Effect of wettability on Oil

Recovery
Wettability and Oil Recovery
• Primary Oil recovery is affected by wettability of the system as greater
primary oil recovery occurs in a water wet system.
• Studies are done for water flooding and analysis of relative
permeability curves behaviour.
• Results of the study shows that as the system become more oil wet
less oil is recovered at any given amount of injected water.
Recovery efficiency as a function of water injected and wettability
 • Relative Permeability curves are used for quantative
evaluation of water flood performance and the effect of
wettability can be observed in changes that occur in Kr
curves.

Oil Wet System Water Wet System

• There are other factors that can also affect the kr other than wettability.
1. Pore size Distribution
The relative flow of fluids is a function of pore size distribution.
2. The overburden pressure
The overburden pressure applied to cores in the laboratory changes the
pore size distribution reducing the size of larger pores and thus changes
the Porosity as well.
Further lower the porosity increase the irreducible water saturation and
the residual oil saturation.This will decrease the mobile oil saturation.
3. Temperature
Increase in temperature causes the wettability to change to a more
water wet system.
So overburden pressure, pore pressure and temperature are the
conditions that can affect the wettability and thus changes the oil
recovery.