Mobility Control Using CNC Stabilized Carbon Dioxide Foams
Date
2022-09
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Abstract
CO2 enhanced oil recovery is considered a practical technique to improve oil production, but also an option to alleviate carbon emission problems through CO2 capture and storage in deep geologic formations. Use of CO2 foam is a solution to poor gas sweep efficiency by reducing the gas phase mobility. The efficiency of the conventionally surfactant stabilized foams is jeopardized under reservoir conditions. Using biomass-derived materials to fortify foam is new for oil production. The application of biomass-derived materials such as Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) as the basis for generating foams will open a new market for Alberta’s forestry and bio industries. InnoTech Alberta is producing CNC from wood pulp and paper processing waste, the most common feedstock for CNC. There is a lack of research and technology demonstrating the advantage of biomass-derived nanomaterials at reservoir conditions for CO2 EOR processes. We experimentally investigate the performance of a foam system consisting of a surfactant with the addition of CNC for operation at up to 2.8MPa pressure and 115℃ temperature. Experiments are conducted under static and dynamic conditions. Foam volume, V(t), shows early linear and the later nonlinear drainage rate dependence with time. CNC in the continuous phase stabilize the CO2 in water foams by enclosing the droplets and reducing the collision. During a foam flood, oil in water emulsion stabilized by CNC, which initially appeared in the foam structure. Stable foam is generated via interactions of inexpensive CNC and cationic surfactants with concentration as low as 0.05wt%. Foamability defines as the initial capacity of the foaming solution to form foam. Half-lives and mobility reduction factors for the CNC foams were higher than the surfactant foams. Gas-water interfaces and liquid films within the foam structure showed more stability by adding CNC to surfactant solutions. CNC fortified the liquid films by blocking the liquid flow and increasing the viscosity. Additionally, CNC-stabilized foam had lower liquid drainage rate. The results of this work will provide baseline information for other research on CNC based fluids for underground applications. The target of this study is CO2 storage and flooding in conventional, hot conventional and viscous oil reservoirs.
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Foam drainage, Half-life, Cellulose nanocrystal, Plateau boarder, Empirical models, Foam stability, CO2 foam, Nanoparticle stabilized foam, Foam/oil interactions, Emulsification, Surfactants, Mobility control
Citation
Etemad, S. (2022). Mobility control using CNC stabilized carbon dioxide foams (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.