Surface energy characterization of reservoir rocks

The fundamental forces of adhesion are responsible for the spreading of fluids such as crude oil/brine on the reservoir rock surface. These physico-chemical interactions determine the surface energetics of a reservoir and thus their wetting phenomena. Inverse Gas Chromatography is introduced to characterize the surface energy of carbonates (calcite and dolomite) and sandstones (Ottawa sand and Berea sandstone). The behavior of the polar and non-polar interaction forces was investigated at varying water coverage and at different temperatures. The results indicated that in general as the water coverage increased, the Lifshitz-van der Waals component of surface energy decreased to nearly that of the bulk water, while the acid-base component also showed a decreasing trend. The Lifshitz-van der Waals component of surface energy always decreased with increase in temperature, while the acid-base properties mostly increased with temperature with the exception of calcite.