Experimental determination of wetting behavior under non-atmospheric conditions relevant to reservoirs: a practical guide

Abstract

Abstract The wetting behavior in subsurface reservoirs plays a crucial role in storage, migration and liberation of fluid phases that are especially relevant to the energy sector. Further, the three-phase contact angle is important for implementing safe and successful subsurface storage of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. For reliable statements on the in situ wetting, it is important to be aware of the decisive factors of influence in order to design and perform the respective experiments in an appropriate way. This paper discusses the most important effects that shall be considered when determining contact angles experimentally, like drop size, surface roughness, aging process, dynamic behavior, and the pH, giving some valuable guidance to guarantee significant results. A drop base diameter of no less than 5 mm is found to be appropriate to minimize the impact of gravity on the contact angle under reservoir conditions. It is further confirmed that surface roughness contributes to better water wetting when the contact angles are below 90°. The versatility of contact angle measurements is shown through the dual-drop dual-crystal method that can be applied to estimate the adhesion forces present at the rock-brine interface and that need to be overcome by the flooding liquid to effectively displace hydrocarbons from the pores.

Keywords

• Contact angle
• Reservoir conditions
• Wetting behavior
• Capillary trapping