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(increasing μw) and (b) stabilizing or destabilizing foam idealized fracture model, and mobility in sandpack, were
lamellae (reducing or increasing Sw*, respectively, thereby compared with those for surfactant-free polymer solutions and
changing krw). One can distinguish between these effects by polymer-free foams. PEF were pre-formed before injection
measuring the viscosity of the aqueous phase separately from into the fracture model or the sandpack. Results suggested
the foam (accounting if possible for the effects of shear rate on greatly reduced gas mobility, which the author interpreted as
polymer viscosity). If, upon addition of polymer, |∇p| in improved foam stability with polymer added.
porous media in the high-quality regime increases more than Aarra et al.(1997) studied the enhancement of the gas-
does μw, then polymer stabilizes foam lamellae (reduces Sw* blocking ability of foam formed from AOS by the addition of
and krw); if |∇p| increases less than does μw, then polymer different polymers. The foam mobility in Berea sandstone and
destabilizes the lamellae (raises Sw* and krw). If measured |∇p| reservoir cores was measured for PEF with xanthan, polyvinyl
data are in the low-quality regime, then the relation between alcohol, or HPAM. The best gas blocking performance was
krw(Sw) and foam stability is less direct, but one would still observed with xanthan biopolymer.
expect |∇p| to reflect water saturation and water viscosity, and For gas-control in Prudhoe Bay field, Thach et al. (1996)
one can in principle separate the effects of polymer on each. tested PEF that consists of AOS or Chevron Chaser surfactant
and HPAM polymer. After laboratory evaluations with bulk-
foam stability tests and sandpack mobility tests, the PEF’s
Previous Research on Polymers and Foams were tested in three hydraulically fractured wells to determine
Some of the earliest studies on surfactant/polymer their effectiveness in reducing GOR. In the field, the authors
interaction in the petroleum literature were in relation to conclude that “gas shut-off with PEF in a hydraulically
surfactant flooding (Pope et al., 1982). These studies show fractured well has been shown to last for periods of greater
that surfactant and polymer coexist in solution up to a certain than one year.”
salinity, beyond which a surfactant-rich and a polymer-rich Dalland and Hanssen (1997) carried out laboratory
phases are formed, suggesting that surfactant and polymer investigations on the use of PEF to control gas influx into
strongly repel each other. Sabbadin et al. (1984) studied production wells. As foam-forming surfactants, AOS and a
interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate and partially highly fluorinated C9-alkyl ethoxylated alcohol with about 3
hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) in order to address the EO’s were employed, together with HPAM polymer. PEF’s
questions of (i) what is the influence of polymer on the were shown to improve gas-blocking performance
micellar properties of surfactant (CMC, aggregation number, significantly. In some repeated experiments, however, PEF
etc.); (ii) how does surfactant modify the polymer molecular was not as effective and, in particular, adding too much
conformation (viscosity, radius of gyration); and (iii) whether polymer could result in sharply decreased foam effectiveness.
there is association between surfactant and polymer. One desired benefit of adding polymer to foam is the
These results suggest that, at least for polymer-enhanced tolerance of foam stability to resident oil. Hanssen and
foams (PEF’s) made of anionic surfactants and HPAM Dalland (2000) investigated the reasons for the improved oil
polymer, it is unlikely that polymer molecules would be tolerance by carrying out foam corefloods with crude oil in the
adsorbed at gas-liquid interface in association with surfactant core. Based on their study comparing results with and without
molecules. We confirm this below for one pair of anionic polymer, and with and without oil, they concluded that the
surfactant and HPAM polymer. With molecular repulsion only effect of polymer addition is to lower oil saturations
between surfactant and polymer, it is also unlikely that before and during foam generation and propagation. The more
polymer molecules would be inside the thin lamellae between efficient removal of oil by the low-mobility PEF bank reduced
bubbles. Most of the polymer is expected to stay in the the exposure of PEF to oil, thus prolonging its integrity. In
relatively thick liquid film surrounding flowing bubbles on other words, they suggest that there is no intrinsic stabilizing
tube wall (Huh and Rossen, 2006) or in Plateau borders. The effect of polymer on foam in the presence of crude oil.
