Patent ID: 7128149

Claim:
A method of water-wetting an annulus in a subterranean formation having an oleaginous-external/aqueous-internal fluid disposed on at least a portion of one or more surfaces of the annulus, the method comprising: designing an inverter fluid that intermixes with the oleaginous-external/aqueous-internal fluid to cause the oleaginous-external/aqueous-internal fluid to invert, the designing step comprising: contacting a selected inverter fluid with a test fluid having a composition nominally equivalent to the composition of the oleaginous-external/aqueous-internal fluid, the contacting being performed at a temperature and pressure of about the pressure and temperature to which the inverter fluid will be exposed during placement in the annulus; and evaluating the results of the contacting between the selected inverter fluid and the test fluid to determine if the selected inverter fluid inverted the test fluid to a desired degree; making the designed inverter fluid to be placed in the annulus; and placing the designed inverter fluid in the annulus so as to invert the oleaginous-external/aqueous-internal fluid on at least a portion of one or more surfaces of the annulus.