Hybrid Nanoparticle-Surfactant Stabilized Foams for CO2 Mobility Control at Elevated Salinities

Soyke, Aleksandra Magdalena; Benali, Benyamine; Føyen, Tore; Alcorn, Zachary Paul

doi:10.3997/2214-4609.202133110

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Nanoparticles can add stability to surfactant-based foams by withstanding high-temperature and high-salinity conditions (Eide et al 2018). However, nanoparticles alone generate weak foam compared to surfactants (Alcorn et al 2020b;Soyke et al 2021). Recent research has shown that the addition of silica nanoparticles to surfactant-based foam may increase the stability and improve displacement efficiency for CO 2 EOR and CO 2 storage applications (Chaturvedi and Sharma 2021;Singh and Mohanty 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pore-level Ostwald ripening of CO2 foams at reservoir pressure

Benali,

Sæle,

Liu

et al. 2023

Transp Porous Med

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The success of foam to reduce CO2 mobility in CO2 enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage operations depends on foam stability in the reservoir. Foams are thermodynamically unstable, and factors such as surfactant adsorption, the presence of oil, and harsh reservoir conditions can cause the foam to destabilize. Pore-level foam coarsening and anti-coarsening mechanisms are not, however, fully understood and characterized at reservoir pressure. Using lab-on-a-chip technology, we probe dense (liquid) phase CO2 foam stability and the impact of Ostwald ripening at 100 bars using dynamic pore-scale observations. Three types of pore-level coarsening were observed: (1) large bubbles growing at the expense of small bubbles, at high aqueous phase saturations, unrestricted by the grains; (2) large bubbles growing at the expense of small bubbles, at low aqueous phase saturation, restricted by the grains; and (3) equilibration of plateau borders. Type 3 coarsening led to stable CO2 foam states eight times faster than type 2 and ten times faster than type 1. Anti-coarsening where CO2 diffused from a large bubble to a small bubble was also observed. The experimental results also compared stabilities of CO2 foam generated with hybrid nanoparticle–surfactant solution to CO2 foam stabilized by only surfactant or nanoparticles. Doubling the surfactant concentration from 2500 to 5000 ppm and adding 1500 ppm of nanoparticles to the 2500 ppm surfactant-based solution resulted in stronger foam, which resisted Ostwald ripening. Dynamic pore-scale observations of dense phase CO2 foam revealed gas diffusion from small, high-curvature bubbles to large, low-curvature bubbles and that the overall curvature of the bubbles decreased with time. Overall, this study provides in situ quantification of CO2 foam strength and stability dynamics at high-pressure conditions.Article Highlights A comprehensive laboratory investigation of CO2 foam stability and the impact of Ostwald ripening. Pore-level foam coarsening and anti-coarsening mechanisms insights.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pore-level Ostwald ripening of CO2 foams at reservoir pressure

Benali,

Sæle,

Liu

et al. 2023

Transp Porous Med

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A Pore-Level Study of Dense-Phase CO2 Foam Stability in the Presence of Oil

Benali,

Fernø,

Halsøy

et al. 2024

Transp Porous Med

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The ability of foam to reduce CO2 mobility in CO2 sequestration and CO2 enhanced oil recovery processes relies on maintaining foam stability in the reservoir. Foams can destabilize in the presence of oil due to mechanisms impacting individual lamellae. Few attempts have been made to measure the stability of CO2 foams in the presence of oil in a realistic pore network at reservoir pressure. Utilizing lab-on-a-chip technology, the pore-level stability of dense-phase CO2 foam in the presence of a miscible and an immiscible oil was investigated. A secondary objective was to determine the impact of increasing surfactant concentration and nanoparticles on foam stability.In the absence of oil, all surfactant-based foaming solutions generated fine-textured and strong foam that was less stable both when increasing surfactant concentrations and when adding nanoparticles. Ostwald ripening was the primary destabilization mechanism both in the absence of oil and in the presence of immiscible oil. Moreover, foam was less stable in the presence of miscible oil, compared to immiscible oil, where the primary destabilization mechanism was lamellae rupture. Overall, direct pore-scale observations of dense-phase CO2 foam in realistic pore network revealed foam destabilization mechanisms at high-pressure conditions.

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Hybrid Nanoparticle-Surfactant Stabilized Foams for CO2 Mobility Control at Elevated Salinities

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Pore-level Ostwald ripening of CO2 foams at reservoir pressure

Pore-level Ostwald ripening of CO2 foams at reservoir pressure

A Pore-Level Study of Dense-Phase CO2 Foam Stability in the Presence of Oil

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