enhancing water shut-off in oil reservoirs using silica nanoparticle-reinforced polymer gels: a lab study

Polymeric gels can be injected into reservoirs to regulate fluid dynamics and enhance oil recovery by creating physical barriers to redirect water flow. in this study, a polymer gel system was developed using sulfonated polyacrylamide combined with chromium acetate. silica nanoparticles were synthesized via the sol-gel method, and their effects on the polymer gel system, including the gelation time and gel strength, at the concentrations of below 1% weight were evaluated through the bottle test. the performance of the polymer gel containing silica nanoparticles and the silica nanoparticle gel in formation waters was assessed. furthermore, homogeneous microscopic models and heterogeneous two-layer microscopic models, which included regions with high and low permeability, were constructed to evaluate the functional effectiveness of the polymer gel and silica nanoparticle gel in porous media environments. factors influencing oil recovery were examined in relation to the volume of injected pore water. the results indicated that silica nanoparticles enhanced the gel strength and increased its swelling capacity under saline conditions. microscopic model testing in both homogeneous and heterogeneous configurations demonstrated that the silica nanoparticle gel provided better blockage in high-permeability regions and fractured zones, compared to the polymer-only gel. in the heterogeneous microscopic model, oil production rates were 55.60% for the polymer gel and 57.21% for the silica nanoparticle gel, while in the homogeneous model, these rates were 62.6% and 68.24%, respectively.