Investigation on the stability of mixed AlOOH/SiO2 nanoparticles assisted non-ionic surfactant stabilized foam and its application in enhancing oil recovery

Foam has been widely employed in oilfields to modify the water injection profile for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In the present study, the mixed binary AlOOH/SiO 2 nanoparticles (MBN) assisted polyethyleneglycolmonoisodecylether (PMIE) system was successfully constructed to stabilize foam for the first time. The foam volume, half-life, and bubble size were evaluated to explore the foam stability. It was found that the PMIE-MBN system stabilized foam displayed superior stability, whose mechanism was revealed via the measurements of the surface tension, dilatational viscoelasticity, and foam viscosity. The irreversible adsorption of MBN in the gas–liquid surface significantly improved the strength of the foam film and the intensive interaction between MBN and PMIE molecules effectively promoted the intensity of the viscoelastic network among foam bubbles in the water phase, which was essential for superior stability of the foam. Moreover, the PMIE-MBN system stabilized foam exhibited excellent stability even in the presence of crude oil. The sandpack flooding tests reflected that the PMIE-MBN system stabilized foam possessed the favorable blocking ability and significantly enhanced tertiary oil recovery (∼15.2 % of initial oil in place).