Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Study on the Surface Wettability of Clastic Rocks with Potential Application for CO2 Storage Sites

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Natural Resources Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There have been many studies carried out in the past decades attempting to develop strategies for a safe injection of CO2 into storage sites without leakage and contamination of valuable resources. Leakage from these storage sites through capillary seals is one of the long-standing issues, which require a comprehensive assessment prior to CO2 injection. However, surface wettability, which is one of the major parameters controlling the capillary pressure of seals, is a poorly understood parameter, changing as a function of temperature, pressure, surface roughness, etc. The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper insight into the surface wettability of minerals in rocks, especially sandstone and shales, under subsurface conditions for a better assessment of the structural integrity in CO2 storage sites. The results obtained from a series of contact angle measurements under different pressure and temperature conditions indicated that quartz- and feldspar-dominated sandstones are strongly water wet, while kaolinite-dominated shales have a weakly water to intermediate wet system. It is also apparent that the interfacial tension is a function of the pressure and temperature conditions. It appears that the size of pore throats in rocks is the major contributor to capillary threshold pressure and it must be determined very accurately. It is recommended that surface wettability and interfacial tension under reservoir conditions are determined a priori to ensure that the seal integrity analysis is as concise as possible.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ali, M., Al-Anssari, S., Arif, M., Barifcani, A., Sarmadivaleh, M., Stalker, L., et al. (2019a). Organic acid concentration thresholds for ageing of carbonate minerals: Implications for CO2 trapping/storage. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,534, 88–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali, M., Arif, M., Sahito, M. F., Al-Anssari, S., Keshavarz, A., Barifcani, A., et al. (2019b). CO2-wettability of sandstones exposed to traces of organic acids: Implications for CO2 geo-storage. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control,83, 61–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Yaseri, A. Z., Lebedev, M., Barifcani, A., & Iglauer, S. (2016). Receding and advancing (CO2 + brine + quartz) contact angles as a function of pressure, temperature, surface roughness, salt type and salinity. The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics,93, 416–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arif, M., Barifcani, A., & Iglauer, S. (2016). Solid/CO2 and solid/water interfacial tensions as a function of pressure, temperature, salinity and mineral type: Implications for CO2-wettability and CO2 geo-storage. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control,53, 263–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baharuddin, A. S. B. (2013). Experimental study of salinity effects on interfacial tension between carbon dioxide and brine. Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borysenko, A., Clennell, B., Sedev, R., Burgar, I., Ralston, J., Raven, M., et al. (2009). Experimental investigations of the wettability of clays and shales. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 114(B7), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bretan, P., & Yielding, G. (2005). Using buoyancy pressure profiles to assess uncertainty in fault seal calibration. In P. Boult & J. Kaldi (Eds.), Evaluating fault and cap rock seals (Vol. 2, pp. 151–162). London: AAPG Hedberg Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretan, P., Yielding, G., Mathiassen, O. M., & Thorsnes, T. (2011). 2011: Fault-seal analysis for CO2 storage: An example from the Troll area, Norwegian Continental Shelf. Petroleum Geoscience,17, p181–p192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broseta, D., Tonnet, N., & Shah, V. (2012). Are rocks still water-wet in the presence of dense CO2 or H2S? Geofluids,12, 280–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiquet, P., Broseta, D.F., & Thibeau, S. (2005). Capillary alteration of shaly caprocks by carbon dioxide, SPE Europec/EAGE annual conference. Society of Petroleum Engineers.

  • Chiquet, P., Broseta, D., & Thibeau, S. (2007). Wettability alteration of caprock minerals by carbon dioxide. Geofluids,7, 112–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Maghraby, R., Pentland, C., Iglauer, S., & Blunt, M. (2012). A fast method to equilibrate carbon dioxide with brine at high pressure and elevated temperature including solubility measurements. The Journal of Supercritical Fluids,62, 55–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espinoza, D. N., & Santamarina, J. C. (2010). Water-CO2-mineral systems: Interfacial tension, contact angle, and diffusion—Implications to CO2 geological storage. Water Resources Research, 46(7), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farokhpoor, R., Bjørkvik, B. J., Lindeberg, E., & Torsæter, O. (2013a). Wettability behaviour of CO2 at storage conditions. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control,12, 18–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farokhpoor, R., Bjørkvik, B. J., Lindeberg, E., & Torsæter, O. (2013b). CO2 wettability behavior during CO2 sequestration in saline aquifer—An experimental study on minerals representing sandstone and carbonate. Energy Procedia,37, 5339–5351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgiadis, A., Maitland, G., Trusler, J. M., & Bismarck, A. (2010). Interfacial tension measurements of the (H2O + CO2) system at elevated pressures and temperatures. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data,55(10), 4168–4175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iglauer, S., Pentland, C. H., & Busch, A. (2015). CO2 wettability of seal and reservoir rocks and the implications for carbon geo-sequestration. Water Resources Research,51(1), 729–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafari, M., & Jung, J. (2016). The change in contact angle at unsaturated CO2–water conditions: Implication on geological carbon dioxide sequestration. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems,17(10), 3969–3982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafari, M., & Jung, J. (2018). Variation of contact angles in brine/CO2/mica system considering short-term geological CO2 sequestration condition. Geofluids.

