November 13-15 2009, Cairo
- Overview
- Overview II (cont.)
- Exploration
- Reservoir Management
- Drilling
- Production
- Refining & Distribution
Nanotech Solutions cont.
Drilling equipment and platforms can be made or coated with nanomaterials for improved capabilities such as corrosion-resistance, wear-resistance, shock-resistance, enhanced thermal conductivity, etc. These capabilities will greatly enhance the ability of companies to produce in more extreme conditions. “Smart fluids” will further enhance drilling by adding benefits such as wettability alteration, advanced drag reduction, and binders for sand consolidation. (Chaudhury 2003; Wasan and Nikolov 2003). Nano-catalysts may also offer a solution for on-site upgrading of bitumen and heavy crude oil (Ying and Sun, 1997; Scott et al. 2003).
Nanotechnology can make oil and gas operations more environmentally friendly. Nano filters and particles provide the ability to remove harmful toxic substances such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and related acids and acid anhydrides from vapor, and mercury from soil and water with exact precision. Nanotechnology further provides solutions for carbon capture and long-term storage.
Nanotechnology thus offers the chance to modernize infrastructure, increase net recovery from new and existing reservoirs, extend the area of applications to deeper waters, and find solutions for unconventional hydrocarbons. Such nanotechnology-driven advancements will certainly greatly enhance the effective management of the future energy portfolio.
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