Mohsen Seid Mohammadi - Department of Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum University of Technology, Ahwaz, Iran
Jamshid Moghadasi - Department of Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum University of Technology, Ahwaz, Iran
Saeed Naseri - Department of Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum University of Technology, Ahwaz, Iran

Wettability alteration is one of the most important methods for oil recovery from sandstone andcarbonate reservoirs. The effects of salinity, pH, temperature, and chemicals such as surfactants andfatty acids on the alteration of the wettability were described in previous studies. In recent years,attention has been directed to nanoparticles as a wettability alteration agent. The effect of somenanoparticles on the wettability alteration and oil recovery of sandstone and a few carbonate reservoirrocks have been investigated in several works. In this study, the effect of γ-Al2O3 on the wettabilityalteration of one of the Iran carbonate reservoirs is presented. The results show that the adsorption ofγ-Al2O3 nanoparticles on the calcite surface changes the wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. At a γ-Al2O3 nanofluid concentration of 0.5 wt.%, the maximum change in contact angle was observed. Itwas observed that the oil recovery increased by 11.25% when 0.5 wt.% γ-Al2O3 nanofluid wasinjected into the core sample in a tertiary mode. This work illustrates the successful application ofgamma alumina nanoparticle in enhancing oil recovery in carbonate rocks through the wettabilityalteration of rock surfaces.

Wettability Alteration, γ-Al2O3 Nanoparticles, Contact Angle Test