The Effect of Salinity on Transport and Retention of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles Through Saturated Porous Media

Few researches have used hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAP) for enhanced oil recovery, despite their environmental friendliness. Therefore, the adsorption of HAP on rock surfaces during EOR applications has to be given attention. This is essential because particle adsorption on the rock surface affects NP movement in the reservoir. Wet synthesis method was used for HAP with in-situ functionalization using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). FTIR and XRD were utilised to confirm HAP's production. Sandstone outcrops were employed for HAP transport at different ionic strengths. XRD, SEM, FE-SEM, and EDX were utilised on sandstone cores before and after flooding to assess NP adsorption and retention. Ultimate NP recovery reduced with increasing ionic strength. Using zeta potential and permeability measurements before and after NPs transport, more NPs were adsorbed on rock surfaces with negligible agglomeration. HAP is useful for EOR because it can adsorb and remain on rock surfaces for longer periods, causing long-term wettability alteration and less NPs and Oil separation expense after production.