Santos, Verena Filgueiras Borges dos; Santos, Adriana Vieira dos; Rodrigues, Pamela Dias; Santos, Flávia Cristina Cerqueira dos; Simonelli, George; Santos, Luiz Carlos Lobato dos
Resumen:
Petroleum plays a crucial role in both the global economy and the energy sector. However, many oil wells are in advanced stages of exploration, leading to a decline in production. Some older fields have naturally exhausted their production capacity, while others can no longer extract sufficient oil through secondary recovery methods. In this context, enhanced recovery methods are being considered. Among these methods, the use of microemulsions has gained significant attention in recent years. The primary role of microemulsions in improving oil recovery is to reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water and to alter the rock's wettability, with the aim of extracting a greater amount of residual oil from the reservoir. However, the stability of microemulsions poses a challenge, especially under extreme conditions of temperature and salinity. Recently, nanoparticles have emerged as promising stabilizers for microemulsions, offering advantages such as resistance to adverse conditions, improved mobility control, and reduced surfactant consumption. This makes nanoparticle-stabilized microemulsions an attractive option for enhancing oil recovery and an integral part of the evolution of nanotechnology in various technological applications. This article reviews the use of this technology as a promising approach to optimize oil recovery efficiency.
