Rheology of foamed cement

Foams are being used in a number of petroleum industry applications that exploit their high viscosity and low density. Foamed cement slurries can have superior displacement properties relative to non-foamed cement slurries. This article presents results of an experimental study of foamed cement rheology. Viscosity curves of foamed cements were obtained using a flow-through rotational viscometer. Foamed cements with different foam qualities were generated under different pressures using a foam generator/viscometer apparatus. The foam qualities during the tests ranged from 0% to 30%, and the shear rate varied between 5 s− 1 and 600 s− 1. Experimental results indicate that: i) unlike conventional aqueous foams, low-quality cement foams have a lower viscosity than the base fluid; ii) as the cement foam quality (gas volumetric fraction) increases from 10% to 30%, the viscosity also increases; and iii) the viscosity of low-quality cement foam slightly increases after depressurization or expansion.