Patent ID: 8524641

Claim:
A composition providing a stable foam, comprising (a) an aqueous liquid; (b) at least one, water soluble or dispersible, silicon-containing polyether foamant contained within the aqueous liquid; and (c) a non-aqueous liquid where the aqueous liquid (a) comprises water and minerals (brine), the non-aqueous liquid (c) substantially comprises liquid hydrocarbons, and the silicon-containing polyether foamant (b) in the aqueous liquid (a) is defined as M a M A b M B c M C d M E e D f D E g T h T E i Q j with M=R 1 R 2 R 3 SiO 1/2 ; M A =R 4 R 5 R 6 SiR E ; M B =[(R 7 R 8 R 9 Si) k R 10 ] l Si(R 11 ) m (R 12 ) n R E ; M C =[(R 13 R 14 R 15 Si) o R 16 ] p Si(R 17 ) q (R 18 ) r O 1/2 ; M E =R 19 R 20 R E SiO 1/2 ; D=R 21 R 22 SiO 2/2 ; D E =R 23 R E SiO 2/2 ; T=R 24 SiO 3/2 ; T E =R E SiO 2/2 ; and Q=SiO 4/2 ; wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 , R 20 , R 21 , R 22 , R 23 and R 24 are each independently selected from the group of OR 25 or monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, optionally containing heteroatoms and hydroxyl groups, having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms; R 10 and R 16 are polyvalent linear or branched unsaturated or saturated hydrocarbon radicals, optionally containing heteroatoms and hydroxyl groups, subject to the limitation that the valency of R 10 and R 16 is at least one and less than about 30; R E is a monovalent radical defined as: —R 26 —(C 2 H 4 O) s (C 3 H 6 O) t (C 4 H 8 O) u —R 27 with the provision that the polymer must contain at least one R E group; R 25 is a monovalent, linear or branched unsaturated or saturated hydrocarbon radical optionally containing heteroatoms and hydroxyl groups, having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms; R 26 is oxygen or a divalent, linear or branched unsaturated or saturated hydrocarbon radical, optionally containing heteroatoms and hydroxyl groups, with about 2 to about 30 carbon atoms; R 27 is H or —C(═O)CH 3 or a monovalent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical, optionally containing heteroatoms and hydroxyl groups, having from 1 to about 30 carbon atoms; subscripts a, e, f, g, h, i and j are 0 or a positive integer subject to the limitation 1≦a+b+c+d+e+f+g+h+i+j<about 300; subscript b is 0 or 1 subject to the limitation if b is 1 then a+c+d+e+f+g+h+i+j=0; subscript c is 0 or 1 subject to the limitation if c is 1 then a+b+d+e+f+g+h+i+j=0; subscript d is 0 or positive, subject to the proviso that if b+c=0 then d is positive; subscript k is positive subject to the limitation 0<k<about 30 and k is equal the valency of R 10 −1; subscript l is positive; subscripts m and n are zero or positive subject to the limitation l+m+n=3; subscript o is positive subject to the limitation 0<o<about 30 and o is equal the valency of R 16 −1; subscript p is positive subscripts q and r are individually zero or positive subject to the proviso that p+q+r=3; and subscripts s, t and u are zero or positive subject to the limitation that s+t+u≧about 3.