SchoolofPetroleumEngineering

Interfacialtension,wettability,capillary
pressure
Furqan Hussain

PTRL3001 ReservoirEngineering B

3/6/2014

Interfacial tension

Surface molecules

Bulk molecules

Bulk molecules: symmetrical intermolecular forces zero net force on molecule

Surface molecules: lack of symmetry non-zero net force on surface molecule

Interfacial tension

Surface molecules

Bulk molecules

Bulk molecules: symmetrical intermolecular forces zero net force on molecule

Surface molecules: lack of symmetry non-zero net force on surface molecule

Interfacial tension

Surface molecules

Bulk molecules

Surface forces: Interfacial tensions different surface forces on each side of the
interface result in different pressures on each side of the interface
Curved interface: Non-zero net force on interface, interface in tension. Since
interface is a free surface it deforms (becomes curved)

Interfacial tension

Surface molecules

Bulk molecules

Interface between two fluids

1. Pressure difference across interface. The pressure difference is called
capillary pressure
2. Interface is curved

Liquid drop on a solid surface

Liquid

Solid

Two fluids in contact with a solid surface

Wettability for an oil-water-rock system

By convention, the contact

angle is measured from the
wetting phase

Wettability of water-hydrocarbon systems on silica and calcite

Different wetting conditions for an oil-water system

Adhesion tension

Capillary-Gravity Equilibrium

Capillary-Gravity Equilibrium

By convention, capillary pressure is

defined as the difference between
the non-wetting and wetting phase
pressures

Effect of wettability on transition zone

(wetting fluid invades spontaneously)
Water-wet

Neutral

Oil-wet

Laplace equation for capillary pressure

oil

water

Interfacial force

Buoyancy force

Surface curvature two principal radii of curvature

General Laplace equation

oil

water

Principal radii of curvature

Equilibrium capillary rise in tubes

The smaller the radius the greater the

capillary pressure

The greater the capillary pressure the

higher the capillary rise h.

Imbibition and Drainage

IMBIBITION wetting fluid (red) displaces the non-wetting fluid from the
capillary. This is a spontaneous process.

DRAINAGE non-wetting fluid displaces wetting (red) fluid from the

capillary. This is a forced process.

Capillary rise in inclined tubes

spontaneous imbibition

Capillary rise in all the tubes is to the same vertical height free water level

Capillary rise in inclined tubes

spontaneous imbibition

Pnw
Pw

Pnw

Pnw
Pw

P0

Pw

P0

P0

For horizontal capillary wetting fluid completely displaces non-wetting fluid from the tube.
There is no gravitational force to oppose the adhesive force.

Imbibition and Drainage

Since Pc is the same in tubes 1 and 2

Pc

2 cos
r

Pnw1

And since Pnw2 Pnw1

Pw1

It follows that

Pnw 2
Pw 2

P0

Pc

2 cos
r

P0

To push the interface back down (drainage) we need to increase the

pressure in the non-wetting fluid

Pnw2 Pnw1

Imbibition and Drainage

Imbibition
spontaneous

Drainage
forced

Since Pc is the same in tubes 1 and 2

Pc

2 cos
r

Pnw1

And since Pnw2 Pnw1

Pw1

It follows that

Pnw 2
Pw 2

P0

Pc

2 cos
r

P0

To push the interface back down (drainage) we need to increase the

pressure in the non-wetting fluid

Pnw2 Pnw1

Imbibition into a relatively homogeneous porous medium

6 min

200 min

800 min

Capillary rise is similar to the capillary rise in a tube.

Imbibition into a relatively homogeneous porous medium

6 min

200 min

800 min

Capillary rise is similar to the capillary rise in a tube.

