Configurational diffusion transport of water and oil in dual continuum shales.

Understanding fluid flow in shale rocks is critical for the recovery of unconventional energy resources. Despite the extensive research conducted on water and oil flow in shales, significant uncertainties and discrepancies remain in reported experimental data. The most noted being that while oil spreads more than water on shale surfaces in an inviscid medium, its uptake by shale pores is much less than water during capillary flow.

Influence of Organic Acid Concentration on Wettability Alteration of Cap-Rock: Implications for CO Trapping/Storage.

Every year, millions of tons of CO are stored in CO-storage formations (deep saline aquifers) containing traces of organic acids including hexanoic acid C (HA), lauric acid C (LuA), stearic acid C (SA), and lignoceric acid C (LiA). The presence of these molecules in deep saline aquifers is well documented in the literature; however, their impact on the structural trapping capacity and thus on containment security is not yet understood. In this study, we therefore investigate as to how an increase in organic acid concentration can alter mica water wettability through an extensive set of experiments.

Pore scale investigation of low salinity surfactant nanofluid injection into oil saturated sandstone via X-ray micro-tomography.

Hypothesis: Low salinity surfactant nanofluids have recently shown promising characteristics in wettability alteration of the silicate-based rock representative substrate and interfacial tension reduction of oil/aqueous phase interface. Pore level understanding of the physical processes entailed in this new class of low salinity injection fluids in oil-phase saturated real rock porous media is required, which has not been conceived yet.

Experiments: Thus, we investigate the oil recovery performance and possible mechanisms of oil recovery by the injection of low salinity surfactant (SDBS, 1.

Carbon dioxide/brine wettability of porous sandstone versus solid quartz: An experimental and theoretical investigation.

Hypothesis: Wettability plays an important role in underground geological storage of carbon dioxide because the fluid flow and distribution mechanism within porous media is controlled by this phenomenon. CO pressure, temperature, brine composition, and mineral type have significant effects on wettability. Despite past research on this subject, the factors that control the wettability variation for CO/water/minerals, particularly the effects of pores in the porous substrate on the contact angle at different pressures, temperatures, and salinities, as well as the physical processes involved are not fully understood.