Foams
have been widely used in oilfields for effective profile
control and displacement. However, foams stabilized by surfactants
lack long-term stability, especially in an oil reservoir. Here, we
have studied the in situ modification of positively
charged AlOOH nanoparticles via the adsorption of the anionic surfactant
sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the characterization of foam stabilized
by AlOOH nanoparticles in synergy with SDS under different conditions.
Changes in the zeta potential and adsorption isotherm of the AlOOH
nanoparticles confirmed their modification. The most stable foam was
obtained with an SDS/AlOOH concentration ratio of 5:1; further increases
of the SDS concentration led to a decrease and subsequent increase
in foam stability. The relationships between the zeta potential, three-phase
contact angle, nanoparticle aggregate size, and foam stability were
comprehensively analyzed, revealing that foam stability was affected
by all of these factors. We concluded that nanoparticles with partial
hydrophobicity, a positive or slightly negative charge, and small
aggregate size can be adsorbed tightly to foam surfaces and form compact
networks in the foam’s film, thereby resulting in a stable
foam. The SDS/AlOOH-stabilized foam also shows good stability under
high temperatures and in the presence of oil. Sandpack flooding experiments
showed that the SDS/AlOOH foam can increase and maintain the differential
pressure more effectively than the SDS foam. This study provides additional
options for using nanoparticles to stabilize foams for enhanced oil
recovery.
Group IV nanodots (NDs) including carbon (C), silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) NDs have been aroused much attention as one types of important nanomaterials that widely studied in optoelectronic, semiconductors,...
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