Configurational Stability and Mobilizable Oil Release Behavior of a Multiscale Gel–Particle Cooperative Nested System in Tight Sandstone

TL;DR

This paper studies how a gel-particle system improves oil recovery in tight sandstone by stabilizing structures and mobilizing trapped oil.

Contribution

The study introduces a multiscale gel-particle system that enhances oil recovery through combined structural and interfacial regulation in tight sandstone.

Findings

Particle reinforcement increases surface roughness and pore connectivity in tight sandstone.

The system reduces interfacial tension and contact angle, improving oil displacement efficiency.

Oil recovery increases to 44.8% with reduced residual oil saturation and improved displacement efficiency.

Abstract

The configurational stability and mobilizable oil release behavior of a multiscale gel–particle cooperative nested system within tight sandstone pore structures were systematically investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and μCT-based three-dimensional reconstruction were employed to characterize the multiscale structural features of the system. Interfacial regulation behavior was analyzed using contact angle measurements, oil–water interfacial tension (IFT), and zeta potential tests, while core flooding experiments were conducted to evaluate seepage response and oil displacement performance. The results indicate that particle reinforcement transforms the gel pore walls from a weakly rough interface into a strongly rough and mechanically interlocked structure, with the root-mean-square surface roughness increasing from 23.6 nm to 71.4 nm. μCT quantitative analysis shows that the pore volume fraction increases from 38.6% to 52.4%, and the connectivity ratio rises from 41.2% to 68.5, leading to the formation of a more continuous pore–throat network. Interfacial property measurements reveal that the rock surface contact angle decreases from 116.3° to 60.5°, and the oil–water interfacial tension is reduced from 27 mN·m−1 to 3–5 mN·m−1. Meanwhile, the system–rock interface exhibits a stronger overall negative surface charge. During displacement experiments, the pressure differential at 3.0 pore volumes (PV) is only 17.0 kPa, significantly lower than that of the control gel (26.2 kPa). The oil recovery is increased to 44.8%, while the residual oil saturation decreases from 0.46 to 0.32, and the displacement efficiency improves from 36.1% to 55.6%. These results demonstrate that the multiscale gel–particle cooperative nested system establishes a stable, regulated seepage configuration in tight sandstone and enables sustained mobilization of trapped oil under relatively low-pressure gradients through the coupled regulation of wettability, interfacial tension, and interfacial electrostatics. This study elucidates a coupled mechanism of configurational stability–flow channel redistribution–continuous oil mobilization and provides a new material design and regulation strategy for efficient recovery of residual oil in tight reservoirs.

Figures