Gel Foam Research Articles

Preparation of PVA/EG-WG gel foam and its inhibition of coal spontaneous combustion

In order to solve the shortcomings of existing gel foam such as poor stability, low strength and weak water retention capacity, a novel gel foam was prepared. The optimal ratio of this gel foam was determined in this experiment, and its inhibition performance and inhibition mechanism were analyzed. The results showed that the gel foam had the optimal performance when the mass fractions of foaming agent, foam stabilizer, gelling agent, cross-linking agent, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Ethylene glycol (EG) were 0.8 %, 1 %, 8 %, 2.2 %, 3 % and 7 %. After the gel foam action, the peak CO content in the oxidation process of coal samples decreased by 56.17 %, the average inhibition rate increased by 18.67 %, and the activation energy before and after the dry cracking temperature increased by 3.08 kJ and 9.20 kJ. The characteristic temperature points were greatly improved compared with those of the raw coal, which effectively slowed down the exothermic rate of coal oxidation. Compared with the traditional gel foam, PVA/EG-WG gel foam can achieve the effect of coal spontaneous combustion inhibition by means of inhibition and oxygen isolation, cooling and chemical reaction, etc.

Preparation and Effectiveness of a Nano-Modified Composite Gel Foam in Preventing the Spontaneous Combustion of Coal

ABSTRACT In China, coal is considered the cornerstone in the energy mix for ensuring the security of national energy production. With the increasing intensity and depth of coal seam mining in China, spontaneous coal combustion in goaf areas has become a major issue affecting mine safety. The development of a nano-modified composite gel foam to prevent the spontaneous combustion of residual coal was therefore investigated in the current study. Chemical modification through intercalation and grafting was found to significantly enhance the water retention performance of the antioxidant component. In addition, the optimal component ratios were determined using single-factor experiments and response surface methodology. The modified gel foam, consisting of 2.995 wt% gelling agent, 0.25 wt% foaming agent, 0.296 wt% crosslinker, 0.491 wt% foam stabilizer, 3.772 wt% nanoparticles, and 2.964 wt% modified antioxidant, demonstrated environmental friendliness. Thermogravimetric experiments showed that the critical temperature for achieving a significant increase in the dehydration rate rose from 80 to 120°C after modification. Compared with typical inhibitors, the nano-modified gel foam exhibited a superior performance in terms of preventing coal oxidation and spontaneous combustion, particularly at low temperatures. Oxidation during the oxygen absorption and weight gain stages was also effectively inhibited, and the high temperature combustion processes were suppressed.

Visualization Experimental Investigation on Flow Regulation and Oil Displacement Characteristics of Gel Foam in Fractured-Vuggy Carbonate Reservoirs.

Fractured-vuggy reservoirs experience severe channeling during water and gas injection operations, and conventional foam shows weak regeneration capabilities in large-scale fracture spaces, thus failing to effectively seal them. Gel foam combines the advantages of both foam and gel, significantly enhancing the foam's stability and showing good suitability in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. In this article, the plugging and flow regulation properties of gel foam in fractures were studied through fracture displacement experiments. The dynamic plugging capability of gel foam was superior to that of ordinary foam, and its plugging effect was significantly influenced by the fracture opening. Gel foam had strong retention capacity in fractures, and after plugging large-opening fractures, the diversion rate of small-opening fractures was increased by at least 83.3 times during subsequent parallel water flooding, making the flow regulation effect remarkable. Through the oil displacement experiments in typical fractured-vuggy models, the profile control law and enhanced oil recovery performance of gel foam under different fractured-vuggy structures were studied. In the regular fractured-vuggy network, gel foam adhered to occupy the fractured-vuggy space for plugging and controlled the top gas migration direction to synergistically drive the recovery of remaining oil, ultimately achieving a recovery of 95%. In the combination of fractures and irregular vugs, due to the density, gel foam continuously pushed down and right along the fractures to the vugs, pushing the crude oil and formation water in the vugs to migrate to the production well. The recovery of the gel foam flooding stage was as high as 48%, and the final recovery reached 93.5; only a small amount of shielded remaining oil was difficult to drive. The research results are of great significance to the application of gel foam in enhancing oil recovery in fractured-vuggy reservoirs.

