Leakoff assessment of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foams for fracturing applications

Abstract

The leakoff of multiphase systems through porous media is a complicated process. In this study, we have designed an experimental setup that is used to assess the leakoff of the liquid and gas phase under pressurized conditions. The novelty of this study is that while most previous studies utilized fluid/gas in the aqueous phase, nanoparticles are introduced in this study, which formed a solid/fluid/gas multiphase system to boost foam performance and reduce leakoff. In the parametric experimental analysis, the effects of foam quality, core permeability, surfactant concentration, and polymer concentration on the dynamic and static leakoff rates of liquid and gas are evaluated. It was found that core permeability affects the leakoff of foam the most with a leakoff coefficient of up to 1.37015 ft/min for gas and up to 0.1056 ft/min for liquid under the experiment settings herein. The leakoff rate of gas is generally several magnitudes higher than that of the liquid. When CO2 gas is present in the foam, the leakoff coefficient falls in the range between 0 and 1.37015 ft/min for gas, and between 0.0005 and 0.1056 ft/min for liquid. The methodology and results of this study shed light on the mechanistic understanding of the leakoff properties of multiphase systems and could be used to assist the design of foam fracturing for reservoir stimulation.