Abstract
Abstract Foam flooding is a promising enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique, where the stability of the foam significantly impacts the success of the process. Achieving stable foam is crucial as it affects the mobility of oil and the efficiency of the recovery process. However, a significant challenge in foam flooding is the destabilizing effect of asphaltenes on surfactant-based foams, which can decrease oil recovery efficiency. Nanoparticles are used to develop nanoparticles-surfactant-based more stable foams, but the effect of asphaltene on this type of foam should be investigated. This study evaluates whether silica nanoparticles (NPs) mitigate asphaltene-induced destabilization in SDS-stabilized N2 foams at 25 °C in 10,000 ppm NaCl brine. Oils with controlled asphaltene levels (0-14 wt%) and NP concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.6 wt%) were tested using microscopy and foam half-life, followed by core flooding in Bentheimer sandstone. Increasing asphaltene content reduced bubble density and half-life (99 s to 27 s in surfactant-only foam), while NP addition improved texture and stability across all asphaltene levels up to 48% longer half-life at 14 wt% asphaltene. In core floods, nanoparticle-stabilized foam increased mobility reduction factor (MRF) by 46% (low-asphaltene) and 69% (high-asphaltene) and increased recovery factor (RF) from 30% to 68% for high-asphaltene oil. These major findings highlight the potential of nanoparticles to overcome the challenges posed by asphaltenes, thereby enhancing foam stability and mobility control, as well as optimizing general oil recovery in reservoirs with asphaltene.