Evaluating Foam Stability using Tailored Water Chemistry for Gas Mobility Control Applications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuhair AlYousef ◽  
Subhash Ayirala ◽  
Ayrat Gizzatov ◽  
Sunil Kokal
Keyword(s):  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Foam Stability ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Control Applications ◽  
Gas Mobility

scholarly journals Performance of surfactant blend formulations for controlling gas mobility and foam propagation under reservoir conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 3961-3969
Author(s):  
Muhammad Khan Memon ◽  
Khaled Abdalla Elraies ◽  
Mohammed Idrees Ali Al-Mossawy
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Foam Stability ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Reduction Factor ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Surfactant Solutions ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
Gas Mobility ◽  
Mobility Reduction

Abstract The use of surfactant is one of the possible solutions to minimize the mobility of gases and improve the sweep efficiency, but the main problem with this process is its stability in the presence of injection water and crude oil under reservoir conditions. In this study, the three types of surfactant anionic, nonionic and amphoteric are examined in the presence of brine salinity at 96 °C and 1400 psia. To access the potential blended surfactant solutions as gas mobility control, laboratory test including aqueous stability, interfacial tension (IFT) and mobility reduction factor (MRF) were performed. The purpose of MRF is to evaluate the blocking effect of selected optimum surfactant solutions. Based on experimental results, no precipitation was observed by testing the surfactant solutions at reservoir temperature of 96 °C. The tested surfactant solutions reduced the IFT between crude oil and brine. The effectiveness and strength of surfactant solutions without crude oil under reservoir conditions were evaluated. A high value of differential pressure demonstrates that the strong foam was generated inside a core that resulted in delay in breakthrough time and reduction in the gas mobility. High mobility reduction factor result was measured by the solution of blended surfactant 0.6%AOS + 0.6%CA406H. Mobility reduction factor of other tested surfactant solutions was found low due to less generated foam by using CO2 under reservoir conditions. The result of these tested surfactant solutions can provide the better understanding of the mechanisms behind generated foam stability and guideline for their implementation as gas mobility control during the process of surfactant alternating gas injection.

scholarly journals Gas/water foams stabilized with a newly developed anionic surfactant for gas mobility control applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1025-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed A. Almobarky ◽  
Zuhair AlYousif ◽  
David Schechter
Keyword(s):  
Anionic Surfactant ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Control Applications ◽  
Gas Mobility

Fly Ash Nanoparticle-Stabilized CO2-in-Water Foams for Gas Mobility Control Applications

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Singh ◽  
Abhay Gupta ◽  
Kishore K. Mohanty ◽  
Chun Huh ◽  
Daeyang Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Control Applications ◽  
Gas Mobility

CO2 Mobility Control

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 191-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan E. Dellinger ◽  
John T. Patton ◽  
Stan T. Holbrook
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Foam Stability ◽  
Surfactant Solution ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Lauryl Sulfate ◽  
Foam Generation ◽  
Gas Mobility ◽  
Gas Channeling

