Synergistic application of air-foam flooding and corrosion inhibition technologies: mechanisms and performance evaluation in enhanced oil recovery systems

Abstract The contemporary foam oil drive technology is impeded by two critical issues: the instability of the foaming agent and the corrosive impact of airborne O 2 on injection and production pipelines. These challenges significantly impact the safe and efficient operation of oil fields. Given the unique molecular structure of surfactants, this study proposes an innovative integrated formulation that combines air-foam oil displacement with a corrosion inhibitor to effectively address these limitations. The results show that the integrated air-foam oil displacer-corrosion inhibitor all-in-one formulation SSTN (0.8 % BS-12 + 0.6 % AES + 0.07 % CTAB + 500 mg L −1 N 2 H 4 –H 2 O) exhibits exceptional foaming efficiency and salt resistance. When interacting with simulated condensate, the SSTN foam shows remarkable stability, with the ability to tolerate condensate concentrations in excess of 10 %. In addition, the SSTN solution exhibits superior corrosion inhibition efficacy, as confirmed by both static pendant drop and electrochemical methods, confirming the multi-functionality of this integrated agent. At lower concentrations, SSTN can effectively reduce surface tension, achieving an oil displacement efficiency of 25.37 % in core simulation experiments. The development of this integrated air-foam oil displacement-corrosion inhibitor provides a valuable reference for related fields and has significant potential for application in enhancing oil recovery in oilfields.