Wettability Modifier for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Carbonate Reservoir: An Overview

This article is an overview of potential application of wettability modifier to enhance oil recovery in carbonate reservoir. In oil and gas industry, oil recovery can be divided into three stages which are primary recovery, secondary recovery and tertiary recovery. The primary recovery is the initial stages of oil recovery. At this stage, oil was displaced toward production well by natural drive mechanisms that naturally exist in the reservoir. Water is commonly used to enhance oil recovery by injected into the reservoir because of it is commercially available, less expensive and capable to maintain the reservoir pressure. In conclusion, smart water flooding is a new technique to solve the complexity problem of carbonate reservoir by manipulating the salinity and ionic composition in high temperature. Hence, smart water can be an excellent candidate as a displacing fluid in chemical flooding for enhanced the oil recovery (EOR).