Many oil and gas well operators have taken a severe hit to their business and are looking for ways to best preserve resources during the current glut. An oversupply of oil has driven down price, prompting many operators to shut in wells across the country. Those experiencing long-term shutdowns could see oil moving away from their wells due to the porosity of rocks, making it more difficult to recover oil from these already low-pressure regions. These shut-ins can also be risky with potential formation damage causing future lost production and lower overall recovery.
Nissan Chemical America Corporation’s (NCA) nanoActiv® solutions have proven to work as a sustainable solution for operators looking to preserve the health of their wells—preparing them to perform at peak levels when reopened. nanoActiv®’s innovative technology employs inorganic nanoparticles in a colloidal dispersion—harnessing the power to penetrate porous media on a nanoscopic scale. The nanoActiv® particles employ a Brownian-motion, diffusion-driven mechanism known as disjoining pressure1—fragmenting hydrocarbons into smaller droplets, altering the wettability of the rock, and minimizing asphaltene, paraffin and other formation damage deposition on the pore walls.
Treating a well with nanoActiv® can alter the wettability of the rock surface, providing a preferential coating of nanoparticles which may help prevent asphaltene, condensate, and/or paraffin deposition. “Our desire is to see operators prepared to successfully meet demand as the industry recovers,” says NCA President William Smith. “Utilizing nanoActiv® before a shut-in can dramatically boost production when the well is reopened and is vital to preventing long-term damage that can occur if left untreated.”
nanoActiv® Technologies are designed to penetrate deep into the reservoir and persist with long efficacy.
1Wasan and Nikolov Nature, Vol. 423, 2003