Simple model for a porous medium bundle of
capillary tubes

Actual pore space in a porous rock

6 min

200 min

800 min

Capillary rise occurs along the corners of the interconnected pore space

Meniscus in a pore and capillary pressure

Drainage capillary pressure

Drainage displacement non-wetting fluid displacing wetting fluid

pw is atmospheric (constant)
Since Pc po pw

Threshold capillary pressure

(creating an interface in the
largest pore)

Pct

Increasing

Pc means

increasing

pw

Schematic of a drainage displacement

threshold capillary pressure

For the interface to move from C to

B capillary pressure must first
increase to a maximum at A and
then decrease to B

For non-wetting fluid at C to enter

pore B the capillary pressure must
be greater than the throat capillary
pressure at A

Drainage capillary pressure curves for a number of reservoir rocks

Porous plate method for capillary pressure measurement

Drainage capillary pressure from small rock fragments

3D image probed with spheres of decreasing radius (Hilpert and Miller (2001))
Berea sandstone

Mt.Gambier limestone

20003 image 2um resolution

Converting laboratory measured capillary

pressure to reservoir conditions

Drainage capillary pressure curves for a number of reservoir rocks

The curvature
of the graph
give us some
information???

Mixed Wettability degree of oil wetness depends on capillary pressure

LOW Pc

MEDIUM Pc

thick film

water

thin film

oil

water-wet

HIGH Pc

Thinner film

oil

oil

water-wet

water-wet

water-wet
oil-wet

oil

water-wet

Strongly water-wet

oil-wet
oil

oil

mixed-wet

Moderately oil-wet

mixed-wet

Strongly oil-wet

Wettability measurement by spontaneous imbibition

Oil imbibition into
a water saturated core

Water imbibition into

an oil saturated core

SchoolofPetroleumEngineering

InitialFluiddistribution
Furqan Hussain

PTRL3001 ReservoirEngineering B

3/13/2014

Initial fluid distribution in a reservoir

Initial fluid distribution
in a reservoir is
established by a
drainage process

The fluid distribution

in drainage is
determined by
capillary pressure

Initial pressure distribution and capillary pressure

water saturation is a function of capillary pressure

Initial water saturation in a homogeneous reservoir

Initial pressure distribution and capillary pressure

Schematic of static water distribution in a reservoir

as a result of capillary-gravity equilibrium

Effect of pore size distribution on initial fluid saturation

Effect of pore size distribution on initial fluid saturation

Low water saturation

High water saturation

 How about GOC???

3/13/2014

Layered reservoir 5 sand layers and a shale layer

4049

SchoolofPetroleumEngineering

RelativePermeability
Furqan Hussain

PTRL3001 ReservoirEngineering B

3/13/2014

Relative permeability
Extension of Darcys law to two-phase flow

Relative permeability
Extension of Darcys law to two-phase flow

Relative permeability

Measurement of relative permeability

Typical two-phase relative permeability curves

Oil-water system

oil rel perm

water rel perm

Irreducible
water
saturation

Residual oil
saturation

Typical two-phase relative permeability curves

End-point
relative permeabiliy

Irreducible
saturation
due to
limited
capillary
pressure

End-point
relative permeabiliy

Residual
saturation
due to
snap-off

Typical water-oil relative permeability curves

Effect of rock wettability

Strongly water-wet rock

Strongly oil-wet rock

Effect of wettability on relative permeability

Water wet

Oil wet

THE EFFECT OF WETTABILTY ON RELATIVE

PERMEABILITY
Effect of wettability variation on uniformly wetted system

Water relative permeability

increases as system becomes
more oil wet

Oil relative permeability

decreases as system becomes
more oil wet

Owen and Archer (1971)

3/13/2014

THE EFFECT OF WETTABILTY ON RELATIVE

PERMEABILITY
Fractional and Mixed-Wet system

Rocks with heterogeneous wettability are known as

fractional wet

Fractionally wet system in which oil wet surfaces form a

continuous path through the larger pores, is called mixed
wet (Salatheil 1972)

If system is more oil wet, kro &

Different chemicals can be used to convert oil wet system

to mixed wet system (Rao et al. 2006)
6

krw

3/13/2014