Using Zeolite-Zirconia-Copper Nanocomposites as a New Asphaltene Inhibitor for Improving Permeability Reduction during CO 2 Flooding

Using nanoparticles for adsorbing asphaltene was known as an efficient method among researchers for crude oil upgrading and in this study, Zeolite-zirconia-copper nanocomposites (NCs) has been synthesized and characterized with SEM, XRD, BET, and EDX for asphaltene precipitation inhibition in the static phase and solving asphaltene deposition problems of dynamic CO2 flooding in low permeability carbonate reservoir. CO2-oil IFT tests, isotherm models, natural depletion tests at static phase were performed in the presence of NCs and the results were compared with zeolite nanoparticles. Then, CO2 core flooding tests at dynamic phase were designed in the presence of NCs at obtained static conditions for surveying permeability/porosity reduction in porous media. After adding NCs and zeolite nanoparticles, the 2nd to 1st slope ratio in CO2-oil IFT tests increased from 19.697 % to 20.895 % and 29.851 %, respectively which shows NCs adsorbed more asphaltene in comparison to zeolite nanoparticles which confirmed UV-Vis results. NCs was decreased asphaltene precipitation more than zeolite at same points during natural depletion tests and it was selected for dynamic CO2 tests. After adding NCs, asphaltene depositions which occurs after CO2 injection was decreased and permeability/porosity reduction parameters were improved.