Stable foam systems for improving oil recovery under high-temperature and high-salt reservoir conditions

Abstract

Foams have high apparent viscosity when flowing in porous media, therefore foam flooding could significantly improve unfavorable mobility ratios, increase sweep efficiency, and enhance oil recovery. However, the applications of foam flooding in high-temperature and high-salt reservoirs are seriously restricted as foam systems often have inferior foamability and stability in these reservoirs. In this study, to improve foam flooding effectiveness in high-temperature and high-salt reservoirs, novel foam systems with excellent stability and plugging capacity are developed by combining surfactants, additives, and polymers. The performance of bulk foam, physical properties of the solutions, and properties of foam systems in core-flow experiments are investigated to determine the synergistic effects among the components of the foam systems and their foamability and plugging effect in cores. In foam systems with sodium alcohol ether sulfate (AES) and dodecylhydroxypropyl sulfobetaine (DHSB) as surfactants, and dodecanol as additive, the combination of the components makes surface tension decreased and surface dilatational modulus increased, therefore the foamability and stability of the systems are improved. The results of core-flow experiments under high-temperature and high-salt conditions show that these combined systems require low injection rate for foam generation in reservoirs, which is beneficial for foam regeneration in reservoirs. Moreover, to further improve the foam performance, a hydrophobically associating water-soluble polymer (HAWP) is employed. The interactions between HAWP and the surfactants reduce the critical association concentration of HAWP, and result in the increase of solution apparent viscosity and foam stability. The results of core-flow experiments under high-temperature and high-salt conditions show that polymer-enhanced foam systems could significantly increase the sealing pressure, widen the sealing permeability range, and deal with the gas-channeling problem of foam flooding. These foam systems could provide a potential technical pathway for improving the effectiveness of foam flooding in high-temperature and high-salt reservoirs.