Micromodel Studies of Polymer-Enhanced Foam Flow Through Porous Media C. Romero; C. Romero PDVSA Intevep Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar J.M. Alvarez; J.M. Alvarez PDVSA Intevep Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar A.J. Müller A.J. Müller U. Simon Bolivar Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 2002. Paper Number: SPE-75179-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/75179-MS Published: April 13 2002 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Romero, C., Alvarez, J.M., and A.J. Müller. "Micromodel Studies of Polymer-Enhanced Foam Flow Through Porous Media." Paper presented at the SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/75179-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference Search Advanced Search AbstractIn recent years the use of polymer-enhanced foams (PEFs) and gelled foams has become a focus of interest for gas shut-off control. Many studies have focused in evaluating the blocking ability and rheology of these PEFs before applying them in the field, but a bigger effort still has to be done in understanding the flow behavior of these fluids, which are much more complex in nature than conventional foams.In this paper we present new micromodel studies that have been conducted with PEFs in constricted capillaries. Experiments were carried out using an alpha-olefin-sulfonate (AOS) foaming agent and five different polyacrylamides varying molecular weight, hydrolysis content and functionality. New data indicates that PEFs show a different flow behavior than that reported for conventional foams and that existing foam models may have to be reviewed to simulate PEF flow through porous media.In 1992 Osterloh and Jante1 had identified for conventional foams the presence of two distinct flow regimes when flowing through porous media: a high quality regime where pressure gradient was independent of gas flow rate, and a low quality regime in which pressure gradient was independent of liquid flow rate. Alvarez, Rivas and Rossen2 later confirmed this to be a part of a general foam behavior.In our studies, we found indications of the presence of these two foam flow regimes for conventional foams in constricted capillaries, while all PEFs showed under this geometry a completely different behavior, where the high quality regime seemed to be absent.These results could indicate that capillary pressure and coalescence do not govern PEF flow in porous media, as it does for conventional foams. Micromodel studies however, might not be directly applicable to flow in real reservoir conditions, but implications of the results here published could be useful in understanding the behavior of these fluids. Due to the simplicity of the pore geometry, these results can also assist in the evaluation of existing foam flow models for PEF flow, or in the future development of new models to understand the physics involved in the flow of these complex fluids through porous media.IntroductionIt has long been known that foams can be used to improve oil recovery in reservoirs under gas or water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection3–4. However, in these processes the low stability and durability of the foam has been a vulnerable side of the treatments when compared to other shut-off processes5.In the quest to achieve a highly stable foam, several ways have been reported to enhance its performance and durability:adding a fluorinated surfactant,adding a polymer to viscosify the surfactant solution andadding a polymer together with a crosslinker to generate a foamed gel. Each one of these alternatives results in a more challenging option, requiring a deeper understanding not only of the physico-chemical aspects of the liquid solution, but also of its flow mechanics through an equally complex media: a reservoir rock.Foam in Porous media.Fried6 first evaluated conventional foams, hereto referred as a dispersion of gas in a surfactant solution, as a gas-blocking agent in porous media by 1961. Since then a great effort has been done to provide a strong framework to support the modeling and understanding of foam behavior in porous media. In this respect, Falls et al. 7 defined a foam in porous media as a dispersion of gas in a liquid, such that the liquid phase is continuous or connected, and at least some part of the gas is made discontinuous by thin liquid films called lamellae.Capillary modelsThe first simple numerical models of foams in ideal porous media began with the work of Hirasaki and Lawson8 in 1985 using smooth capillaries, where the apparent viscosity of high quality foams was related directly to the observed number of lamellae per unit length (nl) or foam texture. These efforts to extract physical flow mechanisms from what was being observed at the pore level, were later continued by Singh et al. 9 in constricted capillaries and by the comprehensive work of Jiménez and Radke10.Foam in Porous media.Fried6 first evaluated conventional foams, hereto referred as a dispersion of gas in a surfactant solution, as a gas-blocking agent in porous media by 1961. Since then a great effort has been done to provide a strong framework to support the modeling and understanding of foam behavior in porous media. In this respect, Falls et al. 7 defined a foam in porous media as a dispersion of gas in a liquid, such that the liquid phase is continuous or connected, and at least some part of the gas is made discontinuous by thin liquid films called lamellae.Capillary modelsThe first simple numerical models of foams in ideal porous media began with the work of Hirasaki and Lawson8 in 1985 using smooth capillaries, where the apparent viscosity of high quality foams was related directly to the observed number of lamellae per unit length (nl) or foam texture. These efforts to extract physical flow mechanisms from what was being observed at the pore level, were later continued by Singh et al. 9 in constricted capillaries and by the comprehensive work of Jiménez and Radke10. Keywords: foam, flow regime, alvarez, foam flow, quality regime, romero, micromodel, porous media, chemical flooding methods, regime Subjects: Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Chemical flooding methods This content is only available via PDF. 2002. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.