Petroleum Processing and Research

Nanotechnology in Oil and Gas Industry

Nanotechnology is the study and application of extremely small things at dimensions approximately between 1 and 100 nanometres. One of the most advanced concepts of nanotechnology in oil and gas industry is to enhance oil recovery. Because of greater risk of adapting new technologies and high price, the application in oil and gas industry has not been fully discovered. 

Nanotechnology could be used to enhance the possibilities of developing conventional and stranded gas resources and to improve the drilling process and oil and gas production by making it easier to separate oil and gas in the reservoir. Nanotechnology can make the oil and gas industry considerably greener. There are numerous areas in which nanotechnology can contribute to more‐efficient, less‐expensive, and more‐environmentally sound technologies than those that are readily available.

Possibilities of nanotechnology in the petroleum industry:

1‐Nanotechnology‐enhanced materials that provide strength to increase performance in drilling, tubular goods, and rotating parts.

2‐ Designer properties to enhance hydro‐phobic to enhance materials for water flooding applications.
3‐ Nano‐particulate wetting carried out using molecular dynamics

4‐ Lightweight materials that reduce weight requirements on offshore platforms

5‐ Nano‐sensors for improved temperature and pressure ratings

6‐ New imaging and computational techniques to allow better discovery, sizing, and characterization of reservoirs.