Effect of TiO₂ – SiO₂ hybrid nanofluids on enhanced oil recovery process under different wettability conditions

The effect of TiO₂ – SiO₂ hybrid nanofluid on the enhanced oil recovery process is experimentally investigated. The flooding efficiency is measured for a flooding process in an initially oil-filled transparent micro-porous medium. Measurements were performed for two different surface wettability conditions, namely water-wet and neutral-wet. The average nanoparticle size, viscosity, surface tension, and contact angle of TiO₂ – SiO₂ hybrid nanofluid are reported. The flooding efficiency of the hybrid nanofluid is compared with that of SiO₂ nanofluid and TiO₂ nanofluid. The experimental results reveal that for neutral-wet surface condition, SiO₂ nanofluid achieves the best recovery, whereas for water-wet surface condition, TiO₂ – SiO₂ hybrid nanofluid produces the best flooding efficiency. Obtained results showed that TiO₂ nanofluid is unstable, with larger aggregated particles settling under gravity, and therefore not suitable for the flooding process by itself. The efficiency of hybrid nanofluid flooding depends significantly on fluid stability, wettability of the porous wall, surface tension, and contact angle of the three phases (crude oil, nanofluid solution, and solid surface). The TiO₂ – SiO₂ hybrid nanofluid reduces surface tension while increasing contact angle and solution stability.