Experimental investigation of nanotechnology on worm-like micelles for high-temperature foam stimulation

Regarding the novel application of nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery, the objective of this study was to investigate the potential of silica nanoparticles to stabilize foam under high-temperature conditions and exhibit an improved capacity to suspend proppants for hydraulic fracturing applications. In this study, a regular anionic surfactant was employed as the foaming agent and a worm-like micelle (WLM) surfactant was employed as the foam viscosifer and silica nanoparticles. The results indicate that the SiO 2 nanoparticles and WLMs exhibit a synergistic effect in terms of foam rheology and stability, which significantly improves the proppant suspension capabilities for petroleum applications.