Enhancement of the Wettability and Lubrication of Shale Rock via Nanoemulsions

Abstract EN

Nanoemulsions have been widely used as additives for drilling fluids in recent years.

With the development of nanotechnology, multifunctional nanomaterials have been added to nanoemulsions.

The improvement of wettability of the surfaces, alteration of oil-wet on shale rock surfaces, and environmentally friendly conditions are considered as the future development directions of nanoemulsions.

In this work, a novel nanoemulsion was prepared by using hydrocarbon-based polyoxyethylene ether, oil (hydrocarbon), distilled water, and formation crude oil as the main raw materials.

The shale rocks before and after immersion with as-prepared nanoemulsion were characterized by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscope (AFM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

It is clearly observed that the nanoemulsion greatly improved the wettability of the sandstone and rock surface by forming a layer of active agent film on the surface of the rock.

The as-prepared nanoemulsion had good ability to curb the anticollapse and lubricate and protect the oil and gas layer.