Foam is an excellent fluid for achieving mobility control of gas in porous media. Practical application of foams for EOR processes, however requires a predictive model of foam displacement. Further, quantitative information on foam-flow behavior at reservoir flow rates and pressures is required as input to any field-scale modeling. An experimental and mechanistic-modeling study is reported for the transient flow of foam through 1.3 [mu]m2 (1.3 D) Boise sandstone at backpressures in excess of 5 MPa (700 psi) over a quality range from 0.80 to 0.99. Total superficial velocities range from as little as 0.42 to 2.20 m/day (1.4 ft/day to 7 ft/day). Sequential pressure taps and gamma-ray densitometry measure flow resistance and in-situ liquid saturations, respectively. We garner experimental pressure and saturation profiles in both the transient and steady states. Adoption of a mean-size foam-bubble conservation equation along with the traditional reservoir simulation equations allows mechanistic foam simulation. Since foam mobility depends heavily upon its texture, the bubble population balance is both useful and necessary as the role of foam texture must be incorporated into any model which seeks accurate prediction of flow properties. Our model employs capillary-pressure-dependent kinetic expressions for lamellae generation and coalescence and also a term for trapping of lamellae. Additionally, the effects of surfactant chemical transport are included. We find quantitative agreement between experimental and theoretical saturation and pressure profiles in both the transient and steady states.

Foam in porous media is a fascinating fluid both because of its unique microstructure and because its dramatic influence on the flow of gas and liquid. A wealth of information is now compiled in the literature describing foam generation, destruction, and transport mechanisms. Yet there are conflicting views of these mechanisms and on the macroscopic results they produce. By critically reviewing how surfactant formulation and porous media topology conspire to control foam texture and flow resistance, we attempt to unify the disparate viewpoints. Evolution of texture during foam displacement is quantified by a population balance on bubble concentration, which is designed specifically for convenient incorporation into a standard reservoir simulator. Theories for the dominant bubble generation and coalescence mechanisms provide physically based rate expressions for the proposed population balance. Stone-type relative permeability functions along with the texture-sensitive and shear-thinning nature of confined foam complete the model. Quite good agreement is found between theory and new experiments for transient foam displacement in linear cores.