An Experimental Study of the Effect of the Addition of Silicon Oxide Nanoparticles on the Wettability Characteristics of Rocks with Respect to Oil

The results of an experimental study of the interfacial tension and surface wettability in the nanosuspension/oil/rock system are given. The effect of the concentration and size of silicon oxide nanoparticles on the coefficient of interfacial tension and the contact angle of wetting has been systematically studied for the first time. A wide range of weight concentrations of nanoparticles (from 0 to 1 wt %) and their average sizes (from 5 to 50 nm) are considered. It is established that the use of nanosuspensions makes it possible to radically change the wettability of rocks with respect to oil. In this case, this effect depends substantially on the concentration and size of nanoparticles.