  • Mills, J., Riazi, M., & Sohrabi, M. (2011). Wettability of common rock-forming minerals in a CO2-brine system at reservoir conditions. In International symposium of the society of core analysts (pp. 19–21). Fredericton: Society of Core Analysts.

  • Miocic, J. M., Johnson, G., & Gilfillan, S. M. V. (2014). Fault seal analysis of a natural CO2 reservoir in the Southern North Sea. Energy Procedia,63(2014), 3364–3370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mutailipu, M., Liu, Y., Jiang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Measurement and estimation of CO2–brine interfacial tension and rock wettability under CO2 sub- and super-critical conditions. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,534, 605–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2018.09.031.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, J. Y., Lim, J. S., Yoon, C. H., Lee, C. H., & Park, K. P. (2005). Effect of a fluorinated sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (aerosol-OT, AOT) analogue surfactant on the interfacial tension of CO2 + water and CO2 + Ni-plating solution in near-and supercritical CO2. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data,50(2), 299–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qing, T., Alexander, D., & Bryant, S. L. (2013). Development and field application of model for leakage of CO2 along a fault. Energy Procedia,37, 4420–4427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarmadivaleh, M., Al-Yaseri, A. Z., & Iglauer, S. (2015). Influence of temperature and pressure on quartz–water–CO2 contact angle and CO2–water interfacial tension. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,441, 59–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutjiadi-Sia, Y., Marckmann, H., Eggers, R., Holzknecht, C., & Kabelac, S. (2007). The effect of in liquids dissolved dense gases on interfacial and wetting characteristics; Zum Einfluss von in Fluessigkeiten unter Druck geloesten Gasen auf Grenzflaechenspannungen und Benetzungseigenschaften.

  • Wang, S., Edwards, I. M., & Clarens, A. F. (2012). Wettability phenomena at the CO2–brine–mineral interface: Implications for geologic carbon sequestration. Environmental Science and Technology,47(1), 234–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S., Edwards, I. M., & Clarens, A. F. (2013). Wettability phenomena at the CO2–brine–mineral interface: Implications for geologic carbon sequestration. Environmental Science and Technology,47(1), 234–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wollenweber, J., Alles, S., Busch, A., Krooss, B. M., Stanjek, H., & Littke, R. (2010). Experimental investigation of the CO2 sealing efficiency of caprocks. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control,4, 231–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yielding, G. (2015). Trapping of buoyant fluids in fault-bound structures Industrial structural geology (p. 421). Geological Society, London: Special Publications. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP421.3.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work is jointly supported by the federal government of Nigeria and the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development, Energy Commission of Nigeria.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Petroleum Research and Development, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria

    Bappah Adamu Umar

  2. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Curtin University, Miri, Malaysia

    Raoof Gholami

  3. Department of Petroleum & Gas Engineering, UET Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    Arshad Raza

  4. Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University, Miri, Malaysia

    William Samuel Downey

  5. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Mohammad Sarmadivaleh

  6. Department of Geology, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei

    Afroz A. Shah

  7. Shell Petroleum Company Ltd, Plaza Shell, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

    Prasanta Nayak

Authors
  1. Bappah Adamu Umar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Raoof Gholami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Arshad Raza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. William Samuel Downey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mohammad Sarmadivaleh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Afroz A. Shah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Prasanta Nayak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raoof Gholami.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Umar, B.A., Gholami, R., Raza, A. et al. A Study on the Surface Wettability of Clastic Rocks with Potential Application for CO2 Storage Sites. Nat Resour Res 29, 2051–2061 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09553-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09553-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation