| 摘要 |
A foam generator is provided for in-line installation within a surface tubing network. The generator has a foaming chamber (10) with a plurality of permeable screens (52) positioned in series along a continuous flowpath through the foaming chamber. The screens are separated from one another by spacers (76, 78) that define the radial boundaries of the flowpath. According to one embodiment, the screens and spacers are mounted in a cartridge that fits into the foaming chamber to maintain proper screen alignment and facilitate removal of the screens from the chamber for maintenance. In an alternate embodiment, the screens and spacers are mounted directly in the chamber. In both embodiments, the screens are aligned orthogonal to the flowpath enabling the generator to produce a properly textured foam from shear-sensitive fluids with relatively little shear degradation. The foaming chamber exhibits a substantially uniform incremental pressure drop along any segment of its length and a minimum total pressure drop across its entirety as a function of the number of screens in the foaming chamber, the size and pattern of the openings through the screens, and the cross-sectional area of the flowpath delineated by the spacers. |
