Engineered Nanoparticles for Enhancing the Performance of Drilling Fluids and Cement

Lecture Topic：Engineered Nanoparticles for Enhancing the Performance of Drilling Fluids and Cement

Lecturer: Prof. Maen Husein, Doctoral supervisor

Monday, March 18, 2019, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Lecture Location: State Key Laboratory A403 Academic Hall

Organization of Lecturer: Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary

Lecture Content：Oil sands deposits as well as other heavy oil resources contribute to more than 50% of the current oil proven reserves. In addition, tight gas and tight oil resources are abundant. The chemical nature of these resources and the nature of formation they reside in, however, mandate the use of energy and material intensive recovery and upgrading processes. Given the current fuel prices, without major improvements in the existing processes for uncovering unconventional hydrocarbon resources, the utilization of these resource is put at jeopardy.

Nanotechnology provides effective routes for more economically viable and environmentally benign unconventional hydrocarbon utilization. Our group has explored the role of in-house prepared and/or modified nanoparticles (NPs) in unconventional hydrocarbon resource production and upgrading. In-house preparation of NPs is a platform technology and enables the preparation of variety of inorganic NPs ranging in size (5 - 70 nm) and shape (e.g. spherical, needle-like) from their inexpensive precursors.

One theme of our research examines the role of NPs in enhancing the performance of drilling fluids. Another theme investigates promoting NP-mediated polymer flooding and NP-stabilized foams to serve enhanced oil recovery (EOR). A third theme assesses the role of NPs in promoting upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen into light products. Our group recently reported a remarkable effect of in situ NPs in enhancing cement properties. Ultimately, through innovative application of NPs, we aim at reducing the energy and material requirements per barrel of oil recovered and upgraded. Although some are preliminary, our findings show evidence of NP role in

· enhancing drilling fluids filtration, lubricity and wellbore strengthening capabilities

· achieving higher oil sweep during polymer flooding at lower polymer dose

· improving foam stability, even under high temperature and pressure conditions

· increasing the rates of thermal cracking and hydrocracking reactions

· and selective removal of asphaltenes via adsorption from heavy oil.

This talk will focus on our effort to promote the performance of drilling fluids and cement through NP impregnation.

About the Lecturer

Maen M. Husein is a Professor at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. He received his B.Sc. in chemical engineering from Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan, in 1995, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, in 1996 and 2000, respectively. Dr. Husein is a registered Professional Engineer with APEGA. Dr. Husein has over 60 peer reviewed journal publications, 3 patents and 2 patent applications, 5 book chapters, and 13 conference proceedings. nFluids (http://nfluids.com/) is a spinout company that was founded on results pertaining to in-house prepared nanoparticles for drilling fluid applications.

State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation

SWPU Science and Technology Department

School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering

SPE Chengdu Chapter

SPE SWPU Student Chapter