Foam in porous media: thermodynamic and hydrodynamic peculiarities

Abstract

Thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties of foams in porous media are examined from a unified point of view. We show that interactions between foam films (lamellae) and wetting films covering the pore walls play an important role in treating experimental data and constructing a general theory of foam residence and motion through porous media. Mechanisms of in situ bubble generation, foam patterning, and rheological peculiarities of foams in pores are discussed in detail. In particular, we clarify the difference between foam lamellae and liquid lenses, focusing on intermolecular forces in thin foam and wetting films. A consistent description of conditions of mechanical equilibrium of curved lamellae, including dynamic effects, is presented for the first time. This microlevel approach enables us to describe the dependence of the capillary pressure in the Plateau border on the current state of the pair ‘wetting film–foam lamella’. We review a theory of foam patterning under a load. Two driving forces are invoked to explain specific interactions between the solid skeleton and foams. The binding forces caused by bubble compressibility and the pinning forces due to capillarity determine a specific ordering of lamellae in porous media. The microscopic bubble train model predicts asymptotic expressions for the start-up-yield pressure drop. We consider key problems that underlay the understanding of physical mechanisms of anomalous foam resistance. Different micromechanical models of foam friction are thoroughly discussed. Bretherton's (1961) theory of the forced, steady fluid–fluid displacement is reviewed in application to bubble transport through pore channels. The origins of disagreement of the theory and experiment are discussed. The Bretherton theory is augmented based on a new sailboat model, which accounts for thermodynamic coupling of foam lamellae and wetting films. Special attention is paid to studies of stick-slip motion of lamellae and bubbles in pores of varying diameter. Finally, we discuss macroscale models and analyze topical problems of foam behavior in porous media, including reservoirs, granular, and fibrous materials.