Simulation models for the minimum velocity for foam generation and propagation

Foam injection is a promising means of reducing the relative mobility of gas, and hence improving the sweep efficiency of gas, in CO₂ and H₂ storage, soil-contaminant removal in aquifer remediation, enhanced oil recovery, and matrix-acid well stimulation. Theory (Rossen and Gauglitz, 1990; Ashoori et al., 2012) and...

Study of surface complexation modeling on a novel hybrid enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method; smart-water assisted foam-flooding

This contribution focuses on surface complexes in the calcite-brine-surfactant system. This is relevant for the recovery of oil when using a new hybrid enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method, which combines smart-water (i.e., ionically modified brine) and foam-flooding (SWAF) of light oil with dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂) at high...

A 2-D simulation study on CO2 soluble surfactant for foam enhanced oil recovery

This paper probes the transport of CO2 soluble surfactant for foaming in porous media. We numerically investigate the effect of surfactant partitioning between the aqueous phase and the gaseous phase on foam transport for subsurface applications when the surfactant is injected in the CO2 phase. A 2-D reservoir simulation is developed to quantify...

Exergy return on exergy investment analysis of natural-polymer (Guar-Arabic gum) enhanced oil recovery process

It has been estimated that 17% of the recovered hydrocarbon exergy in oil fields [1]is spent on fluid handling and recovery costs. Therefore, improving the efficiency of oil production can give an some contribution to more efficient energy usage and therefore minimizing to some extent the carbon footprint. By way of example we present in this...

Development of an integrated RFID-IC technology for on-line viscosity measurements in enhanced oil recovery processes

This paper deals with on line viscosity measurements using integrated circuit technology, and is building on a previous paper on the use radio frequency identifier (RFID) technology for determining dielectric coefficients. It is asserted that the progress in RFID technology and integrated circuits, in particular in micro–electro–mechanical...

Investigation of certain physical–chemical features of oil recovery by an optimized alkali–surfactant–foam (ASF) system

The objective of this study is to discover a synergistic effect between foam stability in bulk and micro-emulsion phase behaviour to design a high-performance chemical system for an optimized alkaline–surfactant–foam (ASF) flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The focus is on the interaction of ASF chemical agents with oil in the presence...

A coupled Volume of Fluid and Immersed Boundary Method for simulating 3D multiphase flows with contact line dynamics in complex geometries

Immiscible foam for enhancing oil recovery

Growing worldwide oil demand increased the need of new and efficient oil recovery methods. Gas injection in oil reservoirs is deemed one of the most widely used methods to increase oil recovery. However, the full potential of gas injection is often not realized due to poor vertical and areal sweep efficiency of the gas. Foaming could be a...

Simulation and Optimization of Foam EOR Processes

Chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is relatively expensive due to the high cost of the injected chemicals such as surfactants. Excessive use of these chemicals leads to processes that are not economically feasible. Therefore, optimizing the volume of these injected chemicals is of extreme importance. We intend to maximize the long-term...