William Marsh Rice University

Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Quidnet Energy, Inc.

Other

University of Texas System

Dmitry Kosynkin

James Mitchell Tour

Howard K Schmidt

Jason R Cox

Hooisweng Ow

Jay R Lomeda

Mohammed Alaskar

Scott Wright

Condell D Doyle

Brandi Katherine Price

Natnael Behabtu

Amr Ismail Abdel-Fattah

Shannon Lee Eichmann

Ayrat Gizzatov

S Ward Casscells

Micah J Green

Matteo Pasquali

Ashley Leonard

Jared L Hudson

Alexander Slesarev

Luka Milas

Amanda Lynn Duque

Jeffrey N Myers

Valerie C Moore

Ayrat M Dimiev

Kathy A Mason

Colin Young

Stepan Nikolaevich Kalmykov

A Nicholas Parra-Vasquez

Rebecca Lucente-Schultz

Jodie L Conyers, Jr

Zvonimir L Milas

Anna Y Romanchuk

Amanda Higginbotham

Mohammad Alaskar

A method for manipulating hydraulic fracture geometry. In one embodiment, the method comprises injecting a fracturing fluid into a well to generate one or more hydraulic fractures in a subsurface rock formation and then substantially draining any fluids from the one or more hydraulic fractures. The method may further comprise injecting a hydrophilic polymer and one or more crosslinking agents into the well to subsequently form low-density hydrogels which may then screen out only each tip of the one or more hydraulic fractures. A working fluid may then be injected into the well to increase fracture width of the one or more hydraulic fractures without substantially increasing fracture length. In an alternative embodiment, the hydrophilic polymer may be fully crosslinked by the one or more crosslinking agents and injected as pre-formed particle gels (PPGs) which may also screen out only each tip of the one or more hydraulic fractures.

Method and materials for manipulating hydraulic fracture geometry

A composition including a coated nanoparticle and an ion, wherein the coated nanoparticle includes a nanoparticle, a linker, and a stabilizing group; methods of making and using the composition; and systems including the composition. The linker includes an anchoring group, a spacer, and a terminal group. The anchoring group is covalently bound to the nanoparticle and at least one of the terminal groups is covalently bound to at least one stabilizing group. A composition including a crosslinked-coated nanoparticle and an ion, wherein the crosslinked-coated nanoparticle includes a nanoparticle and a coating that includes a linker, a crosslinker, and a stabilizing group; methods of making and using the composition; and systems including the composition.

Stabilized nanoparticle compositions comprising ions

Disclosed here compositions and methods suitable for injection of a nanosurfactant-containing fluid into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations. Embodiments of the composition contain a petroleum sulfonate surfactant, mineral oil, and a zwitterionic co-surfactant.

Nanosurfactants for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications

Systems, apparatuses, and computer-implemented methods are provided for the real-time quantification of crude oil in an effluent from coreflooding apparatus. Disclosed here is a method of determining the amount of crude oil in an effluent from a coreflooding apparatus by blending the effluent stream with a solvent stream in a mixing device to produce a mixed stream, supplying the mixed stream to an in-line phase separator to produce a first stream containing the solvent and the crude oil from the effluent stream and a second stream containing water and water-miscible components from the effluent stream; and passing the first stream to a continuous flow spectrophotometer to determine the amount of crude oil in the effluent stream.

Systems and methods for real-time spectrophotometric quantification of crude oil

Systems, apparatuses, and computer-implemented methods are provided for the real-time quantification of crude oil in an effluent from coreflooding apparatus. Disclosed here is a system for real-time quantification of crude oil in an effluent from a coreflooding apparatus. The system includes a coreflooding apparatus, a mixing apparatus in fluid communication with the coreflooding apparatus via an effluent line and with a solvent delivery unit via a solvent line, an in-line phase separator in fluid communication with the mixing apparatus via a mixed stream delivery line, a continuous flow analyzer in fluid communication with the phase separator via an oil-phase line and configured to receive a stream containing the solvent and crude oil via an oil-phase line and to transmit a plurality of absorption values to a data analysis engine, and the data analysis engine.

Systems, apparatuses, and computer-implemented methods are provided for the real-time quantification of crude oil in an effluent from coreflooding apparatus. Disclosed here is a method of determining the amount of crude oil in an effluent from a coreflooding apparatus by blending the effluent stream with a solvent stream in a mixing device to produce a mixed stream, supplying the mixed stream to an in-line phase separator to produce a first stream containing the solvent and the crude oil from the effluent stream and a second stream containing water and water-miscible components from the effluent stream; and passing the first stream to a continuous flow analyzer to determine the amount of crude oil in the effluent stream.