implication is that the addition of anionic polymer to a foam In order to remedy the severe gas coning problem in
made of an anionic surfactant does not help improve the reservoirs with thin oil rim below a gas cap, Chukwueke et al.
foam’s stability. (1998) investigated the use of PEF for gas-blocking, by
In the literature, a wide range of polymer structures has carrying out reservoir-condition corefloods. The surfactants
been employed to study the effects of polymer addition on tested were AOS, a fluoro ammonium hydrocarbon, and an
foam behavior in porous media. Anionic polymers such as ethoxylated nonionic fluorosurfactant, and HPAM was used as
polyacrylamide and xanthan gum that are commonly used for polymer. Eight wells were treated using two foamer systems.
enhanced oil recovery, and nonionic polymers such as The field results vary between a significant reduction in GOR
polyvinyl pyrrolidone, have also been used. for more than 12 months and a minor GOR reduction for only
An important early work on polymer-enhanced foam a few weeks. Judging from laboratory core tests and field
(PEF) is by Sydansk (1993a, b), who studied properties and tests, the AOS/HPAM combination appeared to perform better
effectiveness of PEF formed from C14-C16 alpha-olefin than others in the field.
sulfonate (AOS) surfactant and HPAM polymer. Use of PEF An extreme form of PEF is foam-gel or gelled foam, which
was intended to improve gas mobility control during its is created by injection of an aqueous solution of surfactant,
injection into a naturally fractured reservoir. polymer and cross-linker, together with a gas. Friedmann et al.
High concentrations (0.35 – 0.7 wt%) of polymer were (1997) and Hughes et al. (1998) carried out laboratory
employed for control of gas mobility in fractures. Bulk PEF development and evaluation, and the field testing, of a foam-
viscosity, PEF mobility in a Hele-Shaw cell used as an gel to improve in-depth conformance during a CO2 flood in a
SPE 99796 3
In all experiments the surfactant solution contained 0.39 suggest positive association between polymer and surfactant at
wt% active (1 wt% as received) Bio-Terge AS-40 (Stepan the surface.
Chemical Co., Northfield, IL), an alpha olefin sulfonate: the Fig. 4 illustrates the effect of polyacrylamide polymer and
same surfactant used in earlier studies of the two foam-flow surfactant concentrations and shear rate on viscosity. At 1
regimes (Alvarez et al., 1999; Rong, 2000). For the sandpack wt% NaCl, surfactant has virtually no effect on polymer-
experiments, the surfactant was prepared in brine with 0.25 solution viscosity, and modest shear-thinning effects begin
wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% CaCl2. For corefloods in Boise above about 50 s-1 at a polymer concentration of 0.2 wt%.
sandstone, the brine contained 1 wt% NaCl and no CaCl2. According to Lake (1989), the characteristic shear rate for
The polymers used in our experiments were partially single-phase flow in a 1-darcy porous medium at a superficial
hydrolyzed polyacrylamides and xanthan, which are both velocity of 1 ft/d would be about 10 s-1. This shear rate-
considered attractive polymers for IOR (Lake, 1989). Polymer estimate is based on the assumption that polymer fully
solutions for the sandpack experiments were made from 0.1 occupies all pores and flows at a moderate velocity. Polymer
wt% of, respectively, a low-molecular-weight (MW) in thin films between bubbles and pore walls, moving at the
polyacrylamide Alcoflood 254s (MW~2-500,000) (Ciba velocity of flowing gas in foam, may experience a higher
Specialty Chemicals Corp., Suffolk, Virginia), a high-MW shear rate. The variety of shear regimes for polymer in water-
polyacrylamide Alcoflood 835 (MW~10-12,000,000), or a filled pores, in the films surrounding bubbles, and in the
0.05 wt% solution of xanthan polymer (Xanvis™, Kelco Oil Plateau borders between bubbles makes it difficult to relate
Field Group) (MW~5-7,000,000). The viscosities of the three rheology measured at fixed shear rate in the laboratory to that
aqueous foam formulations with these polymers were 1.2 cp, experienced in foam in porous media. For 0.2 wt% Alcoflood
2.4 cp, and 3.9 cp, respectively. In all cases viscosity was 935 polymer in 1% NaCl brine, however, behavior is
independent of shear rate over the range measured, which was Newtonian up to a shear rate 5 to 10 times that estimated using
from 0.9 to from 8 to 19s-1, depending on the formulation. the formula of Lake (1989).
