(220c) Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nanoparticle-Assisted Bitumen Recovery from Oil Sands

Recently, nanoparticle suspensions were suggested for improving the efficiency of oil recovery, well remediation and formation damage removal processes. These enhancements are thought to be due to the effect of disjoining pressure arising from the ordering of nanoparticles in the confined three-phase contact region. This paper discusses the use of molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate that nanoparticle dispersions can also improve the recovery of bitumen from oil sands in Clark’s hot water and low-temperature bitumen recovery processes, where the formation of ordered structures of nanoparticles is highly unlikely. Effects of temperature, shear rate and surfactant on nanoparticle-assisted bitumen recovery are considered.