Effect of the wettability alteration on the cementation factor of carbonate rocks using Henna extract

• Published in: Materialia 2019-12, Vol.8, p.100440, Article 100440
• Main Authors: Kamaei, Ehsan, Manshad, Abbas Khaksar, Shadizadeh, Seyed Reza, Ali, Jagar A., Keshavarz, Alireza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archie equation; Cementation factor; Henna extract; Natural surfactant; Wettability alteration
• ISSN: 2589-1529; 2589-1529
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtla.2019.100440

Estimation of water saturation and hydrocarbon reserve plays a vital role in the development of oil reservoirs, which can be identified using Archie equation. The cementation factor, as an exponent in Archie equation, has a direct impact on the outcome of the equation which is dependent on the electrical properties of the formation. Thus, a slight change in the cementation factor can lead to a significant difference in the water saturation, and oil reserve calculation. In this study, for the first time, we focused on investigating the effect of the wettability alteration on the cementation factor of carbonate rocks using a natural surfactant. The wettability of the rock was altered using Henna extract, as a natural surfactant, at different concentrations from 1 to 10 wt%. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the prepared surfactant solutions was identified using pH, conductivity and turbidity measurements, which was 5 wt% concentration. Obtained results showed that the wettability of the carbonate pellets altered from the strong to normal hydrophobic wetting system (140.45–102.7° contact angle). Hence, the cementation factor was also changed from 3.91 to 1.54 for the rock saturated with the Henna extract.