Dynamic simulation of preformed aqueous foam stability for enhanced oil recovery application

Tayeb Sakhi; Rachida Chemini; Yacine Salhi; Abdellah Arhaliass

doi:10.57056/ajet.v8i1.98

Authors

Tayeb Sakhi Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Fluid Mechanics University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene, BP 32, El Allia – Bab Ezzouar 16111, Algiers, Algeria; Laboratory of Process Engineering – Environment – Agrifood (GEPEA-UMR CNRS 6144) C.R.T.T.-37, bd- BP 406 44602 SAINT-NAZAIRE, University of Nantes, France.
Rachida Chemini Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Fluid Mechanics University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene, BP 32, El Allia – Bab Ezzouar 16111, Algiers, Algeria
Yacine Salhi Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Fluid Mechanics University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene, BP 32, El Allia – Bab Ezzouar 16111, Algiers, Algeria.
Abdellah Arhaliass Laboratory of Process Engineering – Environment – Agrifood (GEPEA-UMR CNRS 6144) C.R.T.T.-37, bd- BP 406 44602 SAINT-NAZAIRE, University of Nantes, France.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57056/ajet.v8i1.98

Keywords:

Level-set method, EOR, Drainage, Coalescence, Foam stability

Abstract

Aqueous foam is a two-phase system consisting of a continuous liquid phase and a dispersed gas phase. Foams are widely used in a variety of industrial operations, such as the enhanced recovery of hydrocarbons. Because of their unique properties, they can solve a variety of reservoir heterogeneity problems, including early gas breakthrough, channeling, and even viscous fingering. A variety of phenomena affect the stability of foams during flow, for example, the drainage process, gas diffusion, and bubble coalescence. In this research, we used the level-set method to simulate foam stability in various aspects, such as factors affecting foam drainage and coalescence phenomena. According to the simulation results, the foam's lifetime is greatly impacted by the phenomena of drainage and coalescence. Moreover, its stability is strongly influenced by salt as well as the type of gas used to generate it.

References

El-Hoshoudy AN, Desouky S. CO2 miscible flooding for enhanced oil recovery. Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration. 2018;79, doi:10.5772/intechopen.79082.

Hamza MF, Sinnathambi CM, Merican ZM, Soleimani H, Karl SD. An overview of the present stability and performance of EOR-foam. Sains Malaysiana. 2017;46(9):1641-1650.

Gbadamosi AO, Junin R, Manan MA, Agi A, Yusuff AS. An overview of chemical enhanced oil recovery: recent advances and prospects. International Nano Letters. 2019;9:171-202.

Afifi HR, Mohammadi S, Derazi AM, Moradi S, Alemi FM, Mahvelati EH, Abad KF. A comprehensive review on critical affecting parameters on foam stability and recent advancements for foam-based EOR scenario. Journal of Molecular Liquids. 2021:116808.

Mansour EM. Al-Sabagh A. Dessouky S. Zawawy FM. Ramzi Miloud. Swelling Studies of CO2 Miscible Injection Flooding at Egyptian Oil Fields, 19th International Conference on Petroleum Mineral Resources and a Petroleum Research Development, Cairo, Egypt, 2017.

Healy RN, Holstein ED, Batycky J.P. Status of Miscible Flooding Technology. Paper presented at the 14th World Petroleum Congress, Stavanger, Norway. May 1994.

Farajzadeh R, Andrianov A, Zitha PL. Investigation of immiscible and miscible foam for enhancing oil recovery. Industrial & Engineering chemistry research. 2010;49(4):1910-1919.

James J. Sheng. Foams and Their Applications in Enhancing Oil Recovery. Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Case Studies. Gulf Professional Publishing, 2013, 251-280, ISBN 9780123865458.

Almajid MM, Kovscek AR. Pore network investigation of trapped gas and foam generation mechanisms. Transport in Porous Media. 2020;131(1):289-313.

Turta AT, Singhal AK.. Field Foam Applications in Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects: Screening and Design Aspects. Paper presented at the SPE International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in China. Beijing, China, November 1998.

Patil PD, Knight T, Katiyar A, Vanderwal P, Scherlin J, Rozowski P, Nguyen QP. CO2 Foam Field Pilot Test in Sandstone Reservoir: Complete Analysis of Foam Pilot Response. SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference. Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, April 2018.

Katiyar A, Patil PD, Rohilla N, Rozowski P, Evans J, Bozeman T, & Nguyen Q. Industry-First Hydrocarbon-Foam EOR Pilot in an Unconventional Reservoir: Design, Implementation, and Performance Analysis. Paper presented at the SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. Denver, Colorado, USA, July 2019.

Gbadamosi AO, Kiwalabye J, Junin R, Augustine A. A review of gas enhanced oil recovery schemes used in the North Sea. J Petrol Explor Prod Technol. 2018, 8(4):1373 – 1387.

Alcorn ZP, Fredriksen SB, Sharma M , Rognmo AU, Føyen TL, Fernø MA, Graue A. An Integrated CO2 Foam EOR Pilot Program with Combined CCUS in an Onshore Texas Heterogeneous Carbonate Field. Paper presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference. Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, April 2018.

