Abstract
This paper documents results of adsorption and desorption tests performed onto five powdered minerals and three rock types using a carbon dioxide - aqueous phase foaming agent, surfactant Chaser International CD1045™ (CD). This work was performed in order to better understand surfactant adsorption behaviors and transport mechanisms through three different porous media. Batch experiments were run to determine the kinetics of the surfactant adsorption onto five powdered minerals common to the selected three porous media. Dynamic experiments were performed to determine the kinetics and equilibria of surfactant adsorption onto three porous media. Characterizations of the three porous media were performed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) to aid in discerning the mechanisms controlling the retention and release reaction rates of the surfactant through the three different rock types.
Results show that CD adsorption and desorption onto powdered minerals can be established in one hour. The decreasing order of the surfactant adsorption density onto the five minerals is: montmorillonite, dolomite, kaolinite, silica and calcite. Surfactant adsorption onto the three core systems took at least an order of magnitude longer than that onto the five powdered minerals, and the surfactant adsorption onto Berea sandstone required a longer time than either Indiana limestone or Lockport dolomite. Desorption of the surfactant from the three porous media follows exponent decline equations.
