Wettability literature survey - Part 5: The effects of wettability on relative permeability
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), Journal Name: J. Pet. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 39:11; ISSN JPTJA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MEASURING METHODS
OIL WELLS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
POROSITY
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
REVIEWS
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
STIMULATION
WATERFLOODING
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS
WETTABILITY