gamble when it comes to the
recovery of these particles. Obtaining these particles back from the reservoir can
pose a major challenge as the particles, if once injected, may not be recovered completely. Applications involving the extraction of magnetic particles have been under
development which can effectively recover a certain degree of particles. Extracting
particles from recovered oil should also be a viable option to improve the recovery
R. M. Jadhav and J. S. Sangwai
Areas of flow assurance also face the disruption of processes caused by heavy oil
transportation. Flow assurance deals with the efficient flow of recovered hydrocarbons from the reservoirs to the processing industries. Flow assurance has become
an important term in the production process of oil transportation scenario owing to
the need for ensuring the smooth working of the processing facilities. Difficulties in
flow assurance operations (asphaltene deposition, hydrates, wax deposition, etc.) can
cause major problems on a large scale. Problems in flow can cause processing delay
which can lead to loss of capital. Heavy oils especially due to their viscous nature
and asphaltene deposition cause flow stringencies. They get deposited on the inner
surface of pipelines forming large blockages and restricting flow. Different mechanisms exist to counter the problems of asphaltene deposition such as solvent and
asphaltene inhibition treatments but these techniques become troublesome at subsea
levels.
Few applications have been sought out using nanoparticles and their properties to
find a solution to these problems. Nanofluids can be used as asphaltene inhibitors to
control the precipitation. Mohammadi et al. (2011) have tested the asphaltene inhibition qualities of silica-, zirconium- and titanium-based nanofluids and found that
titanium oxide nanofluids were effective in controlling asphaltene precipitation at
acidic conditions. Owing to the hydrogen bonding caused between the nanoparticles
and asphaltenes, the precipitation is limited. The use of heating to keep the flow in
check has also been explored through the use of paramagnetic nanoparticles for subsea pipelines (Mehta et al. 2014). It has been observed that nanoparticles exhibiting
paramagnetic behaviour generate heat when under the influence of a magnetic field.
These can be developed to provide temperature control over the flow of hydrocarbons
inside the pipe. Such innovative solutions in the field of flow assurance have seen
steady growth, allowing further optimal processing.
4.3 Challenges in the Application of Nanotechnology
Nanomaterials certainly have their advantages and potential in the field of heavy
oil recovery. Excellent use as catalysts in enhancing the existing EOR techniques
is significant merit. However, limitations can be found in the applications which
can negatively impact the process economy. Fabrication processes of nanomaterials
are quite expensive which makes them a priced commodity. It is evident that EOR
operations require the injection of copious volumes of stimulants into the reservoir to
extract oil. Injection of nanomaterial-based stimulants can affect the economy of the
process. This heavily affects the application of nanomaterials on operational terms.
Introducing nanoparticles in the reservoir is a dicey gamble when it comes to the
recovery of these particles. Obtaining these particles back from the reservoir can
pose a major challenge as the particles, if once injected, may not be recovered completely. Applications involving the extraction of magnetic particles have been under
development which can effectively recover a certain degree of particles. Extracting
particles from recovered oil should also be a viable option to improve the recovery