Reservoir Engineering: Wettability
1. Whether ML/AI will be able to diagnose an in-depth role of wettability effects that affects distribution of fluids within a petroleum reservoir – as a function of (a) displacement behavior; (b) relative-permeability effects; and (c) oil production?
In particular, whether AI/ML will be able to bring out the various mechanisms that result from wettability ‘explicitly’; and, the 'list of factors' that influence wettability – and thereby, divulging the way, by which ‘wettability gets quantified’?
2. To what extent, ‘the contact angle measured at the laboratory-scale’ will be able ‘to evaluate the wetting characteristics’ of ‘a complex solid surface associated with a real field scenario’?
Contact angles being a function of IFT @ solid/liquid & liquid/liquid interfaces, if, the nature and type of solid surfaces ‘observed during experiments @ laboratory-scale’ and ‘the real field-scale solid surfaces associated with a petroleum reservoir’ remain to be ‘significantly different’; then, how would we be able to relate ‘this experimentally measured contact angle’ with that of ‘the various processes that takes place in a petroleum reservoir @ larger field-scale’?
In particular, if the type of ‘film formation’ observed at the interface – resulting from the adsorption of surface active material at the oil/water interface – during experimental investigations @ laboratory-scale – remain to possess ‘significantly different properties’ from that of the bulk fluid; then, how exactly, the concept of ‘up-scaling’ from ‘laboratory-scale’ to ‘field-scale’ would remain to be justified?
For example, although, the ability to form interfacial films, as well as the type of film, has been shown to be closely related to the amount of polar compounds present in the crude oil as well as bine pH; let’s say, we observe a ‘very rigid’ film formation @ interface that may possibly have a greatest influence on the interfacial and flow properties of the reservoir fluids @ laboratory-scale. But, could we expect the same (very rigid) intensity/nature of ‘film formation @ interface’ ‘@ larger field-scale’ as well?
If obtaining ‘equilibrium receding angles’ and ‘equilibrium advancing angles’ itself - take one or two weeks @ laboratory-scale; then, how long would it take to reach the ‘final equilibrium water-receding and water-advancing contact angles’ (measured through the aqueous phase) for brine and oil @ larger field-scale?
OR
Can we comfortably use and extrapolate the laboratory-based receding and advancing contact angles to describe the water-flooding/EOR processes @ larger field-scale (in the absence of experiments being carried out @ reservoir pressure and temperature with the most representative reservoir fluids)?
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