Preparation and characterization of high-stability gel foam for fracture plugging in reservoirs

A high-stability gel foam is successfully prepared by forming a gel structure in the liquid film using polymer and crosslinker. The foaming properties, gel characteristics, foam stability, and microstructure of the high-stability gel foam are systematically studied. Although increasing the viscosity of the liquid film reduces the foam volume, it significantly enhances the foam stability. Considering the foaming properties, gel characteristics, and economic benefits, the optimal formulation of the gel foam system is determined to be 0.8% surfactant, 0.3% hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG), and 0.2% organic titanium crosslinker (ATC). Microstructural analysis revealed that, compared to water-based and polymer foams, gel foam has smaller bubble sizes, lower drainage rates, and slower coarsening rates. This improvement is mainly attributed to the increased viscosity and thickness of the liquid film after gel and the formation of a three-dimensional network structure. Water loss rate experiment shows that the foam stability is stronger when the liquid film has certain viscosity and elasticity to resist external disturbances. However, higher viscosity and film strength do not necessarily result in better foam stability. The final water loss rate of the gel foam after being placed at 100 °C for 10 h is 74.45%, much lower than that of other higher-strength gel foams (greater than 99%). Fracture plugging experiments demonstrated that the plugging rate of gel foam is high (80%), whereas water-based foam achieved only 37.5%. The gel foam can effectively plug fractures and expand the swept volume, showing great potential for improving oil reservoir recovery.

The Impact of the Chlorhexidine Gel (WISDOM®) on Postoperative Sequelae Associated with the Surgical Removal of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: One of the most prevalent procedures in oral surgery is the removal of impacted mandibular third molars, typically accompanied by trismus, edema, and pain. Several methods and biomaterials were implemented to mitigate or avoid these surgical problems. Objectives: To evaluate the efficiency of chlorhexidine gel (WISDOM®) in minimizing postoperative sequelae associated with the impacted mandibular third molar that will be surgically extracted and its role in promoting early soft tissue closure of the surgical site. Methods: The study design was a double-masked and randomized, controlled clinical study that included healthy patients needing the removal of a mandibular third molar through surgery. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The extraction site of the study group was filled with a mixture of gel foam and WISDOM®. In contrast, we filled the extraction sites of the control group patients with gel foam and sutured the surgical sites for both groups. The patients were evaluated on the first, third, and seventh postoperative days for pain, swelling, trismus, and early soft tissue healing. Results: Sixty eligible patients were enrolled in this study. The study group exhibited a statistically significant decrease in pain, edema, trismus, and early soft tissue healing on the first, third, and seventh postoperative days compared to the control group. Conclusions: WISDOM® gel can effectively reduce postoperative pain, trismus, and swelling and promote early soft tissue healing after surgical removal of an impacted mandibular wisdom tooth.

Development and Optimization of a Nanocomposite Gel Foam for Inhibiting Coal Spontaneous Combustion

ABSTRACT A nanocomposite gel foam inhibitor was made by grafting tea polyphenol onto sodium polyacrylate through the graft polymerization reaction, which was then combined with graphene oxide and a foaming agent. Response surface analysis was used to optimize the ratio to improve the water absorption of the inhibitor. The microstructure of the inhibitor was studied using X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The anti-spontaneous combustion performance of the nano-composite gel foam was tested through a leakage wind plugging experiment and a thermogravimetric experiment. The results show that the optimal additions of graphene, tea polyphenol, and potassium persulfate were 0.76%, 2.806%, and 0.727% of acrylic acid, respectively. The ultimate pressures of the gel foam before and after fully forming the gel were 0. 26 kPa and 0. 736 kPa, respectively, which satisfies the demand for leakage wind plugging in a coal mine. The critical temperature and dry cracking temperature of the gel foam were 112.4°C and 201.0°C, respectively, and the quality of the oxygen-absorbing and weight-gaining stage were almost unincreased. The gel foam showed good water retention, oxygen barrier, and antioxidant properties and can play a significant role in inhibiting the coal spontaneous combustion.

Comparative Study on Finger Gloves Nasal Packing Vs Merocel Nasal Packing After Intranasal Surgery: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Nasal packing is one of the common procedures done following various intranasal surgeries in order to prevent the various complications that can arise post-operatively. Some of the complications noted include bleeding from the nose, septal hematoma, septal abscess and formation of mucosal adhesions. There are different types of nasal packing materials available. Few of the commonly used nasal packing material are ribbon gauzes impregnated with antibiotics, merocel, gel foam, glove fingers and Vaseline gauze. This study compared the effectiveness of Merocel nasal packing with Glove finger nasal packing after Septoplasty and Polypectomy. Merocel, a widely used expandable non-absorbable material, was compared with conventional ribbon gauze packs inserted into glove fingers. Results showed no significant differences in post-operative bleeding, pain, discomfort, mucociliary clearance, or late complications between the two groups. However, a slightly earlier return of mucociliary clearance in patients packed with Glove finger nasal packs was observed. Therefore, it can be concluded that both Merocel and Glove finger nasal packs are equally effective in managing post-operative complications following these procedures.