Abstract As early as 1955, surfactants were recognized for their effectiveness in lowering gas mobility in reservoir cores by in-situ foam generation. For commercial field application a specific surfactant must have several important characteristics. it must behighly effective with low cost,chemically stable, soluble. and surface active in oil field brines, andunaffected by contact with crude oil or reservoir minerals. A static foam generator, an adaptation of a conventional blender, was used to screen more than 150 candidate surfactants. Promising additives were then ranked in a unique dynamic test, developed at New Mexico State U., that involves sequential liquid/gas flow in a vertical tube packed with glass beads. Conventional flow tests in tight, unconsolidated sandpacks show good correlation with the dynamic and static screening tests, especially those data obtained in the dynamic experiment. Some synergism exists between additives with amine oxides and amides having the most beneficial effect on foam stability and gas mobility control. The utility of cosurfactant stabilization was demonstrated in linear, two-phase flow tests through tight. unconsolidated sandpacks involving brine and gas. A solution containing 0.45% Alipal CD-128 (TM) and 0.05% Monamid 150-AD (TM) can decrease gas mobility over 100-fold. The effect appears to be time-independent, indicative of good foam stability. Alipal CD-128 alone reduces gas mobility even more, usually by a factor of two. The moderating influence of a cosurfactant could be beneficial in avoiding "overcontrol" of mobility, especially in low-permeability reservoirs. Introduction For more than 30 years recovery experts have known that CO2 possesses a unique ability to displace crude oil from reservoir rock. Although many gases have been tested for their crude-displacing efficacy, only CO2 has the ability to reduce residual oil saturations to near zero and produce significant quantities of tertiary oil in models that have been previously waterflooded to the economic limit. Early studies provided the fundamental understanding required to explain the high efficiency of CO2, but until recently the depressed price of crude has made most, if not all, CO2 field applications unprofitable. A common failing among-as-driven oil recovery processes is the severe gas channeling that occurs in the reservoir because of excessively high gas mobility. Optimistic oil recoveries obtained in laboratory flow tests with small-diameter, linear models have never been achieved in the field. Both miscible and immiscible drive processes suffer because gas channeling causes most of the oil reservoir to be bypassed and the oil left behind. The earliest work relative to the problem of lowering the mobility of CO2 does not involve CO2 at all. Because of the high potential for miscible drives that use enriched gas mixtures, considerable study was undertaken in the late 1950's on techniques to mitigate gas channeling. A few visionary investigators considered the use of foams as a possible solution to the problem. The earliest reported work was conducted by Bond and Holbrook, whose 1958 patent describes the use of foams in gas-drive processes. Because of the high cost of CO2 relative to crude oil during this period, CO2 processes were ignored. The use of foams in conjunction with CO2, was not contemplated until much later when rising crude prices revived interest in the CO2 displacement technique. CO2 exists as a dense gas or supercritical phase under reservoir conditions: therefore, experiments on controlling gas mobility are usually applicable to CO2 even though they may have been conducted with other gases such as nitrogen, methane, or even air. Concurrent with Bond and Holbrook's work, Fried, working at the USBM laboratory in San Francisco, demonstrated the potential of foam to lower the mobility of an injected gas phase. Fried's work was followed by some excellent work reporting an experimental technique involving in-situ foam generation promoted by injecting alternate slugs of surfactant solution and gas. Their patent related to the use of foam for mobility control in CO2 injection processes is especially pertinent. Laboratory work was encouraging enough that Union Oil Co. conducted a field test in the Siggins field, IL. Foam generation by alternate-slug injection and simultaneous gas-solution injection was tested. This test indicated that at concentrations below 1% the foaming agent, a modified ammonium lauryl sulfate, did not produce an effective foam. Above 1%, reduced gas mobility was obtained; however, at least 0.06 PV of surfactant solution had to be injected to achieve lasting mobility control. Since the tests were conducted sequentially, with the higher concentrations injected last, it is possible that the required amount of surfactant may be understated. A 0.1-PV bank might be more realistic for lasting mobility control. Their results also indicated that adsorption may reduce the effectiveness of a surfactant. It was suggested that future tests might benefit by selection of agents that are less strongly absorbed than ammonium lauryl sulfate. SPEJ P. 191^

The Impact of Tailored Water Chemistry Aqueous Ions on Foam Stability and Mobility Control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuhair AlYousef ◽  
Subhash Ayirala ◽  
Majed Almubarak ◽  
Dongkyu Cha
Keyword(s):  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Foam Stability ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Aqueous Ions ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Impact of tailored water chemistry aqueous ions on foam stability enhancement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuhair AlYousef ◽  
Subhash Ayirala ◽  
Majed Almubarak ◽  
Dongkyu Cha
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Solutions ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Foam Stability ◽  
Chloride Salt ◽  
Foam Generation ◽  
Monovalent Ions ◽  
Injection Water ◽  
Foam Stabilization ◽  
Aqueous Ions ◽  
The Impact

