Application of foam technology for dust control in underground coal mine

In order to effectively control the dust in the underground coal mine,this study proposes and develops a new technology for dust control by foam,and briefly demonstrates the advantage of the foam technology for dust control,such as the good isolation performance,large contact area,high wetting ability,strong adhesion and so on.Besides,the details of the technology are introduced,including the foam agent,foam generator,and foam production process.Then the paper studies the relationship between the foaming agent concentration and liquid surface tension,and explains the principle of the foam generator.The technology is applied in heading face.The application results show that the foam has a remarkable effect on dust control in underground coal mines.

Gas/water foams stabilized with a newly developed anionic surfactant for gas mobility control applications

Carbon dioxide(CO2) flooding is one of the most globally used EOR processes to enhance oil recovery.However,the low gas viscosity and density result in gas channeling and gravity override which lead to poor sweep efficiency.Foam application for mobility control is a promising technology to increase the gas viscosity,lower the mobility and improve the sweep efficiency in the reservoir.Foam is generated in the reservoir by co-injection of surfactant solutions and gas.Although there are many surfactants that can be used for such purpose,their performance with supercritical CO2(ScCO2) is weak causing poor or loss of mobility control.This experimental study evaluates a newly developed surfactant(CNF) that was introduced for ScCO2 mobility control in comparison with a common foaming agent,anionic alpha olefin sulfonate(AOS) surfactant.Experimental work was divided into three stages:foam static tests,interfacial tension measurements,and foam dynamic tests.Both surfactants were investigated at different conditions.In general,results show that both surfactants are good foaming agents to reduce the mobility of ScCO2 with better performance of CNF surfactant.Shaking tests in the presence of crude oil show that the foam life for CNF extends to more than 24 h but less than that for AOS.Moreover,CNF features lower critical micelle concentration(CMC),higher adsorption,and smaller area/molecule at the liquid-air interface.Furthermore,entering,spreading,and bridging coefficients indicate that CNF surfactant produces very stable foam with light crude oil in both deionized and saline water,whereas AOS was stable only in deionized water.At all conditions for mobility reduction evaluation,CNF exhibits stronger flow resistance,higher foam viscosity,and higher mobility reduction factor than that of AOS surfactant.In addition,CNF and ScCO2 simultaneous injection produced 8.83% higher oil recovery than that of the baseline experiment and 7.87% higher than that of AOS.Pressure drop profiles for foam flooding using CNF was slightly higher than that of AOS indicating that CNF is better in terms of foam-oil tolerance which resulted in higher oil recovery.

A comparative study of dust control practices in Chinese and Australian longwall coal mines

Mine dust is one of the main hazards in underground longwall mines worldwide.In order to solve the mine dust problem,a significant number of studies have been carried out regarding longwall mine dust control,both in China and Australia.This paper presents a comparative study of dust control practices in Chinese and Australian longwall mines,with particular references to statutory limits,dust monitoring methods and dust management practices,followed by a brief discussion on the research status of longwall mine dust control in both countries.The study shows that water infusion,face ventilation controls,water sprays,and deep and wet cutting in longwall shearer operations are commonly practiced in almost all underground longwall mines and that both Chinese and Australian longwall mine dust control practices have their own advantages and disadvantages.It is concluded that there is a need for further development and innovative design of more effective dust mitigation products or systems despite the development of various dust control technologies.Based on the examinations and discussions,the authors have made some recommendations for further research and development in dust control in longwall mines.It is hoped that this comparative study will provide beneficial guidance for scholars and engineers who are engaging in longwall mine dust control research and practice.

Research on Optimization Design of Deep Profile Control Injection Scheme in Block S

In view of the rapid decline rate of oil production and gradual increase of water cut in oil wells in Block S, based on the determination of the formula of foam profile control agent, the optimization study of foam profile control injection scheme was carried out. Petrel software is used to establish a facies controlled geological model based on stochastic modeling method in Block S, and CMG software is used for numerical simulation to design 7 sets of foam profile control prediction schemes. Dynamic data and numerical simulation methods are used to optimize foam injection mode and injection cycle. By simulating and calculating, the optimal injection method of alternating gas and liquid injection and the optimal plan with an injection period of 2 months were selected. Through the calculation results of various research plans, it can be seen that the water content of the optimal plan has decreased significantly, and the oil production rate has increased significantly, in order to slow down production decline, control water content rise, extend the economic recovery period of the oilfield, and achieve the goal of improving oil recovery.