Methods of increasing a thermal conductivity and transferring heat within a subterranean formation, and methods of extracting hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation

Abstract

A method of increasing a thermal conductivity of a subterranean formation and a hydrocarbon-containing material comprises introducing nanoparticles having a high thermal conductivity into the subterranean formation. The nanoparticles adhere to surfaces of the hydrocarbon-containing material and increase the thermal conductivity of the hydrocarbon-containing material. A heating fluid is injected into the subterranean formation and contacts the nanoparticles. Heat is transferred to hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon-containing material and reduces a viscosity of the hydrocarbons. Methods of transferring heat to a hydrocarbon-containing material, as well as methods of recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for increasing a thermal conductivity of a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
 combining nanoparticles with a carrier fluid to form a suspension;   injecting the suspension into a subterranean formation;   adhering the nanoparticles to surfaces and within pores of the subterranean formation; and   heating hydrocarbon-containing material within the subterranean formation and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with a heating fluid.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming fractures within the subterranean formation prior to injecting the suspension into a subterranean formation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combining nanoparticles with a carrier fluid to form a suspension comprises forming a suspension comprising between about 0.0001 weight percent and about 15 weight percent of the nanoparticles. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adhering the nanoparticles to surfaces and within pores of the subterranean formation comprises attaching nanoparticles having an average size of between about 5 nm and about 1,000 nm to the surfaces and within pores of the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adhering the nanoparticles to surfaces and within pores of the subterranean formation comprises contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material with nanoparticles comprising at least one of single walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanodiamonds. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combining nanoparticles with a carrier fluid to form a suspension comprises combining at least some nanoparticles having at least one functional group configured to increase a dispersibility of the nanoparticles with the carrier fluid. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein heating hydrocarbon-containing material within the subterranean formation and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with a heating fluid comprises contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with at least one of a hot water or a hot brine solution. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein heating hydrocarbon-containing material within the subterranean formation and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with a heating fluid comprises heating the hydrocarbon-containing material with steam. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein heating hydrocarbon-containing material within the subterranean formation and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with a heating fluid comprises contacting the nanoparticles adhered to the surfaces and within pores of the subterranean formation with the heating fluid and transferring heat through the nanoparticles to the hydrocarbon-containing material. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein heating hydrocarbon-containing material within the subterranean formation and at least a portion of the nanoparticles with a heating fluid comprises reducing a viscosity of hydrocarbons of the hydrocarbon-containing material. 
     
     
         11 . A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
 introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation;   contacting surfaces of the subterranean formation and a hydrocarbon-containing material with the suspension and adhering at least some of the nanoparticles to surfaces of the subterranean formation and the hydrocarbon-containing material;   contacting at least some of the nanoparticles with steam;   transferring heat from at least some of the nanoparticles to the subterranean formation and the hydrocarbon-containing material to reduce a viscosity of hydrocarbons within the hydrocarbon-containing material; and   transferring the hydrocarbons to a surface of the subterranean formation.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation comprises introducing a suspension comprising at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles and at least another of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation comprises introducing the suspension into a portion of the subterranean formation having a lower thermal conductivity than other portions of the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation comprises introducing a suspension comprising a first portion of nanoparticles having a first functional group and a second portion of nanoparticles having a second functional group into the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation and contacting at least some of the nanoparticles with steam comprises:
 introducing a first suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into the subterranean formation;   contacting at least some of the nanoparticles of the first suspension with steam;   introducing a second suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation; and   contacting at least some of the nanoparticles of the second suspension with steam.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein introducing a second suspension into the subterranean formation comprises contacting hydrocarbons that were not contacted by nanoparticles of the first suspension. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension into a subterranean formation comprises introducing an aqueous-based suspension into the subterranean formation at a temperature of between about 90° C. and about 100° C. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising introducing another suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into the subterranean formation after transferring the hydrocarbons to the surface of the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein introducing a suspension including at least one of single wall carbon nanotube nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles, graphene nanoparticles, and nanodiamond nanoparticles into a subterranean formation comprises introducing the suspension into the subterranean formation during a hydraulic fracturing process. 
     
     
         20 . A method of transferring heat to a hydrocarbon-containing material, the method comprising:
 introducing a suspension comprising nanoparticles having an average thermal conductivity greater than about 2,000 W/m-K into a formation containing hydrocarbons;   contacting at least a portion of the formation having a lower thermal conductivity than surrounding portions of the formation with the suspension to adhere nanoparticles of the suspension to the hydrocarbons of the at least a portion of the formation;   contacting the nanoparticles and the formation with steam; and   extracting hydrocarbons from the formation.