Status of Foam as a Liquid Blocking Agent in Porous Media: A Review

Abstract

This article summarizes the state-of-the-art knowledge gained from field observations and laboratory studies regarding foam as a liquid controlling agent in porous media. Being the least explored property of foam, its effect and potential have often been overlooked or simply ignored. The aim with this review is therefore to demonstrate the abilities that foam could have to block, reduce, delay, suppress, or divert water flow in porous media. As a liquid controlling agent in porous media, foam has potential for industrial processes that involve fluid injections or fluid withdrawals in porous geological formations, such as improved/enhanced oil recovery (IOR/EOR), matrix-stimulation treatments, underground storage of CO2, hydrogen, compressed-air or natural gas withdrawal, geothermal energy, and contaminated soil-groundwater remediation processes with unwanted aquifer impacts. Improving the water utilization factor and water management in these applications might result in tremendous energic, economic, and environmental incentives that are worth pursuing. Specific focus in this review is given to the post-foam water injection, which determines the ultimate stability and water-blocking capabilities of the foam treatment. Main parameters and mechanisms that can influence foam stability against water injection/intrusion after generation and placement are assessed and discussed. Unresolved issues are highlighted, which give recommendations for further research and field-scale operations.

Study on Dynamic Liquid-Carrying Process of Foaming Agent and Establishment of Mathematical Model

“…As an important chemical additive, foaming agents are widely used in the development of oil and gas fields to improve the production and recovery of oil and gas wells. − The application of foaming agents in the field of drainage gas recovery can be traced back to the 1950s . By the 1980s, the United States and the Soviet Union had conducted foam drainage gas recovery on a large scale, and China also began to implement the process in Sichuan .…”