Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Development and evaluation of fly ash particle for foam stability for possible
application to foam flooding
Ishaq Ahmad 1, *, Mariyamni Binti Awang 1, Mudassar Mumtaz 2, MZM Noor 2
1EOR Centre, Petroleum Engineering Department, University Technology PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
2Fundamental and Applied Sciences Department, University Technology PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
Abstract: In Chemical EOR (enhanced oil recovery), nanoparticles gained the potential to improve the foam
stability, therefore, a low concentration of surfactant or polymer is needed to control gas mobility in the reservoir.
The aim is to improve the foam forming ability and foam stability both in the absence and presence of oil. In this
paper, the potential of fly ash to produce stable foam by the injection of nitrogen (N2) gas was studied. Fly ash
nanoparticles were developed by the chemical treatment of alkali. Various characterization techniques were applied
to investigate the nature and particle size of the fly ash. The fly ash at various concentrations (ppm) was mixed with
best performing anionic foaming surfactants. The anionic surfactants used were AOS14-16 and IOS15-18. Static foam
tests were performed at ambient by sparging of N2 gas through the solution. It was analyzed that contents of silica
and smaller size of nanoparticles of fly ash have more potential towards foam ability and foam stability. Therefore,
by using the developed alkali treated nano fly ash results in a considerably increased EOR.
1. Introduction
*During
the past few years, nanotechnology has channeling and gravity segregation, making it highly
being widely applied to various fields such as mobile through high-permeability zones thus
material design, biomedicine, and electronics etc. resulting in poor sweep efficiency (Lee & Kam,
Nanoparticles have potential in several branches of 2013).
petroleum engineering. This emergence is becoming Foam assisted EOR has huge momentum for
very relevant as the need to cater for the increasing controlling the CO2 mobility, resulting in improved
demand in the energy sector is expecting to be met sweep efficiency (Farzaneh & Sohrabi, 2013). The
by the oil and gas industry (Jikich, 2012). The use of foam is thermally unstable, and thus additives
nanotechnology has become a noticeable aspect in (surfactant/polymer/ nanoparticle) are required to
the petroleum engineering sector (Chevalier & generate the stable foams. Surfactants are the
Bolzinger, 2013). The increasing demand of fuel commonly used agents to produce stabilized foams
tends to increase the recovery of oil. In primary (Farajzadeh et al., 2012). However, the surfactant-
recovery method, the oil comes up by a natural drive, based foams require continuous regeneration
included rock and fluid expansion, gas cap, water because the surfactant is adsorbed on the rock,
influx and gravity drainage etc. In a secondary leading to increased material costs. However,
method of oil recovery, the oil is produced by the polymers are not compatible with reservoir
injection of external fluids, such as gas and water. temperature, pressure and salinity conditions. The
However, in tertiary oil recovery method the trapped usage of nanoparticles is the alternate to answer
oil is recovered by the injection of special fluids, several problems in the surfactant, and polymer EOR
chemicals, miscible gas and the thermal injection owing its ability to change certain factors in oil
(Johns & Dindoruk, 2013). Tertiary oil recovery may properties (Horozov, 2008; Suleimanov et al., 2011).
also refer to as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The self-production of foam was observed when
Chemical Enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) is the nanoparticles injected at high shear fracture zones,
leading method to sweep trapped oil left after which is beneficial for the foam assisted EOR
primary and secondary oil recovery methods. The applications. It was reported that small solid
promising chemicals used in CEOR are the alkali, particles contribute to the stabilization of a froth or
surfactants and polymer (Hirasaki, Miller, & Puerto). foam. Solids of very fine degree of dispersion
The selection of the method depends on the nature enhanced the foam stability (Horozov, 2008;
and characteristics of the reservoir. The low Platikanov & Exerowa, 2008). The aqueous foams
viscosity and density of CO2 lead to its severe are stabilized by the addition of small amount of
powdered silica or ferric oxide (Ju et al., 2006). The
foam stability is increased by increasing the amount
* Corresponding Author.
166
Ahmad et al/ Journal of Scientific Research and Development, 2 (14) 2015, Pages: 166‐171
167
Ahmad et al/ Journal of Scientific Research and Development, 2 (14) 2015, Pages: 166‐171
168
Ahm
mad et al/ Journa
al of Scientific Res
esearch and Development, 2 (14) 2
2015, Pages: 166‐‐171
Fig. 6: Foa
am by N2 spargging through solution
In order to study
s the fly ash behavior on foamingg
thee 6 sample were
w designeed A, B, C, D,
D E and F to o
inddicate the single
s and bbinary comb binations off
surrfactants and d fly ash.
