Experimental study on preparation of nanoparticle-surfactant nanofluids and their effects on coal surface wettability

To improve the efficiency of coal seam water injection, the influence of nanofluids on coal surface wettability was studied based on the nano drag reduction and injection enhancement technology in the field of tertiary oil recovery. The composition optimization and performance evaluation of nanofluids with nano-silica and sodium lauryl sulfate as the main components were carried out, and the effects of the nanofluid with the optimal ratio on coal wettability were studied through spontaneous upward imbibition experiments. The results show that the composite nanofluid has a lower surface tension, and the lowest value of the interfacial tension is 15.79 mN/m. Therefore, the composite nanofluid can enhance the wettability of coal. However, its effects on coal samples with different metamorphic degrees is different, that is, low rank coal is the largest, middle rank coal is the second, and high rank coal is the least. In addition, a functional relationship between time and imbibition height is found for pulverized coal with different particle sizes. When the particle size of pulverized coal is 60–80 mesh, the wettability of nanofluid to coal is best. The findings in this paper provide a new perspective for improving the water injection efficiency for coal seams with low permeability.