{
  "abstract": "Water-lock damage in low-permeability sandstone reservoirs is primarily caused by small pore-throat structures, strong capillary forces, and hydrophilic rock surfaces. Conventional treatment methods mainly target either fluid-interface modification or pore blockage problems separately. In this study, a nanoemulsion/mud acid composite system was developed to achieve a combined effect of fluid interfaces and localized mineral dissolution. Interfacial tension (IFT) measurements, contact angle analysis, constant-rate mercury intrusion (CRMI), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-temperature high-pressure core flooding experiments were conducted to investigate the water-lock removal performance and underlying mechanisms of the composite system. The results demonstrate that the optimized 0.20 wt % nanoemulsion/mud acid system reduced the oil–water interfacial tension to 0.486 × 10–3 (mN·m–1) and increased the contact angle to 116.4°. The combined CRMI–NMR characterization revealed that fluid mobility in low-permeability sandstone can be classified into bound, transition, and movable zones, rather than being described by a single flow threshold. Increasing the production pressure differential intensified deep water-phase invasion and retention, weakened the production enhancement effect caused by increased driving force, and further aggravated water-lock damage. Mineralogical analysis, NMR measurements, and permeability-recovery experiments collectively indicate that water-lock removal is associated with coupled interfacial regulation and localized pore–throat modification. These findings provide a pore-scale theoretical basis for optimizing treatment-agent concentration and production pressure differential, while further field-scale validation remains necessary.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery (Northeast Petroleum University) , , , ,",
    "Clausthal University of Technology , ,",
    "University of Louisiana at Lafayette , , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Guohui Qu",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-3761-3747"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jingxuan Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Michael Zhengmeng Hou",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8544-7172"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yikun Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Louis Osei Twum",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-9323-0814"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ning Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8424-8975"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b3s77z5xqhf99.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acsomega.6c07390",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670283/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "b3s77z5xqhf99",
  "issns": [
    "2470-1343"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670283",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2212|Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214760505",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670283/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13670283",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-29",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b3s77z5xqhf99.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:25Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13670283",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670283"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:39Z",
      "native_id": "10.1021/acsomega.6c07390",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/11/40/61781/5442016/Mechanisms-of-Water-Lock-Removal-by-a-Nanoemulsion"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "issn:2470-1343",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Mechanisms of Water-Lock Removal by a Nanoemulsion/Mud Acid Composite System in Low-Permeability Sandstone Reservoirs: Insights from Pore-Scale Characterization in the MB Block",
  "title_text": "Mechanisms of Water-Lock Removal by a Nanoemulsion/Mud Acid Composite System in Low-Permeability Sandstone Reservoirs: Insights from Pore-Scale Characterization in the MB Block",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b3s77z5xqhf99",
  "venue": "ACS omega",
  "versions": []
}