화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.58, No.32, 15014-15025, 2019
Dynamic Filtration Behavior of Dry Supercritical CO2 Foam with Nanoparticles in Porous Media
The use of CO2 as a fracturing fluid for reservoir stimulation to enhance oil and gas recovery in low-permeability formations is widespread. However, during the CO2 injection process, the low viscosity of supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) at high temperature and pressure conditions usually causes serious fluid loss in porous media, thus restricting its efficient utilization. In this work, the dynamic filtration control properties of nanoparticle-enhanced dry SC-CO2 foams in porous media were explored, and the effects of nanoparticle and surfactant concentration, foam quality, pressure drop, temperature, and permeability were systematically studied. The results showed that the SC-CO2/liquid interfacial viscoelasticity modulus and the corresponding foam viscosity were improved by the adsorption of silica nanoparticles at the SC-CO2/liquid interface. At high foam quality (>= 90%), the nanoparticles reduced the amount of coarse bubbles and prevented bubble disproportionation, both of which helped to maintain a higher viscosity in the ultradry foam. The nanoparticles also significantly enhanced the foam filtration control performance; compared to bare dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) foam, the total filtration coefficient of CO2 was decreased by a factor of about 2.2-6.5 with an increase in SiO2 nanoparticle concentration from 0.5 to 1.5 wt %. The effect of surfactant concentration on the filtration of foam with nanoparticles also correlated well with its effect on interfacial viscoelastic modulus and foam viscosity. Increasing the foam quality from 80 to 97% only increased the filtration control performance to a certain extent, as the foams became ultradry and unstable if the foam quality was too high (>= 90%); thereafter, a continuing increase in foam quality caused by CO2 expansion at high pressure drop values led to low flow resistance and weakened the filtration control performance. The addition of silica nanoparticles reduced the temperature dependence of the foam filtration coefficient. The permeability and total filtration coefficient followed a power law relationship, with the addition of nanoparticles causing a decrease in the power law exponent. Return permeability tests after filtration result confirmed that nanoparticle-enhanced dry SC-CO2 foams were relatively clean fluids for porous media.