Scientists from the Siberian Federal University (part of the Yenisei Siberia Research Center) have developed a nanoemulsion based on water and oil. The new technology will increase oil recovery by 14% compared to current indicators.
To make the composition, water is mixed with 1% oil, then a nanoemulsion is created using ultrasound. To make it stable in its structure, special emulsifiers are used.
Roman Vaganov, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Physico-Chemical Technologies for the development of hard-to-recover hydrocarbon reserves at SibFU, said that the technology does not require additional costs. Water and oil can be used from the same fields where production takes place, and emulsifiers are widely used in the industry. Such nanoemulsions can be produced directly at the deposits. The only limitation is the insufficient capacity of installations for the industrial production of emulsions. At the same time, according to the scientist, it is possible to eliminate this problem in the coming years.
The work was carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.