AbstractGenerating strong and stable foam is necessary to achieve in-depth conformance control in the reservoir. Besides other parameters, the chemistry of injection water can significantly impact foam generation and stabilization. The tailored water chemistry was found to have good potential to improve foam stability. The objective of this study is to extensively evaluate the effect of different aqueous ions in the selected tailored water chemistry formulations on foam stabilization. Bulk and dynamic foam experiments were used to evaluate the impact of different tailored water chemistry aqueous ions on foam generation and stabilization. For bulk foam tests, the stability of foams generated using three surfactants and different aqueous ions was analyzed using bottle tests. For dynamic foam experiments, the tests were conducted using a microfluidic device. The results clearly demonstrated that the ionic content of aqueous solutions can significantly affect foam stabilization. The results revealed that the foam stabilization in bulk is different than that in porous media. Depending on the surfactant type, the divalent ions were found to have stronger influence on foam stabilization when compared to monovalent ions. The bulk foam results pointed out that the aqueous solutions containing calcium chloride salt (CaCl2) showed longer foam life with the anionic surfactant and very weak foam with the nonionic surfactant. The solutions with magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and CaCl2 salts displayed higher impact on foam stability in comparison with sodium chloride (NaCl) with the amphoteric alkyl amine surfactant. Less stable foams were generated with aqueous solutions comprising of both magnesium and calcium ions. In the microfluidic model, the solutions containing MgCl2 showed higher resistance to gas flow and subsequently higher mobility reduction factor for the injection gas when compared to those produced using NaCl and CaCl2 salts. This experimental study focusing about the role of different aqueous ions in the injection water on foam could help in better understanding the foam stabilization process. The new knowledge gained can also enable the selection and optimization of the right injection water chemistry and suitable chemicals for foam field applications.

Foam Stability Enhanced Technology For Mobility Control Of CO2 EOR

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yonebayashi ◽  
K. Takabayashi ◽  
Y. Miyagawa ◽  
T. Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Foam Stability ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Co2 Eor

An Experimental Investigation of Foam for Gas Mobility Control in a Low-Temperature Fractured Carbonate Reservoir

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 976-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gandomkar ◽  
R. Kharrat ◽  
M. Motealleh ◽  
H. H. Khanamiri ◽  
M. Nematzadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Carbonate Reservoir ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Fractured Carbonate ◽  
Gas Mobility

Experimental Study of Foam Generation, Sweep Efficiency, and Flow in a Fracture Network

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (04) ◽  
pp. 1140-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Fernø ◽  
J.. Gauteplass ◽  
M.. Pancharoen ◽  
A.. Haugen ◽  
A.. Graue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Surfactant Solution ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Fractional Flow ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Foam Generation ◽  
Gas Mobility ◽  
Mobility Reduction

Summary Foam generation for gas mobility reduction in porous media is a well-known method and frequently used in field applications. Application of foam in fractured reservoirs has hitherto not been widely implemented, mainly because foam generation and transport in fractured systems are not clearly understood. In this laboratory work, we experimentally evaluate foam generation in a network of fractures within fractured carbonate slabs. Foam is consistently generated by snap-off in the rough-walled, calcite fracture network during surfactant-alternating-gas (SAG) injection and coinjection of gas and surfactant solution over a range of gas fractional flows. Boundary conditions are systematically changed including gas fractional flow, total flow rate, and liquid rates. Local sweep efficiency is evaluated through visualization of the propagation front and compared for pure gas injection, SAG injection, and coinjection. Foam as a mobility-control agent resulted in significantly improved areal sweep and delayed gas breakthrough. Gas-mobility reduction factors varied from approximately 200 to more than 1,000, consistent with observations of improved areal sweep. A shear-thinning foam flow behavior was observed in the fracture networks over a range of gas fractional flows.

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