Impact of temperature and salinity on fines detachment: AFM measurements and XDLVO theory

Fine particle detachment and subsequent migration can lead to severe pore plugging and consequent permeability decline. Therefore, it is crucial to quantify the critical condition when fine particle detachment occurs. The frequently observed deviations or even contradictions between experimental results and theoretical predictions of fines detachment arise from an insufficient understanding of adhesion force that can be highly influenced by salinity and temperature. To clarify the intrinsic influence of salinity and temperature on fines detachment, adhesion forces between carboxyl microspheres and hydrophilic silica substrates in an aqueous medium were measured at various salinities and temperatures using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM-measured adhesion force decreases with increasing salinity or temperature. Trends of mean measured adhesion forces with temperature and salinity were compared with the DLVO and XDLVO theories. DLVO theory captured the trend with temperature via the impact of temperature on electric double layer interactions, whereas XDLVO theory captured the observed trend with salinity via the impact of salinity on the repulsive hydration force. Our results highlight the significance of hydration force in accurately predicting the fate of fines in porous media.