Title:
RHEOLOGY AND DYNAMICS OF CAPILLARY FOAMS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY
RHEOLOGY AND DYNAMICS OF CAPILLARY FOAMS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY
Author(s)
Okesanjo, Omotola
Advisor(s)
Behrens, Sven H.
Meredith, J. Carson
Meredith, J. Carson
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Abstract
Aqueous foams are ubiquitous; they appear in many products and processes and provide a variety of functional and sensory benefits to many applications because of their elastic and viscous rheological properties. In enhanced oil recovery, for example, foams can provide uniform displacement of oil that is trapped in underground reservoirs by blocking large pores, reducing gas mobility, and preventing viscous fingering. The recently discovered capillary foams, known for their stability, tunability, and oil-tolerance, are promising for enhanced oil recovery where the lifespan and functional rheological benefits of traditional foams are limited by contact with crude oil. The unique architecture of capillary foams, containing oil-coated bubbles and a network of oil-bridged particles, is however expected to affect foam rheology. In this work, the rheological properties of capillary foams were investigated and shown to be similar to but better tunable than those of surfactant foams because of the influence of the oil-particle network. The stability of flowing capillary foams was also found to be remarkable because the particle network mitigates foam collapse under stress. Finally, the feasibility of using capillary foams in enhanced oil recovery was evaluated in displacement experiments where capillary foams were found to achieve a higher sweep efficiency, than water alone, in displacing crude oil from a porous micromodel. The findings of this work provide an understanding of the underlying physics governing capillary foam rheology, define methods for tuning capillary foam rheology for applications in products and processes and serve as a starting point for optimizing capillary foam flooding for oil displacement from underground reservoirs.
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Date Issued
2021-10-19
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Dissertation