Eco-friendly three-phase-gel foam with novel particle-gel crosslinking enhancing stabilization and fire extinguishing

To address the instability and limited fire-suppression effectiveness of foam agents, a three-phase gel foam incorporating α-olefin sulfonate (AOS), alkylphenol ethoxylates (OP-10), modified bentonite, and cellulose gel was developed. The foam formula was optimized by using response surface method. Combined with Zeta potential and FTIR, the intrinsic interaction between materials was analyzed. The foam decay process, liquid discharge regularity, and viscosity change under different additives were compared. The enhancement of its fire extinguishing ability was explored. Results show that: The optimized foam achieves optimal foaming volume and half-life. Surfactant adsorption reduces the surface charge of particles and stabilizes their dispersion in liquid membrane. Cellulose is wound between particles to form a stable absorbent skeleton and delay decay of foam. Foam adheres stably to solids and covers them with barrier, inhibiting wood burning. The time to extinguish wood stack fire was 84 s, a 36.84% improvement over Class A foam extinguishing agents.

Preparation of novel gel foam and its fire suppression performance against gasoline pool fires

The phenomenon of re-ignition after extinguishing tank fires poses a significant challenge for firefighting and rescue operations. In this study, a gel foam was prepared using linseed gum as the gelling agent and sodium tetraborate as the cross-linking agent. By analyzing the foaming performance of the gel foam, the optimal formulation for the gel foam was determined. Subsequently, microscopic structural observations and thermal stability tests were conducted on this material. A comparison of the firefighting performance between the gel foam and aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) on extinguishing gasoline pool fires was also carried out. The results indicate when the foaming agent, consisting of coconut oil glucoside (APG0814) and fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-9), is used in a 9:1 ratio with a mass fraction of 0.4 wt%. Furthermore, by introducing 0.35 wt% concentration of linseed gum and 0.02 wt% concentration of sodium tetraborate, the gel foam exhibits a foaming expansion ratio of 6.5, a half-life of 203 min, and a comprehensive value of 989.63, which represents the best performance. The gel foam and the AFFF exhibit relatively similar extinguishing effectiveness, with respective extinguishing times of 108s and 95s.Further analysis of the gel foam's resistance to re-ignition reveals that the gel foam demonstrates 25 % and 90 % ignition resistance times of 425s and 573s, respectively, representing a significant enhancement of 66.02 % and 104.64 % compared to the AFFF. These results indicate that the novel gel foam possesses excellent resistance to re-ignition, reducing the risk of fire rekindling in liquid fire scenarios. This research serves as a valuable reference for the development of environmentally friendly and re-ignition-resistant gel foam for extinguishing liquid fires.

Exploration and Frontier of Coal Spontaneous Combustion Fire Prevention Materials

Mine fires have always been one of the disasters that restrict coal mining in China and endanger the life safety of underground workers. The research and development of new fire prevention materials are undoubtedly important to ensure the safe and efficient production of modern mines. At present, the main inhibiting materials used are grout material, inert gas, retarding agent, foam, gel, and so on. In order to explore the current situation of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) fire prevention, the existing fire prevention materials were reviewed and prospected from three aspects: physical, chemical, and physicochemical inhibition. The results show that, at present, most of the methods of physicochemical inhibition are used to inhibit CSC. Antioxidants have become popular chemical inhibitors in recent years. In terms of physical inhibition, emerging biomass-based green materials, including foams, gels, and gel foams, are used to inhibit CSC. In addition, CSC fire-fighting materials also have shortcomings, including incomplete research on the mechanism of material action, poor stability of inhibitory properties, low efficiency, and economic and environmental protection to be improved. The future research direction of fire-fighting materials will be based on theoretical experiments and numerical simulation to study the mechanism and characteristics of CSC and develop new directional suppression materials with physicochemical synergies. These findings have extremely important implications for improving materials designed to prevent CSC.