Lang L, Li H, Wang X, Liu N. Experimental study and field demonstration of air-foam flooding for heavy oil EOR. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2020, 185:106659.

Alvarenga BG, Gonçalves CC, Pérez-Gramatges A. Stabilization of CO2-foams in brine by reducing drainage and coarsening using alkyldimethylamine oxides as surfactants. J. Mol. Liq. 2022, 347:118370.

Govindu A, Ahmed R, Shah S, Amani M. Stability of foams in pipe and annulus. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2019,180:594-604.

Rudyk S, Al-Khamisi S. & Al-Wahaibi Y. Effects of water salinity on the foam dynamics for EOR application. J Petrol Explor Prod Technol. 2021, 11:3321–3332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-021-01246-7

Obisesan O, Ahmed R, Amani M. The Effect of Salt on Stability of Aqueous Foams. Energies, 2021, 14(2): 279. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14020279

Majeed T, Sølling TI, & Kamal MS. Foamstability: The interplay between salt-, surfactant- and critical micelle concentration. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering. 2020, 187:106871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106871

Alooghareh MH, Kabipour A, Sisakht SM, Razavifar M. Effects of different gases on the performance of foams stabilized by Cocamidopropyl betaine surfactant and silica nanoparticles: A comparative experimental study. Petroleum. Volume 8, Issue 4, 2022, Pages 546-551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petlm.2021.09.002.

Ma K, Ren G, Mateen K, Morel D, Cordelier P. Modeling Techniques for Foam Flow in Porous Media. SPE Journal. 2015, 20(03), 453–470.

Ma K, Ren G, Mateen K, Morel D, Cordelier P. Literature Review of Modeling Techniques for Foam Flow through Porous Media. Paper presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium. Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, April 2014.

Nguyen QP, Alexandrov AV, Zitha PL, Currie PK. Experimental and Modeling Studies on Foam in Porous Media: A Review. Paper presented at the SPE International Symposium on Formation Damage Control, Lafayette, Louisiana, February 2000.

Fei Wang, Dongxing Du, Hailong Chen, Chao Zhang. Simulation of evolution mechanism of dynamic interface of aqueous foam in narrow space base on level set method. Colloids Surf. A Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 2019, Vol.574, 1-11.

Tanabe Y. Assessment of Volume of fluid Method for high-pressure gas injection into liquid. SCI Master Thesis, Department of Engineering Mechanics Royal Institute of Technology. 2015, Stockholm, Sweden.

Rao RR, Mondy LA, Noble DR, Moffat HK, Adolf DB, Notz PK. A level set method to study foam processing: a validation study. Int J Numer Methods Fluids. 2011, 68(11), 1362–1392.

Zhang C, Wang F, Li Z, Chen H. Dynamic simulation and experimental verification of foam transport in porous media based on level set method. Energy Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, 1795– 1807.

SUN Q, TAN L, WANG G. LIQUID FOAM DRAINAGE: AN OVERVIEW. Int. J. Mod. Phys. 2008, 22(15), 2333–2354.

Fink JK. Drilling Muds. Petroleum Engineer’s Guide to Oil Field Chemicals and Fluids. 2012, 1–59.

Farzaneh SA, Sohrabi M. A Review of the Status of Foam Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery. EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition Incorporating SPE Europec. United Kingdom, 2013, 235- 242.

Majeed T, Kamal MS, Zhou X, Solling T. A Review on Foam Stabilizers for Enhanced Oil Recovery. Energy & Fuels. 2021, 35(7), 5594–5612.

Obisesan O, Ahmed R, Amani M. The Effect of Salt on Stability of Aqueous Foams. Energies, 2021, 14(2), 279.

Zeng Y, Farajzadeh R, Eftekhari AA, Vincent-Bonnieu S, Muthuswamy A, Rossen WR, Biswal SL. Role of Gas Type on Foam Transport in Porous Media. Langmuir, 2016, 32(25), 6239–6245.

Xu Z, Li B, Zhao H, He L, Liu Z, Chen D, Yang H, Li Z. Investigation of the effect of nanoparticle-stabilized foam on EOR: nitrogen foam and methane foam. ACS Omega, 2020, 5(30), 19092- 19103.

Farajzadeh R, Andrianov A, Bruining H, Zitha PLJ. Comparative Study of CO2and N2Foams in Porous Media at Low and High Pressure−Temperatures. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009, 48(9), 4542–4552.

Siddiqui MAQ, Gajbhiye RN. Stability and texture of CO2 /N2 foam in sandstone. Colloids Surf, A Physicochem Eng Asp. 2017, 534, 26–37.

Sun L, Bai B, Wei B, Pu W, Wei P, Li D, Zhang C. Recent advances of surfactant-stabilized N2/CO2 foams in enhanced oil recovery. Fuel, 2019, 241, 83–93.

Hubert Chanson. Chapter 18 - Summary: Air Bubble Diffusion in Shear Flows. Air Bubble Entrainment in Free-Surface Turbulent Shear Flows, Academic Press. 1996, ISBN 9780121681104.

Langevin D. Coalescence in foams and emulsions: similarities and differences. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci. 2019, 23-31.