Method of improving conformance in steam floods with steam foaming agents

A process for recovering hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon formation penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well producing a water cut of at 90%, which comprises:

• injecting into an injection well a mixture of steam, about 0.01 to about 5 thousand standard cubic feet of a non-condensable gas per barrel of steam in the injected mixture and about 0.01% to about 5% by weight of a foaming agent based upon the weight of the steam in the injected mixture,
• said foaming agent represented by the formula,
• RO(R'O).sub.n R"SO.sub.3.sup.- M.sup.+,
• where R is an alkyl radical, branched or linear, or an alkylbenzene, alkyltoluene or alkylxylene group having from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, R' is ethyl, propyl or a mixture of ethyl and propyl, n has an average value of about 1 to about 20, R" is ethyl, propyl, hydroxypropyl or butyl, and M.sup.+ is an alkali metal or ammonium ion;
• injecting steam into said injection well;
• and
• recovering hydrocarbons and other fluids from a well.

A process for recovering hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon formation penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well, which comprises:

• injecting steam into an injection well;
• injecting into said injection well a mixture of steam, about 0.01 to about 1.5 thousand standard cubic feet of nitrogen per barrel of steam in the injected mixture and about 0.02% to about 1.5% by weight of a foaming agent based upon the weight of the steam in the injected mixture,
• said foaming agent represented by the formula ##STR2## injecting steam into said injection well;
• and recovering hydrocarbons and other fluids from a well.