Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery

During the past half-century, the prefix “nano„ attached to several words, such as “technology„, “motors„, “device„, and so on has denoted cutting-edge research fields and topics at the forefront of classical scientific...

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Main Authors: Pablo Druetta, Patrizio Raffa, Francesco Picchioni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/12/2596
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author Pablo Druetta
Patrizio Raffa
Francesco Picchioni
author_facet Pablo Druetta
Patrizio Raffa
Francesco Picchioni
author_sort Pablo Druetta
collection DOAJ
description During the past half-century, the prefix “nano„ attached to several words, such as “technology„, “motors„, “device„, and so on has denoted cutting-edge research fields and topics at the forefront of classical scientific disciplines. Possible application fields have been frequently evoked, even if real-life examples are still difficult to find. The present review analyzes how nanotechnology is utilized in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes so as to increase the efficiency of mature oilfields. Nanotechnology in EOR is classified into three categories: nanoparticles/nanofluids, nanoemulsions, and nanocatalysts. The advantages at the nanoscale are also described and discussed, including an overview of manufacturing methods as well as the concerns about their possible environmental impacts. Clearly, nanotechnology has the potential to boost EOR techniques, although there are still many questions and drawbacks to be tackled.
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spelling doaj.art-229d79266cde445095844ebcfba520172022-12-22T02:00:07ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172018-12-01812259610.3390/app8122596app8122596Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil RecoveryPablo Druetta0Patrizio Raffa1Francesco Picchioni2Department of Chemical Engineering, ENTEG, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Chemical Engineering, ENTEG, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Chemical Engineering, ENTEG, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG Groningen, The NetherlandsDuring the past half-century, the prefix “nano„ attached to several words, such as “technology„, “motors„, “device„, and so on has denoted cutting-edge research fields and topics at the forefront of classical scientific disciplines. Possible application fields have been frequently evoked, even if real-life examples are still difficult to find. The present review analyzes how nanotechnology is utilized in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes so as to increase the efficiency of mature oilfields. Nanotechnology in EOR is classified into three categories: nanoparticles/nanofluids, nanoemulsions, and nanocatalysts. The advantages at the nanoscale are also described and discussed, including an overview of manufacturing methods as well as the concerns about their possible environmental impacts. Clearly, nanotechnology has the potential to boost EOR techniques, although there are still many questions and drawbacks to be tackled.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/12/2596EORpetroleumnanotechnologynanocatalystsnanofluidsnanoemulsions
spellingShingle Pablo Druetta
Patrizio Raffa
Francesco Picchioni
Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
Applied Sciences
EOR
petroleum
nanotechnology
nanocatalysts
nanofluids
nanoemulsions
title Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
title_full Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
title_fullStr Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
title_full_unstemmed Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
title_short Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery
title_sort plenty of room at the bottom nanotechnology as solution to an old issue in enhanced oil recovery
topic EOR
petroleum
nanotechnology
nanocatalysts
nanofluids
nanoemulsions
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/12/2596
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AT francescopicchioni plentyofroomatthebottomnanotechnologyassolutiontoanoldissueinenhancedoilrecovery