Microvisual and Coreflood Studies of Foam Interactions With a Light Crude Oil

Summary Foam stability in the presence of crude oil is important to foamflood performance. Microvisual observations were made to assess the degree of foam-lamella/oil interactions occurring between a light crude oil and foams being considered for foam flooding applications in Alta., Canada. Foam behaviors ranged from quite stable, with almost no foam/oil interactions, to quite unstable, where oil was extensively emulsified and imbibed into the foam. These behaviors matched phenomenological model predictions and also were consistent with coreflood mobility reduction factors and incremental oil recoveries obtained in foam flow experiments in Berea sandstone cores at ambient temperature, low pressure, and residual oil saturation (ROS).