An Experimental Investigation of Surfactant-Stabilized CO2 Foam Flooding in Carbonate Cores in Reservoir Conditions


Koyanbayev M. Hazlett R.D. Wang L. Hashmet M.R.
July 2024Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Energies
2024#17Issue 13

Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has attracted great attention due to its potential to increase ultimate recovery from mature oil reservoirs. Despite the reported efficiency of CO2 in enhancing oil recovery, the high mobility of CO2 in porous media is one of the major issues faced during CO2 EOR projects. Foam injection is a proven approach to overcome CO2 mobility problems such as early gas breakthrough and low sweep efficiency. In this experimental study, we investigated the foam performance of a commercial anionic surfactant, alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS), in carbonate core samples for gas mobility control and oil recovery. Bulk foam screening tests demonstrated that varying surfactant concentrations above a threshold value had an insignificant effect on foam volume and half-life. Moreover, foam stability and capacity decreased with increasing temperature, while variations in salinity over the tested range had a negligible influence on foam properties. The pressure drop across a brine-saturated core sample increased with an increasing concentration of surfactant in the injected brine during foam flooding experiments. Co-injection of CO2 and AOS solution at an optimum concentration and gas fractional flow enhanced oil recovery by 6–10% of the original oil in place (OOIP).

alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) , CO2 foam , EOR , foam stability , mobility control

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School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
College of Energy, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, 15551, United Arab Emirates

School of Mining and Geosciences
College of Energy
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department

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