Frontal sinus reconstruction with overlapping sinus mucosa and vascularized pericranial flap Coverage after modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy: Novel technique and clinical outcomes

BackgroundThe modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy is a variant of the bifrontal craniotomy with a wider surgical corridor than the standard approach. There are several methods for frontal sinus repair in bifrontal craniotomy. This study reports a novel method for frontal sinus repair in the modified transbasal interhemispheric approach by precisely overlapping the frontal sinus mucosa margin (without frontal sinus mucosa exenteration) with packing the frontal sinus with povidone-soaked gel foam and covering it with a vascularized pericranial flap. MethodsIn this case series, we retrospectively collected the clinical outcomes regarding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, meningitis, and mucocele formation of patients who underwent modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy at Vara Hospital. ResultsFrom January 2016 to December 2021, 65 patients with anterior skull-base lesions were treated with a modified transbasal interhemispheric approach with frontal sinus repair by overlapping frontal sinus mucosa with gel foam packing and vascularized pericranium flap covering. There was no case of postoperative CSF leakage, meningitis, or mucocele formation during the follow-up period of 19.2 months (min 1, max 73). ConclusionsWe demonstrated that the modified transbasal interhemispheric approach with frontal sinus repair using gel foam packing and pericranial flap is effective in preventing postoperative CSF leakage and meningitis.

Development of an environmentally friendly gel foam and assessment of its thermal stability and fire suppression properties in liquid pool fires

Large-scale tank fires are one of the most challenging firefighting scenarios and pose significant threats to the safety of personnel and the integrity of equipment. The development of effective extinguishing agents is thus of both fundamental and practical importance in the controlling, mitigation, and suppression of tank fires. In this study, a novel environmentally friendly fire suppression foam based on gel-glycoside was developed using alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) and alkyl ethoxy polyglycosides (AEG) as the foaming agents, and sodium silicate, and sodium bicarbonate as the gelling and cross-linking agents respectively. The optimal ratios of the foaming agents were determined firstly by examining the foam expansion ratio and foam comprehensive value. Subsequently, the foamability, thermal stability, cross-linking time, and spreadability of the optimized formulations were analyzed. Finally, the fire extinguishing effects and performance in suppressing burnback of these formulations were examined and compared with those of a traditional film-forming fluoroprotein foam (FFFP). The experimental results indicated that the gel-glycoside foam, consisting of a composite foaming agent (AOS:AEG = 1:9), sodium silicate, and sodium bicarbonate at concentrations of 0.6, 2.4 and 3.7 wt%, respectively, exhibited the best spreadability and thermal stability. This formulation also showed excellent performance in cooling and suppressing burnback in the fire extinguishing tests, with a 90 % burnback time of 485 s, 45 % higher than that of FFFP. The present results clearly demonstrated that gel-glycoside foams can effectively control and suppress liquid pool fires and hence reduce the risk in potential re-ignition. These findings are also important for the further development of gel foams for extinguishing large-scale oil storage tank fires.

Comparative Study of Topical Application of Injection Tranexamic Acid and Anterior Nasal Packing in the Management of Epistaxis.

Epistaxis, defined as bleeding from the nose, is one of the common ENT cases coming to emergency department. Epistaxis is experienced by at least 60% of the population once in their life time and about 6% of them will require medical attention. The different treatment modalities include: local pressure, application of topical vasoconstrictor substances, or nasal packing depending on personal physician preference. Tranexamic acid (TXA), a synthetic analogue of the amino acid lysine, belongs to a class of drugs known as antifibrinolytics. It acts by reversibly binding four to five lysine receptor sites on plasminogen and can be used in emergency department for reducing the bleeding time in epistaxis. To evaluate the efficacy of topical application of injection TXA compared to cases managed with anterior nasal packing for the treatment of patients with epistaxis. 100 patients presenting with epistaxis in emergency department, above the age of 18years were randomly divided into two groups with 50 patients each. Group 1 were managed with anterior nasal packing with gel foam and Group 2 with topical application of injection TXA. Causes,duration to control epistaxis, and occurrence of rebleeding were recorded. Our study showed homogenous distribution of age and sex among the patients. Bleeding stopped within 10min in 38 patients in group 2 compared to 17 patients in group 1. For 31 patients in group 1, bleeding stopped between 10 and 15min compared to 12 in group 2. In group 1, 8 patients had rebleeding compared to 2 patients in group 2. Our study showed that topical application of TXA reduces the bleeding time and number of rebleeds compared to anterior nasal packing with gelfoam. Since it is easily available in an emergency setup and cheaper compared to gelfoam, it can be used as an elective method in managing epistaxis in emergency department.

