Utilizing a Paper-Based Platform for Oilfield Applications: Time-Resolved Fluorescence Imaging and Detection of Interwell Chemical Tracers

Chemical tracers are indispensable tools for enhancing reservoir characterization and optimizing production processes in the oil and gas industry. Particularly, interwell water tracers provide key data for efficient water flood management and the improvement of production rates. However, the analysis of these water tracers within reservoir fluids is challenging, requiring laborious separation and extraction steps that often rely on complex instruments and skilled operators. Real-time analysis is especially problematic in remote areas with limited access to well-equipped laboratories. To address these challenges, we introduce a paper-based platform for the time-resolved fluorescence detection of dipicolinic acid (DPA) tracers complexed with terbium ion (Tb3+). Our innovation is driven by the need to simplify tracer analysis, make it portable, and enhance accessibility for oilfield applications. By leveraging the unique properties of cyclen-based macrocyclic ligands, we have achieved the stable and sensitive immobilization of Tb3+ on quartz microfilter paper, eliminating the need for extensive laboratory-based procedures. We achieve the stable and sensitive immobilization of Tb3+ on quartz microfilter paper by leveraging the unique properties of cyclen-based macrocyclic ligands. This innovation enables the formation of highly fluorescent, oil-blind, and optically detectable DPA-Tb3+ complexes at the paper surface. We visualize and capture these fluorescence signals using an intensified charge-coupled device camera via time gating, effectively suppressing undesirable fluorescence originating from crude oil. The quantification of DPA concentrations is achievable down to 158 ppb (9.45 × 10-7 M), as confirmed through time-resolved fluorescence microplate reader measurements. We also demonstrate the practicality of our technology by detecting DPA tracers in the presence of crude oil contamination, a common challenge encountered in oil production wells.

Tuning the size and shape of nano-boehmites by a free-additive hydrothermal method

Nano-boehmites with a range of controlled sizes and morphologies exhibiting high dispersability in water were synthesized through a free-additive hydrothermal methodology.

The preparation and characterization of boehmite nanoparticles-TAPC: a tailored and reusable nanocatalyst for the synthesis of 12-aryl-8,9,10,12-tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen-11-ones

TAPC supported on boehmite nanoparticles (BNPs-TAPC) as novel, eco-friendly, and recyclable nanocatalyst for the synthesis of title compounds under solvent-free conditions is reported.

Improvement of boehmite nanoparticles' aqueous dispersability by controlling their size, shape and crystallinity

Control of size, morphology and dispersability in water of the boehmite nanoparticles prepared with additives by a hydrothermal method.