A Mechanistic Study of Wettability Alterations in Sandstone by Low Salinity Water Injection (LSWI) and CO₂ Low Salinity Water-Alternating-Gas (WAG) Injection

Hibernia EOR Research Group, Department of Process Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada, A1B 3X5

^* Corresponding author: ljames@mun.ca

Abstract

Low salinity water injection (LSWI), an emerging Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) method, has proven to be effective in increasing oil recovery by wettability alteration. As low salinity water is injected into the reservoir, the pre-established equilibrium is disturbed. The chemical reactions among the oil/brine/rock system alters the existing wettability, resulting in enhanced oil recovery. Water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection is also a leading EOR flooding process in light to medium oil sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. A recently proposed hybrid EOR method, CO₂ low salinity (LS) WAG injection, shows promise based on experimental and simulation studies, compared to LSWI or CO₂ injection alone. Wettability alteration is considered as the dominant mechanism for CO₂ LSWAG injection. In this study, a new displacement contact angle measurement which better mimics the actual displacement process taking place in a reservoir is used, aiming to investigate the effect of monovalent and divalent cations, CO₂, and injection schemes. It is found that the injection of NaCl low salinity water alters the wettability towards slightly water-wet, and the injection of CaCl2 low salinity water alters the wettability towards slightly oil-wet. The injection of CO₂ promotes water-wetness and geochemical reactions between oil and brine. Injection scheme of CO₂ and NaCl low salinity water is more efficient than WAG cycle of CO₂/NaCl in wettability alteration towards more water-wet. However, the opposite trend is observed with CaCl₂ low salinity water, of which WAG cycle of CO₂/CaCl₂ is more efficient in altering wettability towards water-wet. The oil drop deformation process during LSWI resembles the process of oil removal using surfactant. As CO₂ is introduced, due to the acidic effect of CO₂ and ion exchange, it acts to wet the rock surface, leading to a more water-wet state. With introduction of CO₂, the oil drop deformation resembles the “roll-up” oil removal process.