Polymer solutions for Boise sandstone cores were made from
0.2 wt% of another high-MW polyacrylamide polymer, Corefloods
Alcoflood 935 (MW~8-12*106). More-detailed rheological Initial Experiments
measurements for this polymer are described in the As noted above, our plan was to characterize the effect of
experimental results below. polymer on foam by its effect on the two steady-state strong-
Decane (Mallinckrodt Baker Inc., Phillipsburg, NJ) or a foam regimes illustrated in Fig. 1.
37.5°API crude oil (provided by Chevron Research & Our first experiments were conducted in sandpacks of
Technology, Richmond, CA) was used in some core flooding. permeability 6.6 and 16.6 Darcy. Fig. 5 shows the behavior of
Industrial-grade nitrogen (Matheson Tri-Gas Inc, Austin, foam without polymer in a 6.6-darcy sandpack. There appears
TX) was used as the gas phase. to be a high-quality regime (vertical |∇p| contours) at lower
liquid superficial velocity Uw. At higher Uw (right-hand side of
Coreflood Procedure the plot) the |∇p| contours are not horizontal as expected in the
The porous medium is first saturated with brine. After a low-quality regime (cf. Fig. 1), but show decreasing |∇p| as Uw
further period of brine injection, liquid injection switches from increases at fixed gas superficial velocity Ug. Similar behavior
brine to surfactant solution, and gas injection begins. Gas and is reported by Romero et al. (2002) and Kim et al. (2004).
liquid injection rates are set to obtain a specific foam quality. There is one other aspect of these results that is unexpected.
Steady state is reached when pressure drop though the core Rather than a smooth transition from the high-quality to low-
holds approximately constant. After steady state is achieved, quality regimes (Fig. 1), one finds a drastic increase in |∇p|
liquid injection rate, gas injection rate or both are changed to between them. Fig. 6 plots a transect through the |∇p| data of
obtain a new point on a plot such as Fig. 1. Fig. 5 at Ug ~ 9 ft/d. |∇p| increases gradually with Uw in the
All experiments were conducted at room temperature. two low-Uw data points, as expected in the high-quality regime
(cf. Fig. 1), and decreases gradually in the two data at high Uw.
Experimental Results Between these pairs of data there is a drastic increase in |∇p|,
Effect of Polymer on Surface Properties which implies an extremely shear-thickening response to
Polymer can stabilize foam only if polymer resides in the increasing Uw. Normally, one would associate this sort of
lamellae to stabilize them against drainage. It is hard to behavior with hysteresis resulting from a foam-generation
rationalize how polymer coils could exist in the narrow event (Rossen, 1996; Gauglitz et al., 2002). But we found the
confines of a lamella (~30-100 nm wide) unless polymer
|∇p| data on both sides of the jump in |∇p| to be reproducible.
complexes with surfactant at the interface. If polymer does so,
We have no explanation for this behavior. Figs. 5, 7 and 8
it should affect the surface tension of surfactant solution
below show the same abrupt jump in |∇p| with polymer in a
against air. We examined this issue with Alcoflood 935
6.6-darcy pack and without polymer in a 11.8-Darcy
polyacrylamide polymer.
Fig. 3 shows the effect of polyacrylamide polymer and sandpack. Figs. 7 and 8 also show decreasing |∇p| as water
surfactant concentrations on surface tension at room superficial velocity increases in the low-quality regime.
temperature of aqueous solutions of surfactant Bio-Terge AS- Comparison of Figs. 5 and 7 shows that low-MW
40 with no added salt in this case. There is little effect of Alcoflood 254s polyacrylamide polymer destabilizes foam in
polymer on surface tension, and the small effect that is present the 6.6-Darcy sandpack in the absence of oil. One would
(higher surface tension with polymer than without) does not expect pressure gradient to increase slightly given the slightly
SPE 99796 5
higher viscosity (1.2 cp) of the low-MW polyacrylamide destabilize this foam in the sandpack. |∇p| is lower in Fig. 13
polymer over that of water, but pressure gradient is lower at than in any of the plots presented so far at any permeability.
all injection rates. Fig. 14 shows the same system with decane and with
Figs. 9 to 11 show data for this surfactant formulation in a xanthan polymer in the foam formulation. Pressure gradient is
16.6-darcy sandpack with, respectively, 0.1 wt% high-MW actually a little lower than without polymer. Polymer did not
Alcoflood 835 polyacrylamide (MW~10-12,000,000); 0.05 stabilize foam in the presence of decane. In fact, given that
wt% xanthan (MW~5-7,000,000); and foam without polymer the aqueous phase is 4.6 times as viscous in Fig. 13 than in
in the same sandpack after the polymer-foam experiments in Fig. 12, polymer must have destabilized foam, reflected in a
that pack. The solution of surfactant and high-MW polymer rise in water saturation and water relative permeability (Eq. 1).
has a viscosity of 2.4 cp, while the solution of surfactant plus Fig. 15 shows the behavior of foam without polymer, or
xanthan has viscosity 3.9 cp. oil injected along with the foam, in the same sandpack as the
With higher-MW polymer (Fig. 9), values of |∇p| are preceding figures, after that sandpack had contacted both
comparable to those in Fig. 11, i.e. without polymer. The polymer and oil. Evidently some oil remains in the pack; the
values of |∇p| in Fig. 10, with xanthan polymer (3.9 cp pressure gradient is less than in Fig. 12. Thus foam is sensitive
viscosity for the aqueous phase) are likewise comparable to to even the relatively small residual oil saturation in this
those on Fig. 11. Again, one concludes that polymer sandpack left behind at high pressure gradient.
destabilizes foam (increases water saturation and krw), while
the increase in the viscosity of the aqueous phase partially Experiments in Boise Sandstone
compensates for this effect. Our final experiments were conducted using a 0.94-Darcy
Comparison of these figures suggests that without oil, Boise sandstone core (Gerhard Borbonus Landscaping, Boise,
polymer increases the foam pressure gradient by a factor less ID) with two oils, decane and a sample of 37.5°API crude oil.
than it increases the viscosity of the aqueous formulation alone Initial tests in which we shook 100 ml of surfactant solution in
(or does not increase pressure gradient at all). This suggests a 500 ml plastic bottle, with and without polymer, with and
that polymer destabilizes foam modestly, raising water without decane or crude oil, suggested that this crude oil is
saturation Sw and water relative permeability krw (Eq. 1), but more detrimental to foam than is decane, and that polymer
the increase in the viscosity of the aqueous phase partially does help stability of the foam. In these experiments we used
compensates for this effect in the measured pressure the Alcoflood 935 high-MW polyacrylamide polymer used to
gradient. prepare Figs. 3 and 4.
With lower permeability than sandpacks (about 1 Darcy v.
Experiments on the Effect of Oil in Sandpacks several or tens of Darcy) there is a greater chance of polymer
One goal of this work is to examine the effect of oil on adsorption altering the permeability of the medium. We found
foam both with and without polymer. We used decane as the that injection of many pore volumes of 0.1 wt% polymer
oil in the initial tests, because in separate tests decane solution (in 1 wt% NaCl), followed by many pore volumes of
appeared to destabilize bulk foam made with our surfactant polymer-free brine, reduced the permeability of our first Boise
formulation more effectively than crude oils we then had on core from 1.59 darcy to 0.94 darcy, a decline of about 40%.
hand. We follow here the procedure of Mamun et al. (2002). Subsequent injection of 0.2-wt% polymer solution had no
Oil is easily displaced from sandpacks by high pressure further effect on permeability. The second Boise core had an
gradients. Therefore, to produce reproducible, fairly constant initial permeability of 1.67 Darcy. We did not measure its
conditions with oil present, we inject oil along with the foam permeability after polymer injection, but it probably decreased
at a fixed fraction of the injection rate of the aqueous phase. by about the same amount as the first core.
This approach also avoids the artifact criticized by Hanssen Fig. 16 shows the behavior of foam made with 0.39 wt%
and Dalland (2000), i.e. that the apparent effect of polymer active surfactant Bio-Terge AS-40 in 1 wt% NaCl brine in the
stabilizing foam may in fact reflect lower residual oil first Boise sandstone core. The two regimes look much as they
saturation with polymer before foam is introduced. In this case do in Fig. 1, with no abrupt jump in |∇p| in the high-quality
the injected oil volume fraction is 22% of injected aqueous regime, and virtually horizontal contours in the low-quality
phase, as in Mamun et al. (2002). regime. Fig. 17 shows the behavior of the same formulation in
These experiments on the effect of oil on foam with and the same core with 0.2 wt% Alcoflood 935 high-MW
without polymer were conducted in a 3.67-Darcy sandpack. polyacrylamide polymer added to the surfactant formulation.
The surfactant formulation was the same as before (0.39 wt% The low-quality regime is nearly unchanged by the addition of
active Bio-Terge AS-40 in 0.25 wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% polymer. There is an increase of about a factor of 2 in |∇p| in
CaCl2 brine). Polymer-foam solutions in this portion of the the high-quality regime (vertical contours at low Uw). The
study contained 0.05 wt% xanthan polymer in the aqueous viscosity of the liquid phase is about 6 cp with this polymer,
phase as in Fig. 10. However, the viscosity of the aqueous however (Fig. 4). If polymer left the stability of foam
surfactant formulation with polymer (without gas) was 4.6 cp, unchanged, as reflected in Pc* and Sw*, ∇p then would be
rather than 3.9 cp as cited above. The viscosity varies slightly expected to increase by roughly a factor of 6 (Eq. 1). The fact
from one batch of mixed polymer solution to another. that ∇p increases by much less than this means that the
Fig. 12 shows behavior with no polymer and no oil in the presence of polymer destabilizes foam by an amount
3.67 Darcy sandpack. Fig. 13 shows behavior with decane but sufficient to raise Sw* and krw(Sw*) by about a factor of 3.
no polymer. Decane reduces the pressure gradient with foam
moderately here, i.e. by about 30-40%. Thus decane does
6 SPE 99796
Fig. 18 shows the behavior of foam with both polymer and media somewhat, raising water saturation Sw and water
added decane. The data have lost the characteristic trends of relative permeability krw (Eq. 1). Any increase in pressure
the low- and high-quality regimes. Pressure gradient is gradient |∇p| observed results from the increased viscosity
substantially reduced in what used to be the low-quality of the aqueous phase. In all cases examined, this increase
regime, but increases somewhat at the lowest liquid injection is less than predicted from the increase in the viscosity of
rates (upper-left portion of figure). Similar trends to Fig. 18 the aqueous phase alone.
were observed in experiments with CO2 foam described by 2. For the same polymers and surfactant, polymer does not
Kim et al. (2004), as well as (in the low-quality regimes) in stabilize foam in the presence of decane or 37.5° API
Figs. 5, 7 and 8 above. Emulsions between oil and surfactant crude oil.
