In the hydrocarbon industry water contact is the elevation above which fluids other than water can be found in the pores of a rock.
For example, in a traditional hand-excavated water well, the level at which the water stabilizes represents the water table, or the elevation in the rock where air starts to occupy the rock pores.
In most situations in the hydrocarbon industry the term is qualified as being an oil-water contact (abbreviated to "OWC") or a gas-water contact ("GWC"). Often there is also a gas-oil contact ("GOC").
In an oil or gas field, hydrocarbons migrate into rocks and can be trapped if there is a permeability barrier to prevent upward escape. Gas and oil are lighter than water, so they will form a bubble at the high end of the "trap" formed by the impermeable barriers. A simple physical model of this would be a coffee cup held upside down underwater with an air bubble occupying the highest portion of the cup's interior. The base of the bubble is the water contact.
Capillary action can obscure the true water contact in permeable media like sandstone. Capillary pressure prevents the hydrocarbons from expelling all of the water in the pores, which creates a transition zone between the fully saturated hydrocarbon levels and the fully saturated water levels.
In poorly porous intervals, the oil-water, gas-water or gas-oil contacts can similarly be obscured, which makes estimation of hydrocarbon reserves difficult. Descriptions of the well's petrophysics will then often further qualify to delineate a gas-down-to, oil-up-to, oil-down-to and water-up-to line, clearly showing the uncertainties involved.
In the hydrocarbon industry watercontact is the elevation above which fluids other than water can be found in the pores of a rock. For example, in a traditional...
the contact angle. Generally, if the watercontact angle is smaller than 90°, the solid surface is considered hydrophilic and if the watercontact angle...
A liquid contact indicator (LCI) is a small indicator that turns from white into another color, typically red, after contact with water. These indicators...
Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over...
effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's watercontact area." Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas-dispersion...
Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis...
shallow-water mines Attack divers – smaller shallow-water mines In some cases, mines are automatically activated upon contact with the water. In others...
pumps water from the first few feet of the water and expels it into the air. This process utilizes air-watercontact to transfer oxygen. As the water is...
water often cluster together, forming micelles. Water on hydrophobic surfaces will exhibit a high contact angle. Examples of hydrophobic molecules include...
oxides, adsorbed water vapor, and atmospheric contaminants. When two metal electrical contacts touch, the actual metal-to-metal contact area is small compared...
A contact sport is any sport where physical contact between competitors, or their environment, is an integral part of the game. For example, gridiron...
authorization WOB – weight on bit WOC – wait on cement WOC – water/oil contact (or oil/watercontact) WOE – well operations engineer (a key person of well services[citation...
The contact process is the current method of producing sulfuric acid in the high concentrations needed for industrial processes. Platinum was originally...
known as water allergy and water urticaria, is a rare form of physical urticaria in which hives develop on the skin after contact with water, regardless...
freezing point as long as above the homogeneous nucleation point of water. Contact between a snow crystal and the supercooled droplets results in freezing...
Electrical contact resistance (ECR, or simply contact resistance) is resistance to the flow of electric current caused by incomplete contact of the surfaces...
water, can be assessed. The most common standards used to monitor and assess water quality convey the health of ecosystems, safety of human contact,...
droplet. For water, a wettable surface may also be termed hydrophilic and a nonwettable surface hydrophobic. Superhydrophobic surfaces have contact angles greater...
Another special case is where the contact angle is exactly 180°. Water with specially prepared Teflon approaches this. Contact angle of 180° occurs when the...
Persistent moisturization to the skin via watercontact may contribute to an allergic reaction or contact dermatitis.[citation needed] This could allow...
and contact with another person with a red eye. Eye pain may be present if the cornea is also involved. Its symptoms include excessive watering and itching...
a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as...
principally associated with carbonate dissolution at the fresh-saline watercontact within the aquifer. By 2008, the Quintana Roo Speleological Society...
caused by the differences in water pressure, that are associated with water flow, creating a tilt of the hydrocarbon-watercontact. The seal (also referred...
handled poultry), and waterborne (i.e., through contaminated drinking water). Contact with contaminated poultry, livestock, or household pets, especially...
of major interest to the marine industry and also anywhere water (containing salts) contacts pipes or metal structures. Factors such as relative size of...
scale surfaces. When trace amounts of watercontact its skin (pre-wetting) these microstructures fill with water, the skin surface becoming superhydrophilic...
prickling-like epidermal itching without observable skin lesions and evoked by contact with water. Presentation varies from person to person. Some people have discrete...
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