CO2 EOR and injection process: Role of nanomaterials

In this chapter, carbon dioxide (CO2) use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes has been elaborated upon. Initially, the need to use CO2 has been elaborated up with groundwork laid for the implementation of CO2-EOR methods in existing oilfield applications. The benefits and limitations of using CO2 have been provided next along with the properties of CO2 used in field applications. This is essential as the unique properties of CO2 often influence the success (or eventual failure) of an EOR project. Next, the sources of CO2 used for field application has also been provided. While industrial sources of CO2 are more viable for use in carbon storage (as they remove CO2 which causes global warming when present in the atmosphere), conventional CO2-EOR projects continue to rely on natural sources of CO2 due to ease of supply and favorable cost-economics. The role of nanomaterials has been added in the book section to illustrate the improvement in efficacy they can bring to the existing methods. This has been followed by the discussion on the various types of CO2 EOR currently being practiced in the field and the differences between them have been illustrated for the convenience of the readers. Finally, CO2 EOR based projects have been listed to provide more insights on the efficacy of CO2 for oil recovery and to pave the way for their future wider adoption.