Smart water flooding processes for increasing hydrocarbon recovery

1. A method for measuring liquid-rock and liquid-liquid interfaces, the method comprising the steps of:

performing at least one measurement technique proximate a subterranean rock sample and an interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction, where a liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the subterranean rock sample are combined to exhibit a first interface between the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the subterranean rock sample, producing the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction; and

performing at least one measurement technique proximate the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction and a brine solution, where the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution are combined to exhibit a second interface between the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution, and where the measurement techniques result in measurements of the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction at macro, micro to nano, nano to sub-nano, and sub-nano scales, and result in measurements of the second interface at macro and micro to nano scales.

2. The method of claim 1 , where at least one measurement technique is selected from the group consisting of: atomic force microscopy, Brewster angle microscopy, imaging ellipsometry, scanning electron microscopy, cryo-scanning electron microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, surface force measurements, surface pressure measurements, surface potential measurements, confocal microscopy, molecular structural analyses, magnetic resonance measurements, monolayer molecular analyses, multilayer molecular analyses, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , where at least one measurement technique includes the use of at least one device selected from the group consisting of: a scanning probe microscope, an atomic force microscope, a scanning force microscope, a rheometer, a tensiometer, a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, an absorption spectrometer, an emission spectrometer, an integrated thin film drainage apparatus, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the at least one measurement technique proximate the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution is applied to analyze a property selected from the group consisting of: interfacial tension, surface pressure, surface potential, molecular structure, viscoelasticity, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

performing at least one elemental and chemical analysis proximate the subterranean rock sample and the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction.

6. The method of claim 5 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis is selected from the group consisting of: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 5 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis includes the use of at least one device selected from the group consisting of: an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, an absorption spectrometer, an emission spectrometer, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 5 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis proximate the subterranean rock sample and the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction is applied to analyze a property selected from the group consisting of: chemical compositions, concentrations of chemical compositions, functional groups, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

performing at least one elemental and chemical analysis proximate the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution.

10. The method of claim 9 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis is selected from the group consisting of: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis includes the use of at least one device selected from the group consisting of: an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, an absorption spectrometer, an emission spectrometer, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 9 , where the at least one elemental and chemical analysis proximate the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution is applied to analyze a property selected from the group consisting of: chemical compositions, concentrations of chemical compositions, functional groups, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , where the liquid hydrocarbon fraction comprises crude oil.

14. The method of claim 1 , where the subterranean rock sample comprises carbonate.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

pressurizing the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the subterranean rock sample.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

pressurizing the liquid hydrocarbon fraction, the subterranean rock sample, and the brine solution at an elevated temperature above room temperature.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

introducing a primary oil recovery composition including a brine with at least one component selected from the group consisting of: CO 2 , a chemical solvent, a polymeric, surfactant, and nanoparticles, for recovering the liquid hydrocarbon fraction from a liquid hydrocarbon reservoir formation.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

introducing into the liquid hydrocarbon fraction, the subterranean rock sample, and the brine solution one composition selected from the group consisting of: a deflocculant, a proppant, a dispersant, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1 , where the brine solution has a salt concentration in a range of 1,000 parts per million to 100,000 parts per million.

20. The method of claim 1 , where the brine solution comprises at least one salt selected from the group consisting of: chloride salts, sulfate salts, sodium salts, calcium salts, magnesium salts, and combinations thereof.