Methods for dissolving carbon materials such as, for example, graphite, graphite oxide, oxidized graphene nanoribbons and reduced graphene nanoribbons in a solvent containing at least one superacid are described herein. Both isotropic and liquid crystalline solutions can be produced, depending on the concentration of the carbon material The superacid solutions can be formed into articles such as, for example, fibers and films, mixed with other materials such as, for example, polymers, or used for functionalization of the carbon material. The superacid results in exfoliation of the carbon material to produce individual particles of the carbon material. In some embodiments, graphite or graphite oxide is dissolved in a solvent containing at least one superacid to form graphene or graphene oxide, which can be subsequently isolated. In some embodiments, liquid crystalline solutions of oxidized graphene nanoribbons in water are also described.

Dissolution of graphite, graphite and graphene nanoribbons in superacid solutions and manipulation thereof

Various aspects of the present invention pertain to methods of sorption of various materials from an environment, including radioactive elements, chlorates, perchlorates, organohalogens, and combinations thereof. Such methods generally include associating graphene oxides with the environment. This in turn leads to the sorption of the materials to the graphene oxides. In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention also include a step of separating the graphene oxides from the environment after the sorption of the materials to the graphene oxides. More specific aspects of the present invention pertain to methods of sorption of radionuclides (such as actinides) from a solution by associating graphene oxides with the solution and optionally separating the graphene oxides from the solution after the sorption.

Adsorption of actinides in cationic form from aqueous solutions

A highly oxidized form of graphene oxide and methods for production thereof are described in various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, the methods include mixing a graphite source with a solution containing at least one oxidant and at least one protecting agent and then oxidizing the graphite source with the at least one oxidant in the presence of the at least one protecting agent to form the graphene oxide. Graphene oxide synthesized by the presently described methods is of a high structural quality that is more oxidized and maintains a higher proportion of aromatic rings and aromatic domains than does graphene oxide prepared in the absence of at least one protecting agent. Methods for reduction of graphene oxide into chemically converted graphene are also disclosed herein. The chemically converted graphene of the present disclosure is significantly more electrically conductive than is chemically converted graphene prepared from other sources of graphene oxide.

Highly oxidized graphene oxide and methods for production thereof

The present invention provides methods of selectively removing one or more graphene layers from a graphene material by: (1) applying a metal to a surface of the graphene material; and (2) applying a hydrogen containing solution to the surface of the graphene material that is associated with the metal. The hydrogen containing solution dissolves the metal along with one or more layers of graphene associated with the metal, thereby removing the layer(s) of graphene from the graphene material. In some embodiments, the hydrogen containing solution is an acidic solution, such as hydrochloric acid. In some embodiments, the metal is zinc. In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention are utilized to selectively remove one or more layers of graphene from one or more targeted sites on the surface of a graphene material.

Layer-by-layer removal of graphene

In various embodiments, the present disclosure describes processes for preparing functionalized graphene nanoribbons from carbon nanotubes. In general, the processes include exposing a plurality of carbon nanotubes to an alkali metal source in the absence of a solvent and thereafter adding an electrophile to form functionalized graphene nanoribbons. Exposing the carbon nanotubes to an alkali metal source in the absence of a solvent, generally while being heated, results in opening of the carbon nanotubes substantially parallel to their longitudinal axis, which may occur in a spiralwise manner in an embodiment. The graphene nanoribbons of the present disclosure are functionalized on at least their edges and are substantially defect free. As a result, the functionalized graphene nanoribbons described herein display a very high electrical conductivity that is comparable to that of mechanically exfoliated graphene.

Graphene nanoribbons prepared from carbon nanotubes via alkali metal exposure

Compositions comprising a plurality of functionalized carbon nanotubes and at least one type of payload molecule are provided herein. The compositions are soluble in water and PBS in some embodiments. In certain embodiments, the payload molecules are insoluble in water. Methods are described for making the compositions and administering the compositions. An extended release formulation for paclitaxel utilizing functionalized carbon nanotubes is also described.

Water-soluble carbon nanotube compositions for drug delivery and medicinal applications

Growing community of inventors

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Dmitry Kosynkin