Fluid–rock interactions and its implications on EOR: Critical analysis, experimental techniques and knowledge gaps

Isah, Abubakar; Arif, Muhammad; Hassan, Amjed; Mahmoud, Mohamed; Iglauer, Stefan

doi:10.1016/j.egyr.2022.04.071

Cited by 46 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 280 publications

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“…This also leads to the apparent contact angle being smaller than the intrinsic contact angle. For the hydrophobic core, the increase in surface roughness of the hydrophobic core leads to a rise in the apparent contact angle of water droplets according to the Wenzel model . The core contact angle characterized by the nanomechanics method was significantly smaller than that of the contact angle method.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For the hydrophobic core, the increase in surface roughness of the hydrophobic core leads to a rise in the apparent contact angle of water droplets according to the Wenzel model. 63 The core contact angle characterized by the nanomechanics method was significantly smaller than that of the contact angle method. Thus, it can be seen that the deviation caused by the imbibition and the roughness will affect the wettability evaluation and the nanomechanics method is capable of accurately characterizing the intrinsic wettability of the cores.…”

Section: Wettability Index Based On the Relationship Between The Intr...mentioning

confidence: 88%

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Microscale Reservoir Wettability Evaluation Based on Oil–Rock Nanomechanics

Luo

Chu

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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Low oil production and rapid production decline epitomize the challenges of unconventional reservoir development. Rocks in the formation with micro-/nanoscale pore-throat units possess an immense surface area. Consequently, the wettability of rocks plays a crucial role in the relative permeability of oil/water, the injection pressure, the distribution and morphology of residual oil, and hence the ultimate oil recovery. Contact angle, as a frequently used method to evaluate wettability, is susceptible to oil-water saturation, imbibition, and surface roughness of rock slices. In addition, the measurement scale (droplet of several millimeters) does not match the flow scale (pore units in micro-or nanoscale). Therefore, this paper established a new wettability evaluation method based on oil−rock interaction. Molecular dynamics simulation results demonstrated that the interaction energy between the oil molecule and walls with different wettabilities shows a distinct discrepancy. Accordingly, nanomechanics by AFM was utilized to measure the oil molecule−pore wall interaction force. It was found that the interaction force increases with the augmented hydrophobicity of the pore wall due to hydrophobic force. In addition, the reservoir rock wettability index was defined using the oil−rock interaction force in the nanoscale. The wettability index has an excellent linear correlation with the intrinsic contact angle. The wettability evaluation method based on the oil−rock interaction force is more direct, facile, and rapid and overcomes the limitation of the traditional contact angle method.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Wettability Index Based On the Relationship Between The Intr...mentioning

confidence: 88%

Microscale Reservoir Wettability Evaluation Based on Oil–Rock Nanomechanics

Luo

Chu

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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“…Depending on the adsorbing fluid properties and the fluids’ propensity to interact with the surface, the ζ-potential can be used as a sign of wettability change. Additionally, the use of ζ-potential measurement in wettability alteration experiments gives researchers insight into wettability changes but does not allow in situ changes to be observed . Furthermore, a thorough understanding of the chemistry of the fluids and surfaces involved in the interactions is necessary to infer the wettability alterations from ζ-potential measurements.…”

Section: Wettability Alteration and The ζ-Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Sulfate-Based Scales on Calcite Mineral Surface Chemistry: Insights from Zeta-Potential Experiments and Their Implications on Wettability

