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oa Magnetic Nanoparticles for Stabilizing CO2 Foams and Monitoring Geological Carbon Storage
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, World CCUS Conference 2025, Sep 2025, Volume 2025, p.1 - 5
Abstract
This study explores the use of magnetic iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles for CO2 foam stability and reservoir monitoring in geological carbon storage. Due to their high apparent viscosity, CO2 foams improve sweep efficiency and storage capacity in carbon utilization and storage processes. IO Nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foams exhibit improved stability compared to foams stabilized solely with surfactants, may be recovered from the outflow stream, and facilitate subsurface monitoring by acting as tracers. Two nanoparticle detection methods are discussed: (1) Thermal Method: Measures temperature rise induced by magnetic induction heating to determine nanoparticle concentration in solution; (2) Frequency Shift Method – Detects nanoparticles by measuring resonance frequency shifts in a transistor oscillator circuit, caused by magnetic permeability changes. Experimental data suggest the response signal is linearly correlated with nanoparticle concentration for both methods. Reported data indicate that the lowest detected concentrations in the thermal method ranged from 60 to 120 mg/L, while the frequency-shift method detected signals at concentrations as low as 150 mg/L. Future improvements are needed to enhance sensitivity and expand field applicability.