Effects of foaming agent on properties of foamed gel

Abstract

To improve foam expansion and the stability of the foamed gel selected as the starting point, three foaming agents with relatively higher foam expansion and three foam stabilizers were used to determine optimum gradient and composition of the gel. Sodium laurate and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide at a proportion of 2:3 were observed to produce the desirable foaming property and also created the largest foaming volume after the addition of 0.2% polyethylene glycol as the foam stabilizer. Different concentrations of gelatinizing and cross-linking agents were added to the foamed gel containing the foaming agent and the foam stabilizer. The most suitable ratio of the gelatinizing agent and the cross-linking agent determined on the basis of volume of foam dewatering after the addition of foam stabilizer for 6 h was 0.6%:0.5%. The resulting foamed gel was evaluated for rheological and plugging properties and a decrease in the viscosity of the gel and better plugging effect on coal seam were observed.