Wettability literature survey - Part 5: The effects of wettability on relative permeability

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · J. Pet. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2118/16323-PA· OSTI ID:5635121

Anderson, W G

The wettability of a core will strongly affect its waterflood behavior and relative permeability. Wettability affects relative permeability because it is a major factor in the control of the location, flow, and distribution of fluids in a porous medium. In uniformly or fractionally wetted porous media, the water relative permeability increases and the oil relative permeability decreases as the system becomes more oil-wet. In a mixed-wettability system, the continuous oil-wet paths in the larger pores alter the relative permeability curves and allow the system to be waterflooded to a very low residual oil saturation (ROS) after the injection of many PV's of water. The most accurate relative permeability measurements are made on native-state core, where the reservoir wettability is perserved. Serious errors can result when measurements are made on cores with altered wettability, such as cleaned core or core contaminated with drilling-mud surfactants.

• Research Organization: Conoco Inc.
• OSTI ID: 5635121
• Journal Information: J. Pet. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 39:11
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
OIL WELLS
WATERFLOODING
RESERVOIR ROCK
WETTABILITY
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
MEASURING METHODS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
POROSITY
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
REVIEWS
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
WELL STIMULATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
RECOVERY
STIMULATION
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production