Article
Energy & Fuels
Bin-Fei Li, Meng-Yuan Zhang, Zhao-Min Li, Anthony Kovscek, Yan Xin, Bo-Liang Li
Summary: Aqueous foam is widely used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and its rheology is influenced by various factors. This study investigates the flow of foam in porous media by conducting experiments with a range of gas and liquid velocities and surfactant concentrations. The results show that the pressure gradient contours exhibit different shapes depending on the gas and liquid velocities, and the surfactant concentration strongly influences the trend of pressure gradient contours. Foam flow resistance is particularly sensitive to surfactant concentration, especially when it is below the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The findings contribute to our understanding of foam rheology in porous media and provide important insights for the practical application of foams.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juan Carlos Lopez, Miguel Angel Toledo, Rafael Moran, Luis Balairon
Summary: This study proposes a unified general seepage equation applicable to large-sized granular materials based on the analysis of different methods and experimental data. It also summarizes the relationship between the linear and quadratic dimensionless coefficients of the resistance formula and the representative size of the particle and the geometrical features of the porous materials.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Paul Grassia, Hamed Rajabi, Ruben Rosario, Carlos Torres-Ulloa
Summary: This paper presents a model for the evolution of surfactant surface concentration on foam films moving through porous media in the context of foam enhanced oil recovery or foam-based soil/aquifer remediation. The model is solved numerically and key parameters governing the behavior of the model are identified. The model can predict when foam films might become depleted in surfactant and potentially break, which is important for applications in porous media.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mingjian Hu, Yin Wang, Yewei Li, Ziyi Pang, Yubin Ren
Summary: This study develops a drag force model by utilizing genetic programming (GP) and focusing on the voidage function. The model was developed based on a systematic laboratory seepage tests on porous media with different materials. The results indicate that the developed drag force model by GP method has good performance in predicting the drag behavior of particles, and the influencing factors such as gradation coefficient, porosity, and shape coefficient significantly affect the seepage characteristics of the porous media. The proposed model can be used to analyze the flow characteristics of porous media in the field of geotechnical and ocean engineering.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Qichao Lv, Tongke Zhou, Rong Zheng, Xiangling Li, Kang Xiao, Zhaoxia Dong, Junjian Li, Falin Wei
Summary: The study explored the use of silica nanoparticles for CO2 mobility control in porous media, resulting in the development of armored bubbles. The nanoparticles adsorbed on the bubble interface formed an armor layer, increasing the bubble dispersions' effective viscosity and shear-thinning property. Armored bubbles showed high rigidity and plugging ability, enhancing oil recovery by trapping CO2 in porous media and displacing residual oils more thoroughly than traditional methods. Ultimately, the use of armored bubbles improved oil recovery efficiency by about 11.4% in homogeneous porous media and 14.3% in heterogeneous porous media, demonstrating their high performance for EOR.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Khaled Z. Abdelgawad, Abdulrauf R. Adebayo, Abubakar Isah, Nasiru S. Muhammed
Summary: The flow dynamics of foam in porous media is an active research area in enhanced oil recovery and aquifer remediation. Foam strength and stability are crucial for its performance, but there are conflicting reports on the correlation between foam strength and the absolute permeability of the media. This review focuses on the commonly used parameters to characterize foam strength and stability, and their correlations with the absolute permeability of reservoir rocks.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Rosmery Q. Zavala, Luis F. Lozano, Grigori Chapiro
Summary: We propose a foam displacement model with a separate balance equation for surfactant concentration in the aqueous phase. Gas mobility, dependent on surfactant concentration, is assumed to follow Newtonian behavior for the foam dynamics. Traveling wave solutions for this model are studied considering high initial water saturation (drainage scenario) and various injected water saturations. The solutions are analyzed using phase portrait analysis and validated with direct numerical simulations. Traveling wave solutions are found only when the surfactant concentrations at injection and initial conditions are equal above the Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC), whereas for concentrations below the CMC, solutions are found when the injection concentration is greater than or equal to the initial condition concentration.
