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Influence of Texture on Steady Foam Flow in Berea Sandstone

1992; Volume: 7; Issue: 01 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2118/19688-pa

2469-9683

R. A. Ettinger, Clayton J. Radke,

Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization

Summary An understanding of texture, or bubble-size, evolution is paramount for modeling foam flow in porous media in that fine textures may impart large flow resistances. Bubble size, in turn, is determined by complicated lamella creation and decay processes. We study, for the first time, the quantitative role of bubble size in the steady flow of strong foam through a 0.8-μm2 Berea sandstone. Inlet and outlet textures are determined from photomicrographs taken of bubbles flowing through specially designed visual cells. Concurrent measurements of pressure and liquid-saturation profiles by microwave attenuation are acquired for gas velocities from 1 to 3 m/d and foam qualities from 70% to 90%, A simple, 1D foam population-balance model is outlined to quantify the observed flow and texture behavior. Agreement between the proposed model and the new bubble-size and flow data is adequate. The population-balance method proves to be a useful tool.