Molecular dynamics simulation of the influence of polyacrylamide on the stability of sodium dodecyl sulfate foam

Mixed Systems of Quaternary Ammonium Foam Drainage Agent with Carbon Quantum Dots and Silica Nanoparticles for Improved Gas Field Performance

Foam drainage agents enhance gas production by removing wellbore liquids. However, due to the ultra-high salinity environments of the Hechuan gas field (salinity up to 32.5 × 104 mg/L), no foam drainage agent is suitable for this gas field. To address this challenge, we developed a novel nanocomposite foam drainage system composed of quaternary ammonium and two types of nanoparticles. This work describes the design and synthesis of a quaternary ammonium foam drainage agent and nano-engineered stabilizers. Nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether sulfosuccinate quaternary ammonium foam drainage agent was synthesized using maleic anhydride, sodium chloroacetate, N,N-dimethylpropylenediamine, etc., as precursors. We employed the Stöber method to create hydrophobic silica nanoparticles. Carbon quantum dots were then prepared and functionalized with dodecylamine. Finally, carbon quantum dots were incorporated into the mesopores of silica nanoparticles to enhance stability. Through optimization, the best performance was achieved with a (quaternary ammonium foam drainage agents)-(carbon quantum dots/silica nanoparticles) ratio of 5:1 and a total dosage of 1.1%. Under harsh conditions (salinity 35 × 104 mg/L, condensate oil 250 cm3/m3, temperature 80 °C), the system exhibited excellent stability with an initial foam height of 160 mm, remaining at 110 mm after 5 min. Additionally, it displayed good liquid-carrying capacity (160 mL), low surface tension (27.91 mN/m), and a long half-life (659 s). These results suggest the effectiveness of nanoparticle-enhanced foam drainage systems in overcoming high-salinity challenges. Previous foam drainage agents typically exhibited a salinity resistance of no more than 25 × 104 mg/L. In contrast, this innovative system demonstrates a superior salinity tolerance of up to 35 × 104 mg/L, addressing a significant gap in available agents for high-salinity gas fields. This paves the way for future development of advanced foam systems for gas well applications with high salinity.

Foam Stabilization Process for Nano-Al2O3 and Its Effect on Mechanical Properties of Foamed Concrete

Foamed concrete is increasingly utilized in engineering due to its light weight, excellent thermal insulation, fire resistance, etc. However, its low strength has always been the most crucial factor limiting its large-scale application. This study introduced an innovative method to enhance the strength of foamed concrete by using nano-Al2O3 (NA) as a foam stabilizer. NA was introduced into a foaming agent containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) to prepare a highly stable foam. This approach significantly improved the foam stability and the strength of foamed concrete. Its drainage volume, settlement distance, microstructure, and stabilizing action were investigated, along with the strength, microstructure, and hydration products of foamed concrete. The presence of NA effectively reduced the drainage volume and settlement distance of the foam. NA is distributed at the gas-liquid interface and within the liquid film to play a hindering role, increasing the thickness of the liquid film, delaying the liquid discharge rate from the liquid film, and hindering bubble aggregation, thereby enhancing foam stability. Additionally, due to the stabilizing effect of NA on the foam, the precast foam forms a fine and uniform pore structure in the hardened foamed concrete. At 28 d, the compressive strength of FC0 (0% NAs in foam) is 2.18 MPa, while that of FC3 (0.18% NAs in foam) is 3.90 MPa, increased by 79%. The reason for this is that NA promotes the formation of AFt, and its secondary hydration leads to the continuous consumption of Ca(OH)2, resulting in a more complete hydration reaction. This study presents a novel method for significantly improving the performance of foamed concrete by incorporating NA.

