A new insight into the separation of oil from oil/water emulsion by Fe3O4–SiO2 nanoparticles

Nanofluids have shown their potential in the oil recovery process through surface modification. Due to their surface characteristics, they can apply to improve the oil production from reservoirs by enabling different enhanced recovery mechanisms. The preparation and development of the Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles for the oil recovery process is an innovative and novel approach that influences the oil generation from reservoirs. The performance of the Fe3O4@SiO2 and the other nanofluids (seawater, Fe3O4, and SiO2) in the enhanced oil recovery process is assessed and compared with other flooding scenarios. The Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs achieved the highest oil production rate of 90.2% while Fe3O4 and SiO2 NPs achieved 70.8% and 55.3%, respectively. In contrast, the value achieved for the seawater injection was 76.5%. For the oil recovery process, the Fe3O4 was applied for the inhibition (i.e., decrease) of oil sedimentation, and the SiO2 NPs were applied for wettability alteration and IFT reduction. The experimental results showed that the produced Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs improved the oil recovery rates (90.2%) as well as the synergetic impact of the developed NPs by initiating several mechanisms corresponding to the use of the separate NPs in the micromodel. Moreover, the results exhibited that the reservoir conditions are a crucial function for increasing the oil recovery rates, improving the emulsion stability, and acts as a substantial step for the oil recovery method that applies this particular technique.