An exploration of alternative proteins as a potential sustainable solution to meeting the nutritional needs of the ever‐increasing global population

SummaryProteins of animal origin have been used in various food formulations as they have been shown to possess excellent techno‐functional properties such as gel formation, emulsification, foam ability and stability, among others. However, the production of proteins from animal sources does come at an environmental cost due to the greenhouse effect that is attributable to the rearing of animals. To mitigate against the environmental impact of the production of protein from animal origin, research has focused on alternative proteins such as those of plant, insect or mycoprotein origin. However, there are still several issues as well as mapping of alternative proteins in terms of their nutritional profile, sensorial attributes that include taste and texture as well and the challenges that exist in mimicking proteins of animal origin that need to be addressed which would broaden the window of application of alternative proteins. Therefore, this review explores some of the alternative protein sources that have been characterised in terms of their techno‐functional characteristics and underpins the challenges such as allergenicity that exist in the use of alternative. Furthermore, this work aims to evaluate consumer perception and acceptance of alternative proteins which is pivotal in their success in food production and process as well as ensuring the safety of these proteins. As such, this work will contribute towards the existing knowledge on the possible applications of these proteins as sustainable, cheaper solutions.

Free hemi-hamate arthroplasty: A review of donor site outcomes

IntroductionThe use of the dorsal hamate as a free osteochondral bone graft or vascularized bone flap has become the mainstay for large, comminuted middle phalanx volar lip fractures. To date, few studies have been conducted in the assessment of donor site morbidity for the hemi-hamate graft or flap, and none have discussed modes of repair or reconstruction of this donor site. MethodsA retrospective analysis of 14 hemi-hamate arthroplasty (HHA) procedures, including 6 vascularized and 8 non-vascularized grafts, from two surgeons was performed. Four hamate defect reconstruction techniques were utilized: no formal reconstruction, autologous bone grafting, gel foam, or synthetic bone substitute. The dorsal capsule was repaired with either extensor retinaculum grafting or by direct closure. Wrist range of motion, pain scores, and radiographic alignment were assessed. ResultsAt 6 months follow-up, all patients achieved full, pain-free wrist motion compared to the uninjured side, with visual analog scale pain scores of 0. Serial radiographs showed maintained carpal alignment without instability or subluxation. No differences based on the hamate defect reconstruction method or capsular repair technique was demonstrated. ConclusionSafe return to pain free, unrestricted wrist function is achievable after HHA, regardless of hamate donor site management. Adequate dorsal capsular repair appears critical to prevent instability. Further study is needed to compare techniques, but choice may be guided by surgeon preference in the absence of clear evidence.

Study on the Inhibition Characteristics of Coal Spontaneous Combustion by Silica Gel Foam.

The spontaneous combustion of residual coal in abandoned mining areas severely affects the safe and efficient extraction of coal, employee occupational health, and regional environmental ecology. A technical measure for preventing and controlling the spontaneous combustion of residual coal involves injecting antispontaneous combustion materials into abandoned areas. In this study, the composition, preparation, and mechanism of action of silica gel foam, a material used to suppress spontaneous combustion during coal mining, were investigated to improve the performance of materials designed to prevent spontaneous combustion in abandoned areas. The inhibitory efficiency improved, and the mechanical strength and stability of the foam liquid film increased upon adding modified antioxidants and nanosilica particles to the gel foam. Macro performance tests, microstructural characterization, and chemical inhibition mechanism analyses verified the efficacy of silica gel foam for suppressing spontaneous combustion. The air leakage resistance of the silica gel foam effectively increased the air leakage resistance of the coal samples at different pressures. New radicals formed during the spontaneous combustion of coal comprising different inhibitors, as indicated by the g-factor results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy analysis; the formation of radicals initially decreased and then increased when the inhibitor material changed. The concentration of free radicals decreased markedly during the spontaneous combustion process of both raw and inhibited coal samples at low oxidation temperatures (∼60-100 °C), indicating a marked inhibitory effect.