Effects of residual foaming agent and defoamer on defoaming-flocculation-filterpress characteristics of earth pressure balance shield muck

Foaming agents as a combination of several components are usually used as soil conditioning during earth pressure balance shield (EPBS) tunnelling. These residues in waste EPBS muck lead to a series of new challenges for in-situ recycling, i.e., foams overflow flocculation tank. This study investigates the effects of residual foaming agent components and defoamers on defoaming-flocculation-filterpress characteristics of EPBS muck using an improved flocculation and filterpress system. Residual foam height (Hf), defoaming ratio (DFR), antifoaming ratio (AFR), total suspended substance (TSS), turbidity, moisture content (MC), and zeta potential (ZP) were selected as characterization indices. The microstructure of filterpress cakes was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. Results demonstrate that an enhancement within 0.0-1.0wt.% for sodium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate (AES) and alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS) significantly reduces DFR and AFR. The MC and ZP decline, while the Hf and turbidity enhance. The combinations of nonionic surfactants alkyl polyglycoside (APG) and fatty alcohol-polyoxyethylene ether (AEO) in a concentration range of 0.0-1.0wt.% with 0.2wt.% AES causes the Hf, DFR, AFR, turbidity, and ZP to exhibit absolutely different variations. The MC with the growth in both APG and AEO presents a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. By increasing foam stabilizers sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and guar gum (GG) within 0.02-0.10wt.%, the AFR, TSS, and ZP enhance in varying degrees, while the Hf, DFR, and MC gradually reduce. With the increase of defoamers hydroxyl silicone oil-glycerol polyoxypropylene ether (H-G) and dimethyl silicone oil-glycerol polyoxypropylene ether (D-G) within 0.002-0.010wt.%, the DFR and AFR are significantly improved, while the TSS, turbidity, MC, and ZP display varying degrees of reduction. Moreover, defoaming-flocculation-filterpress mechanisms of EPBS muck are explored to provide a useful reference for actual in-situ recycling projects.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Synergistic Effect of Alkali/Surfactant/Polymer on the Formation and Stabilization of Water-Based Foam Systems

The stable maintenance effect of a chemical oil displacement agent on a foam liquid film usually creates problems with the oilfields surface system. To achieve comprehensive insights into the influence mechanism of these chemical agent components on the foam liquid film, an "SDBS/HPAM/OH^-" water-based foam simulation system and corresponding control systems were constructed by adjusting the categories and quantities of component molecules by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The simulated results indicated that the foam stability follows the order of "SDBS/HPAM/OH^-" system > "SDBS/HPAM" system > "SDBS" system. The smaller the inclination angle of the SDBS molecular tail chain, the greater the tendency of the SDBS molecular configuration to be "upright" at the gas-liquid interface, which is not conducive to preventing the aggregation and penetration of gas molecules at the gas-liquid interface. Although the presence of HPAM molecules can significantly enhance the stability of the liquid film by restricting the liquid film's drainage and the diffusion of gas molecules, the addition of HPAM molecules would weaken the formation ability of the foam liquid film. Through decreasing the aggregation of cations around the co-adsorption layer, OH^- not only enhances the interfacial activity of SDBS molecules, but also reduces the electrostatic repulsion between -COO^- groups on the HPAM molecular chain, which makes the foam more stable. With an increase in the pH, SDBS concentration, and HPAM concentration, the stability of foam liquid film was strengthened. These results are helpful in facilitating new insights into the formation and stabilization mechanism of water-based foams. In particular, they provide support for the development and application of new defoaming technologies.

High-Efficient Dust Trapping Performance of AES/Polyacrylamide Strengthen Foam Based on the Structure Stability and Dust Wettability

