A Novel Technique to Estimate Water Saturation and Capillary Pressure of Foam in Model Fractures

Foam is applied in enhanced oil recovery to improve the sweep of injected gas and increase oil recovery, by greatly reducing the mobility of gas. In the laboratory, X-ray computed tomography is commonly used to evaluate the performance of foam in core plugs. However, foam properties, such as bubble size and capillary pressure, are much more...

Effects of Gravity on Foam Behavior in Roughened Model Fractures

In this study, to investigate how gravity affects foam in open vertical fractures, we report foam experiments in three 1-m-long, 15-cm-wide glass-model fractures. Each fracture has a smooth wall and a roughened wall. Between the two walls is a slit-like channel representing a single geological fracture. Three model fractures (Models A, B, and C)...

Effects of Gas Trapping on Foam Mobility in a Model Fracture

In enhanced oil recovery, foam can effectively mitigate conformance problems and maintain a stable displacement front, by trapping gas and reducing its relative permeability in situ. In this study, to understand gas trapping in fractures and how it affects foam behavior, we report foam experiments in a 1-m-long glass model fracture with a...

An Experimental Study of Foam Trapping and Foam Mobility in a Model Fracture

By trapping gas, foam can improve the sweep efficiency in enhanced oil recovery. In this study, to understand gas trapping in fractures, we have conducted experiments in a model fracture with a hydraulic aperture of 80 μm. One wall of the fracture is rough, and the other wall is smooth. The fracture is made of two glass plates and the direct...

Coarsening of foam in two model fractures with different roughness

Foam coarsening by diffusion (Ostwald ripening) has been well studied in bulk foams. However, it is less well understood in porous media. In particular, the mechanisms that may slow or stop coarsening have not been fully investigated. In this paper, we report an experimental study of foam coarsening in two 1-m-long and 15-cm-wide model fractures...

An Experimental Study of the Effect of Gravity on Foam in Fractures

In this study, to investigate how gravity affects foam in fractures, we carry out seven sets of foam-scan experiments on three glass model fractures (model A, model B and model C) with a hydraulic aperture of 78, 98 and 128 microns respectively. We compare the behaviour of foam in the models placed horizontally and vertically. We find that...

An Investigation of the Effect of Gravity on Foam in Model Fractures

Gas-injection EOR processes have poor sweep efficiency due to conformance problems including channelling, gravity override and fingering. In naturally fractured reservoirs, sweep efficiency is further jeopardized, because gas breaks through fractures first, leaving most oil behind in the matrix. Strong foam can be created in fractures[1][2],...

Foam Trapping and Foam Mobility in a Model Fracture

Gas injection often suffers from the poor sweep efficiency because of conformance problems, including gravity override, viscous fingering and channelling, as gas has a lighter density and a lower viscosity compared to in-situ fluids. Foam, by encapsulating the gas into separate bubbles in surfactant-contained liquid thin films (lamella), can...

Foam generation in flow across a sharp permeability transition: Effect of velocity and fractional flow

Foam reduces gas mobility and can help improve sweep efficiency in an enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) process. For the latter, long-distance foam propagation is crucial. In porous media, strong foam generation requires that the local pressure gradient exceed a critical value (!P ^min). Normally, this happens only in the near-well region...

Foam Generation by Snap-off in Flow Across a Sharp Permeability Transition

Foam reduces gas mobility and can help improve sweep efficiency in an enhanced oil recovery process. For the latter, long-distance foam propagation is crucial. In steady gas-liquid flow, foam is generated in homogeneous porous media by exceeding a critical pressure gradient, which normally only happens near the wellbore. Away from wells, these...

Foam generation by capillary snap-off in flow across a sharp permeability transition

Foam reduces gas mobility and can improve sweep efficiency in an enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) process. Previous studies show that foam can be generated in porous media by exceeding a critical velocity or pressure gradient. This requirement is typically met only near the wellbore, and it is uncertain whether foam can propagate several tens of...

Foam generation by capillary snap-off in flow across a sharp permeability transition

Foam reduces gas mobility and can improve sweep efficiency in an enhanced-oil-recovery process. Previous studies show that foam can be generated in porous media by exceeding a critical velocity or pressure gradient. Such pressure gradients are typically encountered only near a well and therefore, it is uncertain whether foam can propagate far...

Interfacial Interactions of CO2-Water-Bentheimer Sandstone System - Dissolution and Contact Angle

CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers and depleted gas reservoirs is largely controlled by interfacial phenomena among fluid phases and rock pore spaces. Reduction of the interfacial tension may result in the mobilization of connate water (capillary trapping). In addition, dissolving CO2 in formation water is one of the most important mechanisms...

Effect of Pressure on Wetting Properties of Crude Oil, Sandstone Rock, Water, CO2 and (or) Flue Gas System

Carbon dioxide injection, either miscible or immiscible, has been known as an efficient strategy to enhance oil recovery as well as reduce CO2 emission. Wettability has a significant effect on the performance of enhanced oil recovery techniques because of its effect on fluid saturation distribution and flow behavior in porous media. For oil-wet...

Interfacial Tension and Contact Angle Determination in Water-sandstone Systems with Injection of Flue Gas and CO2

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has the potential for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. This option includes storage strategies such as CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams. This process is largely controlled by the interactions between CO2, the reservoir fluid and reservoir...