Oil acid and base numbers influence wetting through their effect on electrostatic interactions with the mineral surface. An improved nonaqueous potentiometric titration has been developed that correctly quantifies weak bases in crude oils. In crude-oil/silica systems, wetting behavior correlates with base/acid ratio and is consistent with wetting theories based on disjoining pressure.

Keywords:
base number, crude oil, enhanced recovery, inflection point, wettability, mineral, oil recovery, brine, potentiometric titration, bottle test
Subjects:
Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Waterflooding
Copyright 1993, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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