Study of Nanoparticle–Surfactant-StabilizedFoam as a Fracturing Fluid.

Thedevelopment of hydraulic fracturing has created a huge demandfor fracturing fluids with high performance and low formation damagein recent years. In this paper, a foam stabilized by partially hydrophobicmodified SiO2nanoparticles and sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS) was studied as a fracturing fluid. The properties of SiO2/SDBS foam such as rheology, proppant suspension, filtration,and core damage were investigated. The experimental data showed thatthe stability and thermal adaptability of sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS) foam increased when silica (SiO2) nanoparticleswere added. The surface tension of SDBS dispersion almost did notchange after SiO2nanoparticles were added; however, thedilational viscoelasticity of the interface increased, indicatingthat the SiO2nanoparticles attached to the interface andformed a stronger viscoelasticity layer to resist the external disturbance.The proppant settling velocity in the SiO2/SDBS foam wasfound to be 2 orders of magnitude lower than that in a pure SDBS foam.The total leakoff coefficient of the SiO2/SDBS foam wasfound to be lower than that of an SDBS foam. Although the core damageratio of the SiO2/SDBS foam was slightly larger than thatof an SDBS foam, compared to GEL/SDBS, the core damage caused by theSiO2/SDBS foam remained at a low level. SiO2nanoparticle–surfactant-stabilized foam is superior to asurfactant-stabilized foam and causes lower core permeability damagethan a gel–surfactant-stabilized foam. It is recommended foruse in hydraulic fracturing, particularly for fracturing stimulationin tight and shale gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]