Modified Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles for Foam Stabilization: Mechanisms and Applications for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) have shown great potential in stabilizing foam for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). However, conventional NPs are difficult to recover and may contaminate produced oil, increasing operational costs. In contrast, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 NPs can be efficiently recovered using external magnetic fields, offering a sustainable solution for foam stabilization. In this study, Fe3O4 NPs were coated with SiO2 using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and further modified with dodecyltrimethoxysilane to enhance their hydrophobicity. The modification effects were characterized, and the optimal foam-stabilizing Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs were found to have a contact angle of 77.01°. The foam system formed with α-olefin sulfonate (0.2 wt%) as the foaming agent and the optimal modified NPs exhibited a drainage half-life of 452 s. After foam-stabilization experiments, the NPs were recovered and reused, with the results indicating that three recovery cycles were optimal. Finally, visual microscopic displacement experiments demonstrated that the foam stabilized by modified NPs effectively mobilized clustered, membranous, and dead-end residual oil, increasing the recovery rate by 17.01% compared with unmodified NPs. This study identifies key areas for future investigation into the application of magnetic nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery.

Keywords

• Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles
• foam stabilization
• enhanced oil recovery
• magnetic nanoparticles
• hydrophobic modification