Pore-scale imaging of displacement patterns in an altered-wettability carbonate
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Published version
Author(s)
Lin, Qingyang
Bijeljic, Branko
Foroughi, Sajjad
Berg, Steffen
Blunt, Martin J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
High-resolution X-ray imaging combined with a steady-state flow experiment is used to demonstrate how pore-scale displacement affects macroscopic properties in an altered-wettability microporous carbonate, where porosity and fluid saturation can be directly obtained from the grey-scale micro-CT images. The resolvable macro pores are largely oil-wet with an average thermodynamic contact angle of 120°. The pore-by-pore analysis shows locally either oil or brine almost fully occupied the macro pores, with some oil displacement in the micro-porosity. We observed a typical oil-wet behaviour consistent with the contact angle measurement. The brine tended to occupy the larger macro pores, leading to a higher brine relative permeability, lower residual oil saturation, than under water-wet conditions and in a mixed-wet sandstone. The capillary pressure was negative and seven times larger in the carbonate than the sandstone, despite having a similar average pore size. These different displacement patterns are principally determined by the difference in wettability.
Date Issued
2021-05-18
Date Acceptance
2021-01-16
Citation
Chemical Engineering Science, 2021, 235, pp.1-12
ISSN
0009-2509
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
1
End Page
12
Journal / Book Title
Chemical Engineering Science
Volume
235
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009250921000294?via%3Dihub
Subjects
0904 Chemical Engineering
0913 Mechanical Engineering
0914 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy
Chemical Engineering
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
116464
Date Publish Online
2021-02-02