National Iranian Oil Company

About: National Iranian Oil Company is a company organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Anticline & Cretaceous. The organization has 609 authors who have published 803 publications receiving 13171 citations. The organization is also known as: NIOC & Sherkat-e Melli-ye Naft-e Īrān.

Wettability Alteration in Carbonates using Zirconium Oxide Nanofluids: EOR Implications

Abstract: Wettability alteration is an important method to increase oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate reservoirs. Chemical agents like surfactants are known as wettability modifiers in carbonate systems. However, the effectiveness of these agents can be increased by the addition of chemicals such as polymers, ionic materials, and nanoparticles. The impacts of nanoparticles on the wettability of carbonate systems have not been reported yet, and it is still in its infancy. In this work, the effect of ZrO2-based nanofluids on the wettability alteration of a carbonate reservoir rock was experimentally studied. Several nanofluids were made composed of ZrO2 nanoparticles and mixtures of nonionic surfactants. The effect of nanofluids on the wettability of carbonate samples were investigated by measuring the contact angles, and it was shown that designed nanofluids could significantly change the wettability of the rock from a strongly oil-wet to a strongly water-wet condition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images an...

Central Zagros fold‐thrust belt (Iran): New insights from seismic data, field observation, and sandbox modeling

Abstract: [1] We present five generalized cross sections across the central Zagros fold-and-thrust belt (Iran) These sections show that the fold geometry varies significantly both horizontally and vertically The style is closely related to the changes in the mechanical behavior of the lithostratigraphic horizons and, in particular, to the presence of intermediate decollements within the sedimentary pile Restoration of the sections shows amounts of shortening of the same order from one section to the other However, it appears to be unequally distributed, suggesting variations in basal decollement shear strength Analogue modeling has been performed to systematically investigate the effect of an intermediate decollement level at different depths on the style of folding The models demonstrate that the position of intermediate decollements is an important factor controlling both structural style and fold wavelength Models with shallow intermediate decollement show regularly and widely spaced anticlines In these models, the fold wavelength depends directly on the thickness of the dominant competent layer and short-wavelength superficial structures mask broad anticlines at depth Models with deep intermediate decollement are characterized by the rapid propagation of deformation (with small rate of shortening) along this decollement influencing localization of forthcoming anticlines in the upper levels Such propagation favors the development of duplexes and multiwavelength folds On this basis, fold kinematics in central Zagros is discussed using the variation of structural style along different folds as an indicator of the sequence of deformation Detachment folding is the main folding style at least for the initial stages of deformation and thrust faults developed only at later stages Some of these faults, branched on decollement levels, express the progression of folding, whereas others are linked to late basement faults cutting through early structures In general, the decollement levels are activated sequentially from deeper horizons to shallower ones However, in one case (Gachsaran decollement) a shallow decollement is activated during the early stages of folding and then abandoned during the subsequent evolution