Carbon-based fluorescent tracers as oil reservoir nano-agents
AssigneesSaudi Arabian Oil Company, Cornell University
InventorsMazen Y. Kanj, Mohammad Harunar Rashid, Emmanuel Giannelis
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Abstract
The present invention relates to carbon-based fluorescent nano-agent tracers for analysis of oil reservoirs. The carbon-based fluorescent nano-agents may be used in the analysis of the porosity of a formation. The nanoagents are suitable for injection into a petroleum reservoir and may be recovered from the reservoir for the determination of hydrocarbon flow rates and retention times.
Claims10
A method for the preparation of a fluorescent nanoagent for use in a subsurface petroleum reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:
- heating an aqueous solution comprising sugar under high pressure at a temperature of at least 150° C. for at least 4 hours;
- adding an amino alcohol to the solution and refluxing the resulting mixture for a period of at least 10 hours;
- purifying a solid product by dialysis in water using a cellulose membrane having a molecular weight cut-off of 7000 daltons;
- collecting the solid product comprising carbon-based nanoparticles having fluorescent functional groups attached to the surface thereof, the carbon-based nanoparticles having an average diameter between 10 nm and 50 nm.
A method for the preparation of a fluorescent nanoagent for use in a subsurface petroleum reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:
- heating an aqueous solution comprising glucose under high pressure at a temperature of at least 150° C. for at least 4 hours;
- adding ethanolamine to the solution and refluxing the resulting mixture for a period of at least 10 hours;
- purifying a solid product by dialysis in water using a cellulose membrane having a molecular weight cut-off of 7000 daltons;
- collecting the solid product comprising A-NP carbon nanoparticles having fluorescent functional groups attached to the surface thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.