COMPUTATIONAL GEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
P. Johnson, V Starov, A. Trybala
Summary: This review focuses on the interaction between foam and porous media, specifically on the flow within the substrate. It has been found that foam flow through pore channels is similar to its behavior within microchannels, suggesting that studying these properties within a model channel is the most effective approach. The article highlights the need for further research in understanding the interaction of foam and/or liquid within porous networks, and discusses methods such as using microchannels to simulate individual pores and building up to a 3D structure of interlinking pores to better represent foam and liquid flow in porous media. Advanced imaging techniques for observing flow through porous materials are also discussed.
CURRENT OPINION IN COLLOID & INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Pacelli L. J. Zitha, Hua Guo
Summary: Capillary forces trap oil in porous media even after flushing, but using polymer formulations can extract residual oil efficiently. However, the large quantity of chemicals used poses an environmental threat. This study demonstrates that using gases instead of polymers achieves equally efficient oil extraction with less chemical usage.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Filipe F. de Paula, Iury Igreja, Thiago Quinelato, Grigori Chapiro
Summary: In this study, we propose a sequential algorithm to analyze the impact of surfactant injection on foam-induced mobility reduction. A foam model in local equilibrium is utilized, assuming non-Newtonian foam behavior. The algorithm combines a locally conservative finite element method for hydrodynamics approximation with a finite volume method for transport equations. The sequential algorithm is validated using experimental data and demonstrated to produce stable approximations with reduced numerical dissipation and computational cost. The algorithm is applied to compare the co-injection and Surfactant Alternating Gas (SAG) techniques, suggesting improved sweep efficiency with the SAG injection technique.
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Kangyuan Liu, Xin Li, Jiabing Wang, Kun Yang
Summary: This paper investigates the characteristics of the stress jump coefficient by constructing the real pore structure of metal foam using the Weaire-Phelan model and simulating a complex three-dimensional porous composite system. A novel method to determine the stress jump coefficient is proposed. The results show that the stress jump coefficient varies with the porosity and is independent of the inlet velocity, the rotation number, and the flow pattern.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Eric Vavra, Maura Puerto, Chutian Bai, Kun Ma, Khalid Mateen, Lisa Biswal, George Hirasaki
Summary: This study investigates the variations of capillary pressure during foam flow in porous media and identifies different characteristics in different quality regimes. The capillary pressure tends to stabilize in the low-quality regime, while it changes with increasing foam quality in the high-quality regime. These findings contribute to a better understanding of foam flow in porous media.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lekshmi A. Kurup, Cameron M. Cole, Joshua N. Arthur, Soniya D. Yambem
Summary: The development of capacitive flexible pressure sensors using graphene-based conductive foams showed high sensitivity and durability, especially in detecting weak physiological signals within a low pressure range. The porous foams with graphene-coated pores demonstrated the highest sensitivity and showed potential applications in biomedical sensing and wearable devices.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Van Si Le, Keerti Vardhan Sharma, Alvinda Sri Hanamertani, Magda Ibrahim Youssif, Omar Elkhatib, Kaustubh Rane, Mohammad Piri, Amit Katiyar, Nagi Nagarajan
Summary: The performance of methane foam was evaluated through high-pressure and high-temperature experiments on oil-wet proppant packs. The study examined the effects of key factors such as surfactant concentration, foam quality, injection rate, salinity, operating pressure, and initial oil saturation on foam performance. Results showed that the presence of oil above a critical saturation hindered foam generation, while the steady-state pressure drops across the proppant packs were unaffected. The study also found that surfactant behavior varied based on their ionic nature and foam parameters.
Article
Thermodynamics
Songyan Li, Peng Wu, Kaiqiang Zhang
Summary: The research team conducted experiments on foam flows in porous media with different permeability ranges and found that the gas saturation curve varied with the foam injection process, determining a series of fluid properties. In series foam flows, the gas saturation curve showed different trends, while in parallel foam flows, the permeability had a significant impact on the profile control effect.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2021)