solution can substantially change the rheology of foam and in 3. Complex behavior, in contradiction to the expected two
some cases increase the pressure gradient over that in the steady-state strong-foam regimes, was sometimes
absence of foam (Yang and Reed, 1989). Over most of the observed. The two regimes were observed with and
range of injection rates, however, the addition of decane without polymer in Boise sandstone, but not in the
reduces the pressure gradient with foam. sandpacks or in any of the cases with oil present. At the
Fig. 19 shows the behavior of foam with polymer and limit of, or in the place of, the high-quality regime, there
added decane. The presence of polymer had virtually no effect was sometimes an abrupt jump upwards in |∇p| as though
on pressure gradient with foam and oil. This polymer does not from hysteresis and a change of state. In the low-quality
stabilize the foam to the presence of decane in this Boise regime, |∇p| was not independent of liquid superficial
core. velocity, but decreased with increasing liquid superficial
Fig. 20 shows the behavior of the same foam formulation velocity. This curious behavior in the low-quality regime
with no polymer or oil in the second Boise sandstone core. was also found in studies of CO2 foam; an explanation is
The pattern is substantially similar to that in the first Boise offered by Kim et al. (2004).
core. The high-quality regime appears to extend to higher
liquid superficial velocity in Fig. 20 than in Fig. 16, but this Nomenclature
may be an artifact of interpolation: data were taken at higher Consistent (e.g., SI) units are assumed in the equation and
liquid and gas superficial velocities (Uw = 1.5, Ug = 1 ft/d) in listed below, but customary units are cited in the text and
this case than in Fig. 16, and contours constructed around this figures.
datum extend the high-quality regime. In this case, unlike Fig.
16, the core had not yet contacted polymer when this foam k = absolute permeability of the porous medium (m2)
was injected. Fig. 21 shows the same foam formulation with krw = water relative permeability
0.2 wt% Alcoflood 935 high-MW polyacrylamide polymer but ∇p = pressure gradient (Pa/m)
no oil in the second Boise core. The pattern of the data in this Sw = water saturation
figure is consistent with Fig. 17 and is reminiscent of Figs. 5, Uw = water superficial velocity (m/s)
7, 8, 10, 11, 18 and 19. As with Fig. 17, polymer does not Ug = gas superficial velocity (m/s)
increase the pressure gradient with foam as much as expected µw = water viscosity (Pa s)
from the viscosity of the polymer solution alone. Over most of
the range of superficial velocities it has little or no effect on Acknowledgments
pressure gradient. At high gas superficial velocity and low This work was conducted with the support of the National
liquid superficial velocity, addition of polymer produces a Petroleum Technology Office of the U.S. Department of
small increase in pressure gradient, but less than the increase Energy, through contract #DE-FC26-01BC15318. We thank
in the viscosity of the aqueous solution. Therefore, as with Glen Baum, Bob Savicki, and Tony Bermudez for
Fig. 17, we conclude that the presence of polymer destabilizes indispensable help with the experiments.
foam, but the increase in aqueous-solution viscosity partially
of fully compensates for this. References
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at SPE Annual Tech. Conf., San Antonio, TX, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, conventional steady-state strong-foam regimes. Dark dots
2002. represent individual steady-state data.
Pope, G.A., Tsaur, K., Schechter, R.S., and Wang, B.: “The Effect of
Several Polymers on the Phase Behavior of Micellar Fluids,”
SPEJ., 816, Dec. 1982.
Romero, C., Alvarez, J.M., and Muller, A.J.: “Micromodel Studies of
Polymer-Enhanced Foam Flow through Porous Media,” SPE
75179 presented at the 2002 SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery
Symp., Tulsa, OK, April 13-17.
Rong, J.G.: “Experimental Evaluation of Foam in Environmental
Remediation,” PhD dissertation, The University of Texas at
Austin (2002).
Rossen, W.R., "Foams in Enhanced Oil Recovery," in R. K.
Prud'homme and S. Khan, ed., Foams: Theory, Measurements
and Applications, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1996, pp. 413-
464.
Fig. 2. Schematic of experimental coreflood or sandpack
apparatus for studying foam in porous media.
