Controlled release of foam from mesoporous silica-surfactant nanocomposite for enhanced natural gas production

Foam generated from solid foam sticks plays a crucial role in enhancing natural gas production by mitigating liquid accumulation in gas wells. Traditional solid foam sticks dissolve rapidly, releasing foam instantly, particularly at high downhole temperatures in gas wells. This necessitates frequent addition of surfactants to sustain foam generation. To address this issue, this study investigates the use of mesoporous silica nanocomposite to encapsulate the surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), as foam sticks, allowing for extended foam release. Mesoporous silica was synthesized through a sol–gel process involving a silica precursor and surfactant, utilizing alkali-acid catalysts in two steps. The resulting nanocomposite solid sticks were formed through aging and drying in a mold. The silica-surfactant nanocomposite was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD). Experimental results demonstrated the successful encapsulation of 68.2 % surfactant into an average size of 50 nm nanosized silica capsules with a mesoporous structure. Quantitative determination of surfactant release over time in brine at a high temperature (130 °C) was determined through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which showed 6.3 % surfactant remained in nanocomposite after 3 days. Foam performance from the released surfactants was evaluated using a dynamic foam apparatus and blender test. The study showed that foam could be control-released over a period of 7 days through surfactant diffusion from mesoporous nanoparticles. The release of CTAB follows the first-order release kinetic model. This research provides a sustainable solution by utilizing mesoporous silica nanoparticles as carriers for surfactants, resulting in longer-lasting foam for the gas well deliquification and the enhancement of gas production.