Fluorocarbon Interfacial Modifier: Wettability Alteration in Reservoir Rocks for Enhanced Oil Recovery and Field Application
The peripheral reservoirs of the Daqing Oilfield exhibit low permeability and partial heterogeneity, resulting in a rapid injection pressure increase, limited sweep efficiency, and significant residual oil retention. To enhance recovery, this study synthesized a fluorocarbon siloxane (FHB) via free radical addition for rock surface wettability modification. At a concentration of 0.1 wt%, FHB increased water and oil contact angles to 136° and 117°, respectively, at 60 °C. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and aging tests confirmed stable hydrophobic/oleophobic properties through chemical bonding to the rock. Furthermore, the low surface energy FHB significantly reduced adhesion work and decreased oil-water interfacial tension from 27 mN/m to 0.55 mN/m, thereby improving fluid transport in pore throats and promoting residual oil mobilization. Core flooding experiments resulted in an increase in total recovery by 11%, with low-field NMR analysis confirming reduced oil saturation across various pore sizes. A field trial in a production well in Daqing Oilfield successfully increased output from 3.1 t/d to 4.9 t/d, validating the efficacy of this strategy under real reservoir conditions—representing the first successful field application of a fluorocarbon-based modifier for wettability alteration and oil production enhancement in China. This study provides valuable experimental data and a practical framework for implementing chemical-enhanced recovery.
Authors
- Xutong Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3075-0246)
- Rui-Yang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8954-1353)
- Xudong Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3848-9484)
- Feng Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2808-6702)
- Yiran Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7922-7766)
- Huaqiang Shi
- Huabin Li
- Li He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1362-8310)
- Wenzhao Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1449-4692)
Institutions
- Chengdu University of Technology (CN)
- Daqing Oilfield General Hospital (CN)
- Oil and Gas Center (CN)
- China National Petroleum Corporation (China) (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Energies
- Published
- 2025-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/en18205463
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.29