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<b><span style="font-size:18.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Garamond",serif">Tuesday, December 8, 2020</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Garamond",serif">10:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif">Zoom link: </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/uofh.zoom.us/j/93254521394?pwd=cFlDL3FYV1YwOGl6MFZMK1F4dmZiQT09__;!!LkSTlj0I!QnOwlhNXd1AhCxdlNILCAxjVE9Zk06zqqJBnO9sEviS5YJcIF5IOLNIb8d89xkA$"><span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif; color:#1155CC">https://uofh.zoom.us/j/93254521394?pwd=cFlDL3FYV1YwOGl6MFZMK1F4dmZiQT09</span></a></span></p>
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<b><i><span style="font-size:16.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Danial Zareei</span></i></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Master’s Thesis Defense</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Advisor: Dr. Michael T. Myers</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Arial Black",sans-serif">“Non-thermal Recovery of Heavy Oil and Oil Sands Using Nanoparticle”</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif">Abstract</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif">Heavy oils and oil sand resources are the largest portion of known energy resources globally, comprising 70% of total resources worldwide. Examples include Venezuela, Canada, and the USA. There is however still significant
potential to increase oil production from these reservoirs. Serious criticisms of the methods and processes that are currently used exist; in particular, they have low efficiency and negative environmental effects. A more efficient method that improves recovery
with a smaller carbon footprint would benefit the exploitation of these reserves. </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif">Injection of sodium-based nanomaterials has the potential to be an important alternative method for improving heavy oil production. They initiate a series of advantageous reactions; have low surface energy consumption,
and low waste production. Injecting metallic sodium produces both heat and gas, and generates in-situ surfactant (“soap”).</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif">This technique was used to examine the incremental oil extracted sand packs saturated with Athabasca oil sand. The sand packs were injected with the sodium nanoparticles suspended in a dispersant were studied to investigate
the incremental recovery realized after an initial brine flood. This was compared to baseline experiments injecting only the dispersant fluid. A series of static and dynamic tests were performed to investigate the efficiency of the floods and the characteristics
of the produced alkali fluid. The overall conclusion was that the use of sodium nano-fluids significantly improves recovery factors from heavy oil resources and offers promise as an economical method for field use with reduced environmental impact.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p>
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