Composition and method for enhanced oil recovery

Abstract

The composition for enhanced oil recovery includes metal oxide or carbonate nanoparticles capped or encapsulated by a water soluble poly(ionic liquid) (PIL). The nanoparticles may be, e.g., CaCO3, TiO2, Cu2O.Fe3O4, or ZrO2. The poly(ionic liquid) may be a copolymer of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) with N-isopropyl acrylamide, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, methacrylic acid, or acrylamide. The composition is made by synthesizing the metal oxide or carbonate nanoparticles in the presence of the PIL. The resulting nanocomposite or nanomaterial alters the wettability of carbonate rock in a carbonate reservoir, releasing asphaltenic crude oil from the surface of the carbonate rock and replacing oil in the pores of the rock, thereby enhancing secondary and tertiary oil recovery.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.