Carbon dioxide foam flooding

In the meantime, using the guidance provided here, simulator predictions of field bdiavior under carbon dioxide foam flooding can be made. If these are sufficiently interesting to the oil company involved in any given case, then pilot testing would be encouraged. 

Borchardt, J. K., Bright, D. B., Dickson, M. K., and Welhngton, S. L., 1988. Surfactants for Carbon Dioxide Foam Flooding , in Surfactant-Based Mobility Control - Progress in Miscible-Flood Enhanced Oil Recovery, D. H. Smith (Ed.), ACS Symposium Series, 373, Washington, DC, Chapter 8. 

C12 to Ci5 alcohols and a-olefin sulfonate are highly effective with steam foaming agents or carbon dioxide foaming agents in reducing the permeability of flood-swept zones [1372]. 

It is concluded that carbon dioxide foam or emulsion flooding has great promise. The oil recovery is significantly higher than with the use of WAG at the same water - carbon dioxide ratio. 

EXPLOSION and FIRE CONCERNS flammable NFPA rating Health 2, Flammability 3, Reactivity 2 flashback along vapor trail may occur closed containers may rupture violently when heated incompatible with strong oxidizers and alkalies, potassium hydroxide, and copper combustion by-products may include hydrogen chloride and phosgene gas use dry chemical, foam, carbon dioxide, or flooding quantities of water for firefighting purposes. 

In areas where fire potential and the risk of injury or damage are high, automatic fire-extinguishing systems are often used. These may be of the water sprinkler, foam, carbon dioxide, halon, or dry chemical type. If an automatic fire-extinguishing system is in place, laboratory workers should be informed of its presence and advised of any safety precautions required in connection with its use (e.g., evacuation before a carbon dioxide total-flood system is activated, to avoid asphyxiation). 

Soils Flood site with plenty of cold water. Build barriers (dikes and lagoons) to contain large spills. Allow small spills to vaporize and absorb with sand or vermiculite. Use carbon dioxide foams to neutralize spills. 

The surfactant did not cause viscous forces to dominate during immiscible tertiary carbon dioxide injection. Apparently, the unmobilized oil reduced the foam stability while the surfactant reduced the interfacial tension and therefore the COj-brine capillary pressure sufficiently to allow gravity effects to dominate the flood.(9)... 

Figures 1 and 4 show the water flood matches to the water-wet and oil-wet lab model curves, respectively. The carbon dioxide flooding runs in the lab model were then matched by computer simulation. In the simulations, as in the lab model, the carbon dioxide slug was followed by waterflooding to an assumed economically limiting water cut of 98%, and the enhanced oil recovery was calculated as the difference between the ultimate total recovery at this point and that of a water flood starting from initial oil saturation and continued until a 98% water cut was reached. Secondary carbon dioxide floods started from the same initial oil saturation, while tertiary carbon dioxide floods started with the condition at the 98% water cut point in the simple water flood. Since the foam or emulsion tests involved a 1 1 ratio of water and carbon dioxide, comparisons are shown only for the case of 1 1 WAG operation vs foam.

In the case of the water-wet foam floods, the carbon dioxide solubility which gave the best match to the secondary floods was 0.8 mol fraction, while a value of 0.7 gave the best match for the tertiary foam floods, as shown in Figures and 8. The best values for the oil-wet case were O.9 mol fraction for both the secondary and tertiary cases, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. 

In the meantime, the significant advantage indicated by our laboratory work for injection of carbon dioxide as a foam or emulsion rather than alternately with water (WAG) will, we hope, serve as a stimulus to the oil companies carrying out carbon dioxide floods to give consideration to this version of the process. Many of these companies have the Todd, Dietrich and Chase Multiflood simulator, or one which is similar. The option to precipitate or adsorb a component is necessary. Then the surfactant component can be adsorbed and can also provide a higher viscosity when it is not adsorbed (simulating foam). 

Di-(P-Chloro- benzoyl) Peroxide Not pertinent Not pertinent Not pertinent Not pertinent Flood with water, or use dry chemical, foam, carbon dioxide Not pertinent Solid may explode Data not available No ... 

Fire Hazards - Flash Point Not pertinent Flananable limits in Air (%) Not pertinent Fire Extinguishing Agents Flood with water, or use dry chemical, foam, carbon dioxide Fire Extinguishing Agents Not to be Used Not pertinent fecial Hazards of Combustion Products Toxic chlorinated biphenyls are formed in fires Behavior in Fire Solid may explode. Burns very rapidly when ignited. Smoke is unusually heavy when paste form is involved Ignition Temperature Data not available Electrical Hazard Data not available Burning Rate Not pertinent. 

Surfactants are used extensively in enhanced oil recovery. Applications include micellar floods or flooding in conjunction with polymers, alkalis, steam or carbon dioxide. Another apphcation is the generation of foams for mobility control or blocking and diverting. For each of these applications care must be taken in selecting the surfactants. Surfactants tend to be a major portion of the costs associated with FOR, and losing surfactant to adsorption leads to substantial economic losses. 

I Flammability (OSHA) Category 4 flammable liquid Extinguishing Media Use dry chemical, alcohol foam , carbon dioxide, or water in flooding amounts as fog. Solid streams may not be effective. Cool fire-exposed containers with water from side until well after fire is out. 

Extinguishing Media Use dry sand or earth to smother fire. Do NOT get water inside containers. For large fires, use water spray, fog, or regular foam. Contact professional fire fighters immediately. Cool containers with flooding quantities of water until well after fire is out. For small fires, use dry chemical or carbon dioxide. 

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