Design Researches in Making In-Situ Thermal Foam System as a New Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery Method

Abstract

The paper presents the results of lab and filtration studies aimed at improving the procedure of thermal/gas/chemical effect (TGCE) with the generation of thermogenic system in reservoir conditions, proposed as an alternative to the methods of increasing oil recovery, such as water-gas effect procedure and foam injection process. The objects of research were thermal/gas generating compositions at the basis of sodium salts of sulfamic and nitric acids. Moreover, the influence of the ionic composition of the aqueous solution and temperature on the surface properties of the attracted solutions of surfactants (surfactants) was also evaluated. Filtration tests have shown that the use of a thermal/gas generating composition leads to additional displacement of high-viscous oil. The introduction of surfactants in the thermal/gas generating composition promotes foaming in the porous medium of the reservoir model and prevents gas breakthrough that leads to an increase in the oil displacement factor up to 24 %.