Study on Wettability Alteration of Quartz Surface by Surfactants

Abstract

In order to study the effect of surfactants on wettability of quartz surface, the dynamic contact angles of different surfactants on water-wet and oil-wet quartz surfaces were measured. The experimental results showed that the advancing contact angles of cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants on oil-wet quartz surfaces decrease with the increase of surfactant concentrations; the wettability of water-wet quartz plates remains water-wet after treated by all three kinds of surfactants. Surfactants can reverse the wettability from oil-wet to water-wet at low concentrations; The electrostatic force, hydrophobic force and the attraction between surfactant and polar components of crude oil are the key interactions in the wettability alteration process.