Abstract

Abstract The goal of this work is to study foam stabilization by in-situ surface activation of hydrophilic nanoparticles for subsurface applications. The interfacial properties of the nanoparticles were modulated by attachment of short chain surface modifiers which render them partially hydrophobic. Static foams were generated using nanoparticles with varying concentrations of surface modifiers. The decay of foam height with time was studied and half-lives were determined. Optical micrographs of foams stabilized by surface-modified nanoparticles (SM-NP) and surfactants were recorded. Aqueous foams were created in-situ by co-injecting the SM-NP solutions with nitrogen gas through a Berea sandstone core at a fixed quality. Pressure drop across the core was measured to estimate the achieved mobility reduction factor (MRF). The results were then compared witha typical surfactant under similar conditions. Oil displacement experiments were conducted in Berea cores using surfactant and SM-NP solutions as foaming agents. Bartsch shake test revealed strong foaming tendency of SM-NP even with a very low initial surface-modifier concentration (0.05 wt%), whereas hydrophilic nanoparticles alone could not stabilize foam. The bubble texture of foam stabilized by SM-NP was finer than that with surfactant which indicated a stronger foam. As the degree of surface coating increased, mobility reduction factor (MRF) of SM-NP foam in a Berea core increased significantly. The core floods in the sandstone cores with a reservoir crude oil showed that immiscible foams using SM-NP solution can recover significant amount of oil over water flood.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.