Wettability alteration and spontaneous imbibition in oil-wet carbonate formations

Alkaline/surfactant flooding has been widely tested for its ability to improve oil recovery, but little effort has been made toward understanding the controlling mechanisms and variables. This paper investigates the effect of electrolyte concentration, surfactant concentration and water/oil ratio on wettability, phase behavior, and displacement from a narrow gap. Wettability of calcite can be altered to about intermediate-wet to preferentially water-wet with alkaline/surfactant systems. Anionic surfactant adsorption can be significantly reduced in the presence of sodium carbonate.