Paper Number
CS7   Keynote 

Session
Colloids and Suspensions

Title
Evaluating the effect of graphene oxide nanoparticles in the rheology of xanthan gum

Presentation Date and Time
October 14, 2024 (Monday) 1:30

Track / Room
Track 2 / Waterloo 4

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

  1. Rodriguez, Jose C. (Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
  2. Moraes, Nathalia M. (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, MackGraphe)
  3. Berghe, Lara S. (Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
  4. Moraes, Lorena R. (Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
  5. Ribeiro, Helio (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, MackGraphe)
  6. Andrade, Ricardo E. (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, MackGraphe)
  7. Naccache, Monica F. (Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Department of Mechanical Engineering)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Jose C. Rodriguez1, Nathalia M. Moraes2, Lara S. Berghe1, Lorena R. Moraes1, Helio Ribeiro2, Ricardo E. Andrade2 and Monica F. Naccache1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22451900, Brazil; 2MackGraphe, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, SP 01302907, Brazil

Speaker / Presenter 
Naccache, Monica F.

Keywords
colloids; non-Newtonian fluids; suspensions

Text of Abstract
Xanthan gum (XG) is a biopolymer used as a viscosifier in many industries, from food to cosmetics and oil & gas. Adding nanoparticles to XG aqueous solutions can result in inteligent nanofluids with improved rheology that can lead to optimized products, processes and operations. This work presents the rheological characterization of nanofluids obtained by the addition of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to aqueous dispersions of XG. The application is foccused on the use of XG as a viscosifier in drilling fluids. Drilling operations are extremely important in the oil & gas industry, and as the demand for high-quality oil & gas resources increases, the need for improved drilling fluids is even more necessary. On the other hand, functionalized graphene may have great potential when suspended in complex fluids, improving its mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. In particular, aqueous GO suspensions offer increased lubricity, shear thinning behavior, and reduced filtrate loss in drilling operations. The nanofluids are prepared after GO exfoliation, which is done using 30% of the total water mass to be used in the XG dispersion. In paralel, hydration and homogenization of XG is obtained in the remaining deionized water (70% wt). Following, both systems (GO and XG dispersions) are mixed and mechanically stirred. Two systems are analyzed. First, we obtain the rheological behavior of the dispersions of GO/XG for different concentrations of the GO nanosheets and different temperatures. Flow curves and storage and loss moduli are obtained using the rotational rheometer ARES-G2 (TA Instruments) with smooth concentric cylinders geometry. It is shown that the increase in GO concentration leads to an increase in the viscosity and moduli levels, while the shear thinning and elastic behavior remains similar. The effect of NaCl addition is also investigated, due to the use in reservoirs zones with high salt concentrations, and It is observed that the resulting fluids present a decrease in viscosity and moduli.