A strong stability gel foam for water shutoff during oil and gas reservoir development

In view of the short effective period of conventional foam for water shutoff during oil and gas reservoir development, a strong stability gel foam system is proposed in this work. By comparing the foam properties of different foaming systems, the optimized formulation of foam system is “0.3% SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) + 0.4% HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) + 0.3% SD-107 (organic chromium).” At 50 °C and 10 000 mg/l salinities, the volume of foam is basically unchanged after a short time of defoaming and finally remains above 70%, and the drainage half-life can reach 16 days. The polymer and crosslinker form a stable three-dimensional network structure on the Plateau boundary after foaming, which has good viscosity and viscoelasticity. The foam system has excellent temperature and salt resistance. It is appropriate for medium and low temperature shallow reservoirs. The foam system has a good plugging efficiency. It can effectively plug the fracture and improve the sweep volume, which has a good application prospect.

Preparation and characterization of highly stable double-crosslinked gel foam for inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion

In order to enhance the stability and address environmental concerns related to fire prevention and extinguishing foam materials in coal mines, this study designed an environmentally friendly and highly stable gel foam (DF) featuring a double-crosslinked structure and flame-retardant effects. Based on the ionic crosslinking reaction between sodium alginate (SA) and Ca2+ ions, carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC) is introduced for hydrogen bonding crosslinking with SA, creating a dual-crosslinked structure involving both physical and chemical interactions. SEM observation revealed that the pore structure of the double-crosslinked gel is denser compared to the single-crosslinked gel. FTIR analysis confirmed that DF undergoes both physical and chemical crosslinking processes. The optimal concentration of foaming agent (AG) was determined to be 0.3 wt% through surfactant compounding experiments. Subsequently, the effect of calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-Ca) and Gluconic acid-δ-lactone (GDL) on DF gelling time and foam properties were analyzed through single-factor experiments. Optimal concentrations of the EDTA-Ca and the GDL were determined to be 0.015 mol/ L and 0.9 wt%, respectively. The gelation time of DF was 6 min, with a half-life of 45 days and a foam volume of 475 ± 10 mL. The half-life and foam volume of DF have significantly improved compared to the previous foam. Microscopic structure and film-forming properties analysis indicated that DF exhibits a smaller foam size and could form a dense and uniform film compared to other foams, effectively suppressing the oxidation reaction of coal. Thermogravimetric (TG) and temperature-programmed oxidation tests showed that DF could increase the temperature points of the maximum water loss rate and weight loss rate of coal, and had a higher inhibition rate compared to traditional water-based foam. The fire extinguishing test indicated that DF exhibited a faster extinguishing speed than traditional water-based foam. In this work, environmentally friendly materials were employed to prepare a highly stable gel foam aimed at inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion.

Study on the influence of parameters on chemical agent assisted cyclic steam injection

Cyclic steam injection is widely applied in the development of heavy oil reservoirs. However, as reservoir development continues, steam channeling phenomena become increasingly severe, Serious impact on development effectiveness. Slug combinations of gel and foam is more effective than using gel and foam alone for steam channeling control. In this study, taking a steam channeling well in the A oilfield as an example, a numerical simulation model is established using CMG software. Based on this model, the effects of foaming agent concentration, foaming agent injection rate, gel injection timing, and nitrogen injection quantity on the development performance in the gel foam slug steam channeling plugging system are investigated. The research results indicate that higher foaming agent concentration, faster injection rate, and earlier gel injection timing lead to increased oil production. The nitrogen injection quantity exhibits an optimal value. Comparing the performance of gel foam slug system assisted cyclic steam injection with steam huff and puff alone, the results show that the gel foam slug system assisted cyclic steam injection achieves an incremental oil production of 9104 m3 over four cycles, as compared to steam huff and puff alone.

Research Progress of Gel Foam Extinguishing Agent in Coal Mines

Gel foam extinguishing agent (gel foam) has promising applications in the prevention and management of mine coal spontaneous combustion. Based on the research on coal spontaneous combustion and prevention technology, this article discusses recent studies on using gel foam to extinguish coal mines. The structural properties and principles of gel foam are described briefly. The research developments of three significant varieties of gel foam are then presented in detail, including silicate gel foam, acrylamide copolymer gel foam, and natural polymer gel foam. Meanwhile, the research status of gel foam anti-fire technology’s rheological properties, stability property, plugging property, and inhibitory properties are introduced. Furthermore, in conjunction with the research state, the prospects of the research direction of gel foam are proposed, which serve as a reference for future research on gel foam.