A New Framework to Quantify the Wetting Behaviour of Carbonate Rock Surfaces Based on the Relationship between Zeta Potential and Contact Angle

Abstract

This study introduces a new framework to quantify the wettability of powdered carbonate rock from existing correlations between zeta potential and contact angle. The new framework has the potential to be faster and cheaper than conventional approaches and could increase confidence in surface wetting quantification, since the results are insensitive to the inherent heterogeneity of rock surfaces. The obtained results from experiments were used to develop a set of equations for determining the carbonate rock contact angle from streaming potential data. The equations were validated for the evaluation of changes in the wettability of carbonate rock using different stearic acid oily solutions. The contact angles calculated from the proposed equations were then compared with measured values on the calcite surface. The results show that the proposed framework was able to quantify the wettability of carbonate rock with an acceptable range of error of about 4%–14%.