FOAM DYNAMICS IN POROUS MEDIA AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY: REVIEW

The usage of foam in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is either to reduce the gas/oil ratio in production wells or to control gas mobility in water-alternating-gas injection. Any project of foam injection needs laboratory experiments and simulation studies to optimize factors affecting foam behavior at the target reservoir. The study presents characteristics of foam dynamics in porous media, and a comprehensive review for the factors should be considered in planning for foam injection projects. Lessons learnt from field applications of foam in EOR have been presented. Mathematical modelling of foam in porous media is not the objective of this study and it has not been included. The present study is a useful reference for engineers and scientists interested in foam flow in porous media, and it provides a background for the laboratory research of foam injection projects.

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