Fiig. 4: FESEM im
mages of fly ash (FA) In Fig. 7, the
e foam abilityy for sample A,A B, D and E
weere almost th he same. How wever, the foam ability off
surrfactant mixe ed with pure fly ash was very
v low. Thee
surrfactant itself, AOS (sampple A) and IOS S (sample B),,
waas found more stable as compare ed with thee
commbinations of surfactannt with FA particles Ass
shoown in Fig. 7. The mixturee of surfactan nts with puree
fly
y ash, sample C, and E seem ms unstable and
a the foamm
draainage was comparativeely fast. The maximum m
foaam stability was
w observedd for the com mbinations off
AOOS and IOS mixed
m with tthe alkali tre
eated fly ash
h
particles. The foam stabilitty was found to be 180 0
miinutes of sam mple D, AOS w with AFA (70:30 of AOS::
AFFA) for 75% drainage. H However, IOS S mixture off
AFFA had less foam
f stability
ty and the drrainage timee
waas recorded 1601 minutes. The perform mance of AOSS
to generate the e stable foam m was found d superior ass
commpared to the IOS, bboth with and a withoutt
nanoparticles.
Therefore, utilization oof nanoparticles led to o
Fig. 5: FESEM images of alkali treated FA succcessful amp plification of foam stability and helpss
to reduce the amount
a and ccost of surfactant for thee
The untrreated FA parrticles seem rough while the foaam EOR process.
alkali treated becomes more irreg gular in shaape.
Different mmorphologies were obserrved in FESSEM
analysis of FA. The majority of fly ash
a consisted d of
spherical particles. Thee smooth su urface of th hese
particles is closely relatted to the high temperatture
production process. Th he fewer irrregular sha pes
represent th he existence of unburnt carbon resid due
which is con nsistent withh LOI. The su
urface activaated
FA with alk kali made it more
m hydropphilic, therefoore,
found strongg foam generration properrties.
3.2. Effect o
of nano fly assh on foamin
ng
3.3. Effect o
of crude oil o
on foaming 4. Conclusion
Fig. 9: Foam
m ability and fo
oam stability with
w Tapis crud
de
170
Ahmad et al/ Journal of Scientific Research and Development, 2 (14) 2015, Pages: 166‐171
Horozov, T. S. (2008). Foams and foam films wettability alteration by silica nanoparticles
stabilised by solid particles. Current Opinion in during water flooding to heavy oils in five-spot
Colloid & Interface Science, 13(3), 134-140. systems: A pore-level investigation. Experimental
Thermal and Fluid Science, 40, 168-176.
Jikich, S. J. (2012). CO2 EOR: Nanotechnology for
Mobility Control Studied. Journal of Petroleum Noor-ul-Amin. (2014). A multi-directional utilization
Technology, 64(07), 28-31. of different ashes. RSC Advances, 4(107), 62769-
62788.
Johns, R. T., & Dindoruk, B. (2013). Chapter 1 - Gas
Flooding. In J. J. Sheng (Ed.), Enhanced Oil Platikanov, D., & Exerowa, D. (2008). Thin liquid
Recovery Field Case Studies (pp. 1-22). Boston: films and foams: Classic and modern topics.
Gulf Professional Publishing. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science,
13(3), 97-99.
Ju, B., Fan, T., & Ma, M. (2006). Enhanced oil recovery
by flooding with hydrophilic nanoparticles. China Suleimanov, B., Ismailov, F., & Veliyev, E. (2011).
Particuology, 4(01), 41-46. Nanofluid for enhanced oil recovery. Journal of
Petroleum Science and Engineering, 78(2), 431-
Lee, D., Cho, H., Lee, J., Huh, C., & Mohanty, K. (2015).
437.
Fly ash nanoparticles as a CO2 foam stabilizer.
Powder Technology, 283, 77-84. Sun, Q., Li, Z., Wang, J., Li, S., Li, B., Jiang, L., . . . Liu, W.
(2015). Aqueous foam stabilized by partially
Lee, S., & Kam, S. I. (2013). Chapter 2 - Enhanced Oil
hydrophobic nanoparticles in the presence of
Recovery by Using CO2 Foams: Fundamentals and
surfactant. Colloids and Surfaces A:
Field Applications. In J. J. Sheng (Ed.), Enhanced
Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 471,
Oil Recovery Field Case Studies (pp. 23-61).
54-64.
Boston: Gulf Professional Publishing.
Maghzi, A., Mohammadi, S., Ghazanfari, M. H.,
Kharrat, R., & Masihi, M. (2012). Monitoring
171