Magnetic nanoparticles have been extensively studied in the past decade as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other biomedical applications. The novel use of magnetic nanoparticles in the oil industry as contrast agents in electromagnetic tomography, a reservoir imaging technique, offers an intriguing opportunity, but at the same time it is very challenging. This is due to the fact that the characteristic travel distance and residence time for those particles in the reservoirs are orders-of-magnitude greater than those in biological systems, and because reservoirs generally have much harsher conditions, such as high temperature, pressure, and salinity.<br/>In the present work, we report the synthesis and characterization of core-shell magnetic nanoparticles (CSMNPs) with high colloidal stability that can withstand the harsh reservoir conditions. The magnetic nanocores were dressed with organophilic and hydrophilic shells in order to solubilize them in oil and water, respectively. Specifically, the shells are sought to counterbalance the strong attractive magnetic interactions between the magnetic nanocores, and hence preventing the CSMNPs from agglomerating.

Magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents for reservoir imaging

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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