Calculation of wetting angles in crude oil/water/quartz systems

A method for the determination of water-advancing wetting angles has been developed and tested. The method allows measurements in black oils, as opposed to traditional techniques which substitute transparent model oils prior to measurements. The method is based on the Laplace equation and axisymmetric drop shape analysis. The main source of error is the determination of the drop volume. Results in transparent systems are comparable to results using other techniques. Wetting angles are determined for water in two different crude oil systems, using quartz as the substrate. The quartz surfaces are water wet over large pH ranges, but it is possible to accurately identify pH intervals where the surfaces are intermediate or oil wet.