Physical mechanisms of foam flow in porous media

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the physical mechanisms that govern foam flow in porous media. The motion of foams through porous media is a problem in physicochemical hydrodynamics. The basic mechanisms of foam transport reviewed contain some, but certainly not all, of the relevant physics of foam flow in porous media. Foam flow in porous media is a multifaceted process in which, on one hand, foam texture strongly governs foam rheology, and on the other, foam texture is in turn regulated by the porous medium through the capillary pressure. The chapter analyzes main features of this process with examples of foam motion in model pore channels. The modem theories of the foam lamella transport in pore channels of varying cross-section and the models of the weak foam flow are also discussed. Careful analyses of the flow on the scale of individual pores or channels are useful in exposing effects of various physical parameters on foam motion and in identifying flow-induced patterns. In addition, the basic physical mechanisms of foam microhydrodynamics underlie a variety of technological processes in oil recovery, groundwater/soil remediation, and textile manufacturing.