The atmospheric dust has a great negative impact on the societal harmonious development that starves for an efficient dust suppressant. This paper proposes a novel AES/polyacrylamide strengthen foam (APSF) to improve the dust trapping effectiveness. The APSF structure property and dust suppression capacity are studied and evaluated through the molecular dynamics simulation and experimental tests. The results express that APSF exhibits the stronger structure stability, superior water retention, and slower drainage performance than the traditional water-based foam (WBF). APSF dynamic simulation is studied by the relative concentration, radial distribution function, head group orientation, and mean square displacement. Research shows that APSF introduces water to thicken the hydration layer. The interaction strength between water and surfactant head groups is enhanced by 22.62 and 31.37% in the first and second hydrated water shells. APSF improves the sodium fatty alcohol ether sulfate (AES) orientation and weakens the diffusion of water molecules, which favors the foam stability. APSF exerts a better wettability on the coal dust through the wet settlement and contact angle tests. The APSF liquid film thickness reduces to 58.05 from 64.80 μm that is 3.14 times of WBF according to the foam liquid film decay experiment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis indicates that there is an evident reinforcement on the coal surface absorption peak intensity of hydroxyl- and oxygen-containing functional groups treated by APSF. FTIR results are further determined by energy-dispersion spectrum analysis.

Pickering foams and parameters influencing their characteristics

Pickering foams are available in many applications and have been continually gaining interest in the last two decades. Pickering foams are multifaceted, and their characteristics are highly dependent on many factors, such as particle size, charge, hydrophobicity and concentration as well as the charge and concentration of surfactants and salts available in the system. A literature review of these individual studies at first might seem confusing and somewhat contradictory, particularly in multi-component systems with particles and surfactants with different charges in the presence of salts. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of particle-stabilized foams, also known as Pickering foams and froths. Underlying mechanisms of foam stabilization by particles with different morphology, surface chemistry, size and type are reviewed and clarified. This paper also outlines the role of salts and different factors such as pH, temperature and gas type on Pickering foams. Further, we highlight recent developments in Pickering foams in different applications such as food, mining, oil and gas, and wastewater treatment industries, where Pickering foams are abundant. We conclude this overview by presenting important research avenues based on the gaps identified here. The focus of this review is limited to Pickering foams of surfactants with added salts and does not include studies on polymers, proteins, or other macromolecules.

Improvement of Foaming Ability of Surfactant Solutions by Water-Soluble Polymers: Experiment and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Aqueous foam is widely used in fire extinguishing and dust suppression technologies. Improving the foaming ability is the key to reducing the added concentration of foaming agents as well as the economic cost. In this work, the effect of a water-soluble polymer (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) on the foaming ability of anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl ether sulfate, SDES) was studied by an experiment and molecular dynamics simulation. The experimental results showed that PVA greatly improves the foaming ability of SDES solutions when the surfactant concentration is less than 0.1%, which is attributed to the fact that the polymer can enhance the stability of bubble films and reduce the bubble rupture rate during the foam generation process. The simulation results indicate that PVA can enhance the hydration of surfactant head groups and contribute to the formation of a three-dimensional hydrogen bond network between surfactants, polymers, and water molecules, thus greatly improving the stability of bubble liquid films. The above results suggest that water-soluble polymers can be used to improve the foaming ability of surfactant solutions by enhancing the bubble film stability, which is beneficial as it reduces the added concentration of foaming agents in aqueous foam applications.

Different strategies of foam stabilization in the use of foam as a fracturing fluid

An attractive alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of conventional water-based fluids on the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing is to inject foam-based fracking fluids into reservoirs. The efficiency of foaming fluids in subsurface applications largely depends on the stability and transportation of foam bubbles in harsh environments with high temperature, pressure and salinity, all of which inevitably lead to poor foam properties and thus limit fracturing efficiency. The aim of this paper is to elaborate popular strategies of foam stabilization under reservoir conditions. Specifically, this review first discusses three major mechanisms governing foam decay and summarizes recent progress in research on these phenomena. Since surfactants, polymers, nanoparticles and their composites are popular options for foam stabilization, their stabilizing effects, especially the synergies in composites, are also reviewed. In addition to reporting experimental results, the paper also reports recent advances in interfacial properties via molecular dynamical simulation, which provide new insights into gas/liquid interfacial properties under the influence of surfactants at molecular scale. The results of both experiments and simulations indicate that foam additives play an essential role in foam stability and the synergic effects of surfactants and nanoparticles exhibit more favorable performance.