8 SPE 99796
30.5
Surface tension, dynes/cm
0.1%AOS
30
0.39%AOS
29.5 1%AOS
29
28.5
28
27.5
27
26.5
0.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.4% 0.5% 0.6%
Concentration of polymer Fig. 6. Approximate transect through |∇p| data of Fig. 5 at Ug ~ 9
ft/d, showing apparent abrupt jump between high-quality regime
and low-quality regime.
Fig. 3. Effect of wt% (active) concentrations of high-MW Alcoflood
6
935 polyacrylamide polymer (MW~8-12*10 ) and Bio-Terge AS-40
surfactant on surface tension at room temperature. No added salt.
0.1%AOS
100
0.39%AOS
1%AOS
Viscosity, cp
0.5% Polymer
10 0.3% Polymer
0.2% Polymer
0.1% Polymer
1
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Shear rate, 1/s
Fig. 9. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial Fig. 11. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.1 wt% high- velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam without polymer
MW Alcoflood 835 polyacrylamide polymer (MW 10-12*10 ) in a
6 in a 16.6-darcy sandpack, into which polymer foam had
16.6-darcy sandpack. Surfactant is 0.39 wt% active Bio-Terge AS- previously been injected (cf. Figs. 9 and 10). Surfactant is 0.39
40 in 0.25 wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% CaCl2. wt% active Bio-Terge AS-40 in 0.25 wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% CaCl2.
Fig. 10. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial Fig. 12. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.05 wt% velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam without oil or
xanthan polymer in a 16.6-darcy sandpack. Surfactant is 0.39 wt% polymer in a 3.67-darcy sandpack. Surfactant is 0.39 wt% active
active Bio-Terge AS-40 in 0.25 wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% CaCl2. Bio-Terge AS-40 in 0.25 wt% NaCl and 0.01 wt% CaCl2.
10 SPE 99796
Fig. 17. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial Fig. 19. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt% velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt%
active surfactant with 0.2 wt% Alcoflood 935 polymer in 1 wt% active surfactant and 0.2 wt% Alcoflood 935 polymer in brine with
NaCl brine in the first Boise sandstone core. 1 wt% NaCl in the first Boise sandstone core, with decane
injected simultaneously with the foam.
1.4
409 346
1.2
× ×
322 311 257
386 352 ×
1 × × × ×
350 304 280
Ug, ft/day
0.8 × ×
221
357 313 313
300 ×
0.6 × × × 250
346 260 192
× × ×
0.4 200 179
336 284 248 217
0.2
× × × × ×
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Uw, ft/day
Fig. 18. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt%
active surfactant in brine with 1 wt% NaCl in the first Boise
sandstone core, with decane injected simultaneously with the Fig. 20. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
foam. velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt%
active Bio-Terge AS-40 surfactant in brine with 1 wt% NaCl, in the
second Boise sandstone core.
12 SPE 99796
1.4
414400
1.2 × ×
400 363 297
404388 × ×
1 × ×
319
×
Ug, ft/day
0.8 350
357 337317 277
× × × ×
0.6 300
292
0.4
×
319303 284 251
× × × ×
0.2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Uw, ft/day
Fig. 23. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
Fig. 21. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt%
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt% active Bio-Terge AS-40 and 0.2 wt% Alcoflood polymer 935 in
active Bio-Terge AS-40 with 0.2 wt% Alcoflood 935 polymer in 1 brine with 1 wt% NaCl in the second Boise sandstone core, with
wt% NaCl brine in the second Boise sandstone core. 37.5° API crude oil injected simultaneously with the foam.
1.4
375323
× ×
1.2
285 239
328307 ×
1 × ×300
×
251
×
Ug, ft/day
0.8
293 269259 216
× × ×250 ×
0.6
222
×
0.4
245241 212 200 181
× × × ×
0.2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Uw, ft/day
Fig. 22. Steady-state pressure gradient as a function of superficial
velocities of gas (Ug) and water (Uw) for N2 foam with 0.39 wt%
active Bio-Terge AS-40 surfactant in brine with 1 wt% NaCl in the
second Boise sandstone core, with 37.5° API crude oil injected
simultaneously with the foam.