When injecting smart water with a different ion composition than the initial formation water, it is possible to modify the wetting condition of the reservoir in a favorable way, which can have dramatic effects on oil recovery, especially in carbonates.
In order to benefit from smart water, it is important to have a good knowledge of the chemical process taking place at the rock surface. New chemical understanding about water-based EOR by wettability modification both in carbonates and sandstones will be presented, and the EOR potential will be verified.
About the Author
Tor Austad is a professor in reservoir chemistry at the University of Stavanger. He holds MS and PhD degrees in physical chemistry from the University of Bergen.
Since the RUTH programme in 1992, Austad has also worked on a chemical understanding of the wettability properties in chalk reservoirs.
Tor Austad supervised many students to doctorates, where several involved issues related to carbonates, which is the class that includes chalk reservoirs. This has resulted in more than 50 articles in international periodicals and many presentations at international conferences. The research has won significant international respect. For many years Austad has been one of the most important Norwegian contributors within the international IEA cooperation (International Energy Agency) regarding improved oil recovery. Austad also has an approved patent for wettability changes in carbonates.