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Nanoparticle‐Stabilized Foam for Effective Displacement in Porous Media and Enhanced Oil Recovery
Author(s) -
Sun Qian,
Zhang Na,
Li Zhaomin,
Wang Yuhe
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.201600063
Subject(s) - materials science , viscoelasticity , enhanced oil recovery , rheology , adsorption , composite material , bubble , porosity , porous medium , chemical engineering , micromodel , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , parallel computing , computer science , engineering
Foam flooding is a promising technique for enhancing oil recovery, but the foam instability limits its application. This study investigates the properties of foam stabilized by silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles combined with hexylamine. Surface dilational rheology, contact angle, and adsorption measurements have been performed and correlated with the foam stability. The results show that the SiO 2 /hexylamine dispersion induces a synergistic effect on the foam stability at intermediate hexylamine concentrations. The most stable foam was obtained with the most hydrophobic particles. The dilational viscoelasticity and the adsorption amount followed the same trend as that of foam stability. As a plugging agent, the SiO 2 /hexylamine foam could block the core with the maximum pressure peak at approximately 0.85 MPa. Moreover, our results indicate that the foam stability, dilational viscoelasticity, and roughness of the bubble surface together might contribute to better plugging performance in porous media.