High thermal stability of foams stabilized by graphene oxide and zwitterionic surfactant nanocomposites for fracturing applications

Abstract

Developing foamed fracturing fluids with excellent efficiency and low formation damage has been essential to improve hydraulic fracturing performance in recent years. In the present study, a foamed fluid stabilized by a synthesized nanocomposite of graphene oxide and a zwitterionic surfactant (GO/SURF) was evaluated at temperatures 200–350 °F. In addition, the foam characteristics, such as thermal stability, bubble microstructure, and apparent viscosity, were also investigated. Static and dynamic experiments demonstrated that the SURF foam's stability and thermal adaptability enhanced at 200–350 °F due to introducing the GO/SURF nanocomposite. In addition, the foam-film microstructure of the GO/SURF-based foam maintained its small, regular spherical shape for four hours at 300 °F. Moreover, the apparent viscosity of the GO/SURF foam was higher than that of SURF foam at a shear rate and temperature of 300 s−1 and 350 °F, respectively. The improved performance displayed by GO/SURF can be ascribed to the adsorption of the GO/SURF nanocomposite at the bubble surface, which enhanced the mechanical strength of the foam layer. As a result, the foamed fracturing fluid stabilized by GO/SURF is superior to pure SURF foam and is recommended for utilization in hydraulic fracturing, especially in long fracturing stimulation applications at high temperatures.