Fines adsorption on nanoparticle-coated surface

Abstract

Fluid flow through porous media is inherently associated with the detachment and migration of fine particles. The migration of fine particles and ensuing clogging is the main reason of flow rate decrease in porous media. Nanoparticle coating can be a promising method to prevent fines' detachment and migration by changing electrical surface forces between the pore wall surface and the fine particles. In this study, the attraction and adhesion forces of the nanoparticle-coated surface are measured by atomic force microscope. The effect of the nanoparticle coating on the fines adsorption efficiency is then investigated. The results show that there is an increase in the adhesion force on the nanoparticle-coated surface and the significant improvement of the fines adsorption capacity by the nanoparticle coating. The research results are relevant to other research areas whenever migrating fines cause engineering problems.