Xanthan gum short-chain modified TiO2 nanoparticles for the preparation of high-stability foam to effectively improve the efficiency of foam oil repulsion

• Published in: Vacuum 2024-09, Vol.227, p.113461, Article 113461
• Main Authors: You, Jianwei, Zou, Changjun, Kang, Jingxin, Li, Yuqin, Liu, Enxing, Zhang, Bojian, Liu, Gaojie, Cao, Yixuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Foam; Oil recovery; Stability; TiO2 nanoparticles; Xanthan gum
• ISSN: 0042-207X; 1879-2715
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vacuum.2024.113461

Nanoparticles excel in foam stability enhancement. In this experiment, xanthan gum (XG) short links were branched on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles, and the synthesis of novel nanomaterials was verified by analyzing the structure of the nanoparticles by FT-IR, XRD, and XPS, and investigating the dispersion of the nanoparticles by using SEM as well as capturing the cross-sectional images of XG-TiO2 by using TEM and performing elemental analyses. The foams prepared by using cationic surfactant Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and XG-TiO2 synergistically had excellent performance, and XG-TiO2 was able to effectively prevent the disproportionation reaction of the foams. By adding hydroxide and changing the air pressure, the half-life and foaming volume of the prepared foams were compared and analyzed, and the half-life of the foams was more than twice as much as that of the traditional materials, and the foam morphology of the foams with XG-TiO2 was smaller and more homogeneous. When XG-TiO2 foam was tested for core drive, the total crude oil recovery reached 81.2 %, which was 45.4 % higher than the water drive recovery. This experiment demonstrated the potential of XG-TiO2 nanoparticles in enhancing foam stability and foam drive application. •In this study, xanthan gum (XG) was grafted onto the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles by surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles to enhance the stability of the nanoparticles in solution in order to solve the problem of serious agglomeration and precipitation of nanoparticles in solution.•TiO2 nanoparticles were used to enhance foam stability with obvious effects, but xanthan gum grafted TiO2 nanoparticles (XG- TiO2) improved foam half-life more than twice as much as pure TiO2, and foaming volume was more than 15 % higher than TiO2 foam.•XG-TiO2 can build up the shell layer structure more stably at the foam interface because the branched chains of XG attached to TiO2 interact or cross-link with each other, and finally form a gel-like reticulation. This structure can enhance the adsorption of nanoparticles at the interface.•The reticular structure formed by XG-TiO2 on the foam liquid film effectively reduces the discharge of the foam, and it plays a role similar to the skeleton support, which is a good protection for the internal foam, and greatly slows down the rupture speed of the foam.•The XG-TiO2 foam was applied to foam drive oil, and the original total recovery rate reached 81.2 %, which was 45.4 % higher th