"Micro-scale wettability of carbonate rocks via high-resolution ESEM im" by Khaloud Al-Naimi, Muhammad Arif et al.
 

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Results in Physics

Volume

52

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Engineering

RAS ID

61976

Funders

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals / Khalifa University

Comments

Al-Naimi, K., Arif, M., Aboushanab, M., Anjum, D., Al Kobaisi, M., Rahman, M. M., ... & Iglauer, S. (2023). Micro-scale wettability of carbonate rocks via high-resolution ESEM imaging. Results in Physics, 52, 106871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2023.106871

Abstract

The wettability of several materials has been traditionally quantified using macro-scale contact angles. However, precise identification of the three-phase contact (TPC) line is often difficult due to the resolution limit of macro-scale setups. Moreover, micro-level surface chemical heterogeneities can have a notable impact on the predicted wetting behavior which limits macro-scale contact angles. Thus, here, we investigate the micro-scale water wettability of condensed micro-droplets on carbonate rock surfaces via a high-resolution Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). Macro- and micro-scale contact angles were evaluated under three conditions: 1) natural carbonate surfaces, 2) surfaces aged in crude oil, and 3) surfaces aged in cationic surfactant to allow for a broader insight of the impact of rock composition and surface morphology on wettability. At the macro-scale, carbonate rocks were preferentially oil-wet to intermediate-wet. However, a profound variability was observed in wetting behavior at the micro-scale where a weakly water-wet state (50° ≥ θ ≥ 80°) was prevalent with evidence of minor oil-wet patches too. At the micro-scale, for the 100% dolomite sample, the contact angle (θ) varied from ∼66° to 76° under natural conditions, while the same sample aged in crude oil depicted a remarkable variability, i.e., θ ranged from 58° to 132° with the majority of micro-droplets having θ of ∼85° – thus suggesting a mixed-wet behavior. For the same sample aged in surfactant, θ was <5° at micro and macro-scales, with few micro-droplets having θ of ∼89°. However, the macro-scale θ values were 105° (natural) and 90° (oil-aged) – suggesting notable variability at macro- and micro-scales. These findings reflect: a) significant differences among macro- and micro-scale contact angles, and b) surface wetting at the micro-scale captures physical and chemical properties of the rock, i.e., surface roughness, pore size and distribution, and chemical composition. The study herein presents qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses of the non-uniform wetting behavior of carbonate rocks and the associated rock/fluid interactions through a multi-scale perspective and thus have broader implications for flow in porous medium.

DOI

10.1016/j.rinp.2023.106871

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Plum Print visual indicator of research metrics
PlumX Metrics
  • Citations
    • Citation Indexes: 5
  • Usage
    • Downloads: 54
    • Abstract Views: 1
  • Captures
    • Readers: 10
see details

Included in

Engineering Commons

Share

 
COinS
 
 
 
BESbswy