Method of Oil Recovery Using a Foamy Oil-External Emulsion

A method for making a foamy solids-stabilized emulsion, comprising:

• forming a solids-stabilized emulsion, said solids-stabilized emulsion comprising oil as a first liquid, droplets of a second liquid suspended in said oil, and solid particles that are insoluble in both of said oil and said second liquid;
• dissolving gas in said oil to form a solids-stabilized emulsion comprising dissolved gas;
• and
• exposing said solids-stabilized emulsion comprising dissolved gas to a pressure that is sufficiently low to permit evolution of at least a portion of said gas from said oil to form gas bubbles in said oil.

A method for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation comprising:

• forming an oil-external emulsion, said oil-external emulsion having water droplets and gas bubbles stabilized therein as internal phases by sub-micron size solid particles;
• placing said oil-external emulsion in a subterranean formation wherein said gas bubbles are formed in situ within said subterranean formation thereby using said oil-external emulsion in said subterranean formation as a drive fluid to drive said hydrocarbons toward one or more production wells;
• and
• recovering said hydrocarbons from said subterranean formation.