The impact of wettability on recovery

The study of interface properties is crucial in material development, mineral flotation, and oil extraction. However, the impact of wettability on oil recovery in low-porosity and low-permeability rocks is not yet well understood. To address this, we used a displacement device to modify the hydrophobicity of cores with different permeabilities and investigated the effect of wettability on waterflood recovery. The results indicate that as rock hydrophobicity increases, the core recovery rate decreases to varying extents. Specifically, the recovery rates decreased by 21.2% for 5mD cores, 12.7% for 30mD cores, and 11.1% for 50mD cores. The impact of wettability on recovery is particularly significant in ultra-low permeability cores. This study provides theoretical guidance for the development of hydrophobic reservoirs.