The Impact of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles on MMP and Asphaltene Precipitation of Synthetic Oil in the Presence of Gaseous Carbon Dioxide

The impact of Co3O4 nanoparticles with concentration of 0.1 wt%has experimentally been studied on (1) interfacial tension, (2) asphaltene precipitation and (3) miscibility with the carbon dioxide, when the Co3O4 nanoparticles have been added to one of Iranian crude oils and synthetic oil solutions . To do so, the Vanishing Interfacial Tension (VIT) technique has been used for a pressure of up to 1200 psi. The results have been showed that in the presence of Co3O4 nanoparticles, IFT, Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP) and severity of asphaltene precipitation have all been reduced to some extent. Within the range of operating conditions attempted here, MMP has reduced as much as 32% and 19% for the synthetic and crude oils, respectively. The severity of asphaltene precipitation has also reduced approximately 13% for the asphaltenic synthetic oil and 7% for the investigated crude oil. The experimental results appear to show that Co3O4 nanoparticles served to adsorb asphaltene which would, in turn, facilitated the solubility of CO2 in synthetic and crude oils which consequently would lead to enhanced oil recovery.