Experimental Study of Non-Newtonian Behavior of Foam Flow in Highly Permeable Porous Media
Résumé
Foam-flow behavior in highly permeable porous media is still unclear. Two types of pre-generated foam using porous columns respectively filled with fine sand and 1 mm glass beads were studied in different packs of glass beads with monodisperse bead size. Foam generated in fine sand had a sharp displacing front. However, the foam pre-generated using 1 mm glass beads had a transition zone front. We found that the transition foam-quality regime was independent of the porous medium grain size only when the bubbles are smaller than the pores. The apparent viscosity of foam was found to follow the Herschel-Bulkley model if the foam bubble sizes were smaller than the pore sizes. When the bubbles were the same size as the pores, the foam behaved like a Newtonian fluid at low flowrates and, by increasing flowrates, exhibited shear-thinning fluid behavior. Furthermore, the apparent foam viscosity was found to increase with permeability. Highlights Bubble sizes affect apparent foam viscosity in high permeability porous media; Increasing of foam bubble size reduces the apparent foam viscosity; Liquid saturation in high permeability porous media changes with flow rate and foam quality; Transition foam quality is high and constant if bubbles size is smaller than pores size; Foam behaves as yield stress fluid in high permeability porous media. 2
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