Measurements and interpretation of crude Oil-Water/Brine dynamic interfacial tension at subsurface representative conditions

Abstract

Interfacial tensions (IFTs) between crude oil and water or brine systems are critically important in many processes. Exhibited dynamic behavior often remains poorly studied and requires in-depth analysis. In this study, 27 series of dynamic IFT measurements were conducted for three different crude oils in combination with three different aqueous phases (pure water and two synthetic reservoir brines) at temperatures of 298.15, 343.15 and 393.15 K and pressures up to 30 MPa. This study provides a large database of crude oil-water/brine IFTs encompassing reservoir conditions of temperature and pressure. Specific effects of temperature, pressure, and fluid composition on the crude oil-water and oil-brine IFTs were evaluated. The dynamic evolution of the IFT between the crude oils and aqueous phases was categorized according to typical relationships observed. The most commonly observed evolution was an initial rapid decline in IFT, over a period of 100 to 1,000 s, followed by levelling off at a nearly-constant long-term value. However, in certain cases, the initial rapid decline was followed by a broad minimum and a subsequent slow increase towards a nearly-steady long-time value. In either case, the initial decline is described by a simple model based on diffusion of surface-active components in the oil and their subsequent adsorption at the interface. The longer-term behavior may be further attributed to a combination of saturation, rearrangement and dissolution of the surface-active components.