et al. 2022

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Scale formation and deposition in the subsurface and surface facilities have been recognized as a major cause of flow assurance issues in the oil and gas industry. Sulfate-based scales such as sulfates of calcium (anhydrite and gypsum) and barium (barite) are some of the commonly encountered scales during hydrocarbon production operations. Oilfield scales are a well-known flow assurance problem, which occurs mainly due to the mixing of incompatible brines. Researchers have largely focused on the rocks’ petrophysical property modifications (permeability and porosity damage) caused by scale precipitation and deposition. Little or no attention has been paid to their influence on the surface charge and wettability of calcite minerals. Thus, this study investigates the effect of anhydrite and barite scales’ presence on the calcite mineral surface charge and their propensity to alter the wetting state of calcite minerals. This was achieved vis-à-vis zeta-potential (ζ-potential) measurement. Furthermore, two modes of the scale control (slug and continuous injections) using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were examined to determine the optimal control strategy as well as the optimal inhibitor dosage. Results showed that the presence of anhydrite and barite scales in a calcite reservoir affects the colloidal stability of the system, thus posing a threat of precipitation, which would result in permeability and porosity damage. Also, the calcite mineral surface charge is affected by the presence of calcium and barium sulfate scales; however, the magnitude of change in the surface charge via ζ-potential measurement is insignificant to cause wettability alteration by the mineral scales. Slug and continuous injections of EDTA were implemented, with the optimal scale control strategy being the continuous injection of EDTA solutions. The optimal dosage of EDTA for anhydrite scale control is 5 and 1 wt % for the formation water and seawater environments, respectively. In the case of barite, in both environments, an EDTA dosage of 1 wt % suffices. Findings from this study not only further the understanding of the scale effects on calcite mineral systems but also provide critical insights into the potential of scale formation and their mechanisms of interactions for better injection planning and the development of a scale control strategy.

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“…They are considered favorable rocks for CO 2 storage and for assessing the effectiveness of hydrocarbon-displacing fluids because of their high permeability and porosity. , However, water-reactive clay minerals like illite, chlorite, and kaolinite could be volumetrically significant in sandstone formation. The increasing clay reactivity in an acidic environment due to CO 2 dissolution in formation brines and clay swelling in water presence can alter the petrophysical properties of the sandstone rock. − The stability of the clay minerals present in the sandstone rock can be achieved through rock firing, thus preventing the swelling of clay and migration of fines. It is also a process of ensuring that the number of variables that could influence the outcomes of core-flooding (displacement) experiments is minimized .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Rock Firing on the Wettability of Clay-Rich Sandstones

et al. 2023

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Rock firing is a conventional technique of core preparation to prevent clay swelling and fines migration in clay-rich rock; however, the influence of rock firing on the wetting behaviors and alterations of mineralogical compositions of clay-rich sandstones is not yet explicit. Thus, we assessed and compared the impacts of rock burning at two different temperatures (700 and 1100 °C) on the changes in wetting states of Bentheimer (BN) and clay-rich Bandera Gray (BG) sandstones through contact angle measurement, Amott wettability index determination, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results showed that rock firing makes the rocks more water-wet, but the clay-rich BG sandstone becomes significantly more water-wet than the quartz-dominated BN rock with increasing temperature. There was no change in rock porosity due to firing, but some clay remained, whereas some clays were transformed into other minerals after rock firing. Particularly, there were thermal transformations of clay to quartz and the disappearance of dolomite, chlorite, and clinochlore. Such transformation of these minerals into alkali metal oxide silicates dispersed on the rock matrix makes the surface more polar and enhances the interactions with water molecules, resulting in more water wettability for the BG sandstone. The study suggests that rock firing could change the clay-rich rock-wetting state into a more water-wet condition than the clay-poor or zero-clay sandstone samples; thus, the influence of rock burning on rock-wetting behavior should be considered to ensure an accurate prediction of the rock-wetting state due to rock burning. Moreover, burning at 1100 °C is recommended to achieve effective clay transformation and removal in clay-rich rock to prevent swelling, fines migration, and clay–fluid interactions.

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Fluid–rock interactions and its implications on EOR: Critical analysis, experimental techniques and knowledge gaps

Cited by 46 publications

References 280 publications

Microscale Reservoir Wettability Evaluation Based on Oil–Rock Nanomechanics

Microscale Reservoir Wettability Evaluation Based on Oil–Rock Nanomechanics

Effect of Sulfate-Based Scales on Calcite Mineral Surface Chemistry: Insights from Zeta-Potential Experiments and Their Implications on Wettability

Influence of Rock Firing on the Wettability of Clay-Rich Sandstones

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