Water Flood

B
A
C
liquid
air & vapor
Surface and Interfacial Tension
Wettability is the tendency of one fluid to spread on or adhere to a
solid surface in the presence of a second fluid.

When two immiscible phases are placed in contact with a solid
surface, one phase is usually attracted to the solid more strongly than
the other phase.

The more strongly attracted phase is called the wetting phase.

Wettability can be quantitatively treated by examining the interfacial
forces that exist when two immiscible fluid phases are in contact with
a solid.

The diagram shows a drop of water in contact with a homogeneous
rock surface in the presence of an oil phase.

The water drop spreads until forces are balanced.

ow
can be measured;
or
and
wr
have never been measured;
experimental methods have not been developed to make these
determinations

is the contact angle
measured through the water
used to measure wettability

< 90
o
water-wet > 90
o
oil-wet

contact angle approaching 0
o
indicates strongly water-wet rock

contact angle approaching 180
o
indicates strongly oil-wet rock

ow

or
wr
water
oil

Force balance at point of intersection
of oil, water and rock gives

or
-
wr
=
ow
cos
IFT IFT IFT
oil/rock water/rock oil/water

=surface tension, dynes/cm

= contact angle measured through water

rock surface
Wettability
Capillarity

When a capillary tube of radius r is placed in a
container of water, the water will rise in the tube to a
height h as a result of the force difference created
across the curvature of the meniscus.

At static conditions the force due to surface tension will
be balanced by the force of gravity acting on the fluid
column.
At equilibrium
Force due to surface tension = Force of gravity on water column
air
r
h

w
= water density, gm/cc

a
= air density, gm/cc
g = 980 cm/s
2
Downward gravitational
force on water column
Upward vertical force
of surface tension
Wetted
perimeter
X =
2r cos = r
2
h(
w
-
a
)g
water

cos 2
g - h r

a w
Capillarity
Any surface between two immiscible fluids has
the tendency to contract into the smallest
possible area per unit volume hence becoming
curved. When two immiscible fluids are in
contact, a discontinuity in pressure exists
between the two fluids and depends on the
curvature of the interface separating the fluids.
This pressure difference is called capillary
pressure, P
c
.
Capillary Pressure
h
1
p
o
= pressure in the oil phase just above the oil/water interface
p
w
= pressure in the water phase just below the oil/water interface
p
atm
= atmospheric pressure
o
= oil density
(4)
(5)
h
P
o
P
w
oil
P
atm
p
o
= p
atm
+
o
gh
1
(1)
p
w
= p
atm
+
o
g(h
1
+ h) -
w
gh

(2)

subtracting (1) and (2)
p
o
- p
w
= h(
w
-
o
)g = P
c
(3)
Capillary Pressure
water

cos 2
P r

c
ow
r
cos 2
P
ow
c

cos 2
g - h r

o w
ow
applying equation for to the oil/water
system gives
Substituting (3) in (4) gives
Drainage & Imbibition Capillary Pressure Functions
C A
1 - S
or
100% S
wc

S
w
(% OF PORE VOLUME)
P
C
B
drainage
imbibition
Point A
core sample 100% saturated with water
the water is displaced by the oil
drainage process

If the difference in phase pressures (imposed
differential pressure) is plotted as a function of the
decreasing water saturation the result would be the
dashed line shown in the diagram, the capillary
pressure drainage curve
At the connate water saturation (point B) there is an
apparent discontinuity at which the water saturation
cannot be reduced further, irrespective of the imposed
difference in phase (capillary) pressure.

If the experiment is reversed, by displacing the oil with
water, the result would be the imbibition curve shown as
the solid line.
The drainage and imbibition plots differ due to the
hysteresis in contact angle.

When the water saturation has risen to its maximum value
S
w
= 1 S
or
the capillary pressure is zero (point C). At this
point the residual oil saturation, S
or
, cannot be reduced
irrespective of the pressure difference applied between the
water and oil (P
c
negative).

water
oil
Imbibition, wetting phase saturation increasing

Drainage wetting phase saturation decreasing

contact angle is larger when the wetting phase
is advancing than when retreating
Wettability
oil

water
Imbibition
Drainage