Foam Stability Evaluation of a Biodegradable Surfactant with Green Polymeric Stabilizers for Underbalanced Drilling Fluids

Foam-based fluids are commonly used in underbalanced drilling (UBD) to reduce formation damage, enhance cuttings transport, and maintain pressure control in low-density drilling environments. However, their stability can be compromised under high-salinity and alkaline conditions typical of UBD operations. This study presents the formulation and evaluation of a simplified and environmentally friendly foam system based on a green, biodegradable surfactant (GreenSurf) combined with green stabilizers. Foam formulations were evaluated using a Dynamic Foam Analyzer (DFA) under ambient conditions with both air and nitrogen gas phases. A series of tests were conducted to identify the optimal surfactant concentration and screen stabilizer performance and to benchmark the optimized systems against a commercial multicomponent foam blend. Three water-soluble polymers─polyanionic cellulose (PAC), carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salts (CMC), and xanthan gum (XC)─were assessed across different concentrations. Results showed that GreenSurf achieved optimal stability at 1.0 wt %. PAC consistently reduced foam half-life and was excluded from further optimization. CMC at 9 g/L and XC at 6 g/L significantly enhanced foam stability, reaching half-lives of 6473 and 15,969 s, respectively. Both polymer-enhanced systems outperformed the commercial blend in foam stability (5820 s) under the same test conditions. Liquid drainage analysis and structural imaging confirmed improved water retention and bubble cohesion in the optimized systems. The study offers a novel, sustainable approach to foam design by combining a biodegradable surfactant with green stabilizers and evaluating performance under chemically realistic UBD conditions.