CO2/Water Foams Stabilized with Cationic or Zwitterionic Surfactants at Temperatures up to 120 °C in High Salinity Brine

Abstract

Abstract Stabilization of CO2 in water (C/W) foams with surfactants at high temperatures and high salinities is challenging, due to limited solubility of surfactants in aqueous phase, foamability and thermal stability. The apparent viscosities of C/W foams has been raised to up to 35 cP with viscoelastic aqueous phases formed with a diamine surfactant, C16-18N(CH3)C3N(CH3)2 (Duomeen TTM), or a zwitterionic surfactant, cetyl betaine, at 120 °C in 22% total-dissolved-solids (TDS) brine. Duomeen TTM is switchable from the nonionic (unprotonated amine) state, where it is soluble in CO2, to the cationic (protonated amine) state in an aqueous phase under pH ~6. Therefore, it may be injected in either the aqueous phase or the CO2 phase. The formation of viscoelastic phases with both surfactants lowers the minimum pressure gradient (MPG), and strengthens the lamella against drainage and Ostwald ripening by making the external aqueous phase more viscous, leading to stable foam even at very high foam quality. Both surfactants were shown to have excellent thermal stability and to form unstable emulsions when mixed with oil (dodecane). The core flood results showed that strong foam could be easily generated with both surfactants at a superficial velocity of 4 ft/day. The oil/water (O/W) partition coefficient of Duomeen TTM was very sensitive to pH, while that of cetyl betaine was constant over a wide range of pH. The ability to stabilize C/W foams at high temperature and salinity conditions with a single thermally stable surfactant is of great benefit to a wide range of applications including EOR, CO2 sequestration and hydraulic fracturing.