1 research outputs found
Interaction between Surfactants and SiO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles in Multiphase Foam and Its Plugging Ability
To
improve the stability of foam fluids, SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles
and trace amount of Gemini cationic surfactant were combined with
the main foaming agent, nonionic surfactant, to form a tricomponent
multiphase foam. The stability of the multiphase foam was assessed
through two parameters of half-life time and dilational modulus. The
interaction between surfactants and nanoparticles were studied though
surface tension, adsorption amount, and ζ potential measurement.
The effects of saline ions and temperature on foam stability were
also investigated. The plugging ability of the tricomponent multiphase
foam was assessed using a sandpack model. The optimized tricomponent
multiphase foam was 10 times more stable than corresponding foam without
nanoparticles in terms of half-life time and also resisted to saline
and temperature to a certain degree because the adsorption of nanoparticles
at the interface improved the mechanic strength of foam film. The
tricomponent multiphase foam showed more excellent plugging ability
in porous media than foam without nanoparticles during flooding. The
adsorption of cationic surfactant not only changed the surface hydrophobicity
of the SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles, but also promoted the adsorption
of APG molecules. Combined the results of Gemini C<sub>12</sub>C<sub>3</sub>C<sub>12</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> replaced by CTAB or SDS, and
C<sub>12</sub>C<sub>3</sub>C<sub>12</sub>Br<sub>2</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> replaced by pretreated partially hydrophobic SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticle
(H15), it is deduced that the in situ surface modification by cationic
adsorption to a suitable hydrophobicity was a key step in multiphase
stability. Compared with the pretreated partially hydrophobic SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticle, more SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles were distributed
at the air/liquid interface and utilized effectively in the tricomponent
multiphase foam