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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications
Published on: January 16, 2018
Non-homogeneous complex fluids for conformance control and displacement: A transformative enhanced oil recovery
Weiyao Zhu1, Yubao Gao1, Qipeng Ma1
1School of Resources and Safety Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 100083 Beijing, China; Institute of Applied Mechanics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 100083 Beijing, China.
None:
The efficient exploitation of low-permeability tight reservoirs is essential to mitigating the global energy crisis. However, the development of such resources remains technically challenging owing to low fluid mobility, pronounced heterogeneity, and the limited effectiveness of conventional chemical flooding techniques. This review introduces the concept of nano-/micro-engineered non-homogeneous complex fluids (NHCFs)-tailored fluid systems designed to modulate interfacial behavior in porous media-as a transformative approach for Quaternary reservoir recovery. By integrating insights from colloid science, interfacial thermodynamics, and multiscale transport phenomena, we elucidate the underlying mechanisms of NHCFs, including wettability alteration, targeted interfacial regulation, and capillary-permeability coupling. This work synthesizes recent advances in experimental, mechanistic, and theoretical studies of NHCFs for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), establishing critical links between pore-scale interfacial processes and reservoir-scale flow dynamics. Furthermore, we propose redefining Quaternary recovery as a form of precision interfacial engineering aimed at mobilizing trapped oil in low-flow regions. Finally, the review addresses emerging directions in advanced interfacial control, intelligent multiscale regulation of NHCFs, superfluid-like flow enhancement, and unified seepage simulation frameworks, outlining a pathway for the development of next-generation EOR technologies.
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