Effect of Acid Number on the Electrokinetic Properties of Crude Oil during Low-Salinity Waterflooding

Understanding crude oil/brine interface chemistry is essential to elucidating the effect of low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) on enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The acid and base functional groups in crude oil result in an electrostatic interaction with the rock's surface, thereby affecting wettability conditions. Moreover, the content of carboxyl acid components is a key factor influencing electrostatic interaction during LSWF. In this study, the number of carboxyl groups in four different crude oils with varying acid number (AN) was estimated using a combination of zeta potential experiments and a triple-layer surface complexation model. In addition, the surface complexation modeling parameters for the dissociation of carboxyl groups and the adsorption of calcium and magnesium ions were also determined. The experimentally determined parameters and carboxyl groups sufficiently predicted the crude oil/brine interface at high and low salinities of seawater and formation water. The density of carboxyl groups (expressed in sites/nm(2)) is logarithmically related to the AN of crude oil, and it is revealed that the effect of AN on the density is lower for high-AN crude oil. Further, for crude oils with high AN, divalent cations exhibit higher adsorption ability than those with low-AN crude oil. The percentage of resin components in crude oil has a linear relationship with the number of carboxyl sites, thus indicating the importance of resin components in crude oil/brine interface chemistry. The study discusses the influence of AN on potential distribution and possible wettability alteration by LSWF in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs.