Produced-water treatment: Application and research of combined fiber coalescence technique in offshore oilfield

When the process of extraction of oil from an offshore oilfield enters the advanced stages,the water content in the extracted fluid can be above 90%.The water quality is complex with many types of pollutants and highly emulsified water.Therefore,a key consideration in the production process of offshore oilfields is the efficient and economical treatment of the oil-containing produced water to make it suitable for discharge and recover oil pollutants.In this study,we developed a hydrophilic and hydrophobic combined fiber coalescence separator with composite fiber shapes using fiber induction and X/Uweaving.The separator is designed based on experimental observations of the mechanism of structure coalescence in the physical oil removal method.A pilot test was performed on an oil exploration platform in the Bohai Sea.At the designed flow rate,the separator reduced the total concentration of petroleum in the produced water from 2000 to 3000 mg/L to below 60 mg/L,with an average oil removal efficiency of 98.24%.Furthermore,it effectively reduced the number of organic compounds present in the water from 120 to 17 and removed 70% of the SS.The test results show that the proposed device can be used fr produced-water treatment on offshore platforms.

Cracks coalescence mechanism and cracks propagation paths in rock-like specimens containing pre-existing random cracks under compression

The mechanism of cracks propagation and cracks coalescence due to compressive loading of the brittle substances containing pre-existing cracks （flaws） was modeled experimentally using specially made rock-like specimens from Portland Pozzolana Cement （PPC）. The breakage process of the specimens was studied by inserting single and double flaws with different inclination angles at the center and applying uniaxial compressive stress at both ends of the specimen. The first crack was oriented at 50＆#176; from the horizontal direction and kept constant throughout the analysis while the orientation of the second crack was changed. It is experimentally observed that the wing cracks are produced at the first stage of loading and start their propagation toward the direction of uniaxial compressive loading. The secondary cracks may also be produced in form of quasi-coplanar and/or oblique cracks in a stable manner. The secondary cracks may eventually continue their propagation in the direction of maximum principle stress. These experimental works were also simulated numerically by a modified higher order displacement discontinuity method and the cracks propagation and cracks coalescence were studied based on Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors （SIFs）. It is concluded that the wing cracks initiation stresses for the specimens change from 11.3 to 14.1 MPain the case of numerical simulations and from 7.3 to 13.8 MPa in the case of experimental works. It is observed that cracks coalescence stresses change from 21.8 to 25.3 MPa and from 19.5 to 21.8 MPa in the numerical and experimental analyses, respectively. Comparing some of the numerical and experimental results with those recently cited in the literature validates the results obtained by the proposed study. Finally, a numerical simulation was accomplished to study the effect of confining pressure on the crack propagation process, showing that the SIFs increase and the crack initiation angles change in this case.

A novel approach to prevent bubble coalescence during measurement of bubble size in flotation

Effect of frothers in preventing bubble coalescence during flotation of minerals has long been investigated.To evaluate the performance of a frother,an apparatus to measure the bubble size is a basic necessity.McGill Bubble Size Analyzer(MBSA) or bubble viewer that has been developed and completed by McGill University's Mineral Processing Group during the last decade is a unique instrument to serve this purpose.Two parameters which are thought to influence the bubble size measurements by McGill bubble viewer include water quality and frother concentration in the chamber.Results show that there is no difference in Sauter mean(D32) when tap or de-ionized water was used instead of process water.However,the frother concentration,in this research DowFroth 250(DF250),inside the chamber exhibited a pronounced effect on bubble size.Frother concentration below a certain point can not prevent coalescence inside the chamber and therefore caution must be taken in plant applications.It was also noted that the frother concentration which has been so far practiced in plant measurements(CCC75-CCC95) is high enough to prevent coalescence with the bubble viewer.

Mechanisms of rectangular groove-induced multiple-microdroplet coalescences

The mechanism of microdroplet coalescence is a fundamental issue for droplet-based microfluidics. We developed an asymmetric expansion (a rectangular groove) along one side of a microchannel to achieve multiple-microdroplet trapping, collision, and coalescence. Compared with reported symmetric expansions, this asymmetric groove could easily trap microdroplets and control two or three microdroplet coalescences precisely without a requirement for temporal and spatial synchronization. To reveal the mechanisms of multiple-droplet coalescences in a groove, we observed five different coalescence patterns under different flow conditions. Moreover, we characterized the flow behavior quantitatively by simulating the velocity vector fields in both the microdroplets and continuous phase, finding good agreement with experiments. Finally, a map of coalescence forms with different capillary numbers () and flow ratios () was obtained. The results could provide a useful guidance for the design and application of droplet-based microfluidic devices.

Terminal Effect of Drop Coalescence on Single Drop Mass Transfer Measurements and Its Minimization

For the mass transfer to single drops during the stage of steady buoyancy-driven motion, experimental measurement is complicated with the terminal effect of additional mass transfer during drop formation and coalescence at the drop collector. Analysis reveals that consistent operating conditions and experimental procedure are of critical significance for minimizing the terminal effect of drop coalescence on the accuracy of mass transfer measurements. The novel design of a totally-closed extraction column is proposed for this purpose, which guarantees that the volumetric rate of drop phase injection is exactly equal to that of withdrawal of drops. Tests in two extraction systems demonstrate that the experimental repeatability is improved greatly and the terminal effect of mass transfer during drop coalescence is brought well under control.

Coalescence Behaviors of Drop Swarms on Liquid-Liquid Interface

The trajectory model of dispersed phase drops and distribution model of drop diameters were derived.By numerical simulation,the analytical results indicate that a large number of dispersed phase drops accumulate on the upper plate in different directions and form a hydrodynamic area with the stream-wise location in the range of 0—0.4m,where the flow of trickling film obtains kinetic drive from flowing field.The flowing field of trickling film exhibits an unstable state if the stream-wise location is less than 0.02m,and a stable state otherwise.Moreover,different velocity vectors of drops in the x-y plane result in different interactions between the trickling film and drops.For the non-uniform distribution of drop diameters,there is a stronger interaction between the trickling film and drop if the stream-wise location is less than 0.02m,because the amplitudes of velocity vectors are higher than those in the range of 0.02—1.0m.The result reveals a complexity and diversity of stratified two-phase flowing field.On the other hand,both the basic flowing field and distributions of drop diameters have a great influence on the distributions of comparable kinetic energy of drops.The complicated motions of larger drops are helpful to coalescence because they will consume much more kinetic energy on the trickling film than those of smaller drops.The change of comparable kinetic energy of smaller drops is continuous and steady.The smaller drops are easily entrained by the liquid-liquid flowing field.

Characteristic of Drop Coalescence Resting on Liquid-Liquid Interface

The trajectory model of dispersed phase drops and the model of basic flow for drop motion between two inclined parallel plates are derived with the optimized calculation. The analytical results of direct numerical simulation indicate that the basic flow plays an important role in the drop coalescence on liquid-liquid interface. In the stratified two-phase flow field, the smaller droplets are difficult to drain the thin continuous film between the approaching droplets and bulk interfaces and eventually immerse into the trickling film to yield coalescence. They almost attain the velocity of their local surroundings. Moreover, the basic flow exerts a dominant influence on the motion of smaller droplet. The smaller droplets are easily entrained by the basic flow. On the contrary, the larger drop presents advantageous characteristics of coalescence due to its high velocity. The range of 0.3 mm < δR≤ 0.75 mm is the advantageous drop coalescence condition since the rapidly varied velocity and its first derivative theoretically cause the forces acting on a drop to become imbalanced. On the other hand, the thin layer of the continuous phase drained from the interval between the drops and trickling film should not be neglected in the calculation of shearing force since it is important for drop rotation. The drop rotation is an indispensable factor in coalescence.

Coalescence separation of oil water emulsion on amphiphobic fluorocarbon polymer and silica nanoparticles coated fiber-bed coalescer

Discharging untreated oily wastewater into the environment disrupts the ecological balance,which is a global problem that requires urgent solutions.Superhydrophilic and superoleophilic fibrous medium(FM)effectively separated oil–water emulsion as it was hydrophobic underwater.But its separation efficiencies(SEs)first increased to 98.9%,then dropped to 97.6%in 10 min because of oil-fouling.To tackle this problem,FM deposited with 0%–10%silica nanoparticle(NPsFMs),then coated by fluorocarbon polymer(X-[CH_(2)CH_(2)O]nCH_(2)CH_(2)O-Y-NH-COOCH_(2)C4F9)(FCNPs FMs),was used to enhance its roughness and regulate its initial wettability to improve the anti-fouling property.FCFM and FCNPs FMs were hydrophobic and oleophobic in air and oleophobic underwater.Their water contact angles,oil contact angles and oil contact angles were 115.3°–121.1°,128.8°–136.5°,and 131.6°–136.7°,respectively,meeting the requirement of 90°–140°for coalescence separation.FCNPs FM-5 had the best separation performance with a constant value of 99.8%in 10 min,while that of FCNPs FM-10 slightly decreased to 99.5%.Theoretical released droplet(TRD)diameter,calculated by the square root of the product of pore radius and fiber diameter,was used for the evaluation of coalescence performance.Analyzed by two ideal models,TRD diameter and fiber diameter showed a parabola type relationship,proving that the separation efficiency was a collaborative work of wettability,pore size and fiber diameter.Also,it explained the SEs reduction from FCNPs FM-5 to FCNPs FM-10 was revelent to the three parameters.Moreover,FCNPsFMs effectively separated emulsions stabilized by cationic surfactant CTAB(SEs:97.3%–98.4%)and anionic surfactant SDBS(SEs:91.3%–93.4%).But they had an adverse effect on nonionic surfactant Tween-80 emulsion separation(SEs:94.0%–71.76%).Emulsions made by diverse oils can be effectively separated:octane(SEs:99.4%–100%),rapeseed oil(SEs:97.3%–98.8%),and diesel(SEs:95.2%–97.0%).These findings provide new insights for designing novel materials for oil–water separation by coalescence mechanism.

Strength failure and crack coalescence behavior of sandstone containing single pre-cut fissure under coupled stress, fluid flow and changing chemical environment

In order to study the strength failure and crack coalescence characteristics of cracked rocks, uniaxial compression experiments were conducted on cylindrical sandstone specimens, sampled from Longyou Grottoes of Zhejiang Province, China, with a single pre-cut crack soaking in different chemical solutions. Based on the results of uniaxial compressive test under different chemical solutions and velocities of flow, the effect of strength and deformation characteristics and main modes of crack coalescence for cracked rocks under chemical corrosion were analyzed. The results show that the pH value and velocity of the chemical solutions both have great influence on the sandstone sample's uniaxial compressive strength and deformation characteristics. Cracked sandstone samples are tension-destructed under uniaxial compression, and the crack propagation directions are consistent with the loading direction. The phenomena of crack initiation, propagation and coalescence of sandstone are well observed. Four different crack types are identified based on the crack propagation mechanism by analyzing the ultimate failure modes of sandstone containing a single pre-cut fissure. The failure process of specimen in air is similar with the specimen under chemical solutions, however, the initial time of crack occuring in specimen under chemical solutions is generally earlier than that in the natural specimen, and the crack propagation and coalescence process of specimen under chemical solutions are longer than those of the natural specimen due to softening of structure of rock caused by hydro-chemical action. Immersion velocity of flow and chemical solutions does not have influence on the ultimate modes of crack coalescence.

Bubble coalescence efficiency near multi-orifice plate

Bubble coalescence reduces specific area and weakens the work performance of bubble column. The bubble coalescence near gas sparger which is caused mainly by bubble growing is different from the ones occurring in major liquid. Bubble coalescence efficiency near gas sparger is influenced by many factors including sparger configuration, gas flow rate, bubble deformation, solution composition, etc. This work has conducted a set of visual experiments to study the coalescence characteristics near multi-orifice plate. The experiment parameters cover a wide range of conditions including large scope of gas flow rate,different kinds of solution and orifice configurations. The experimental results suggest that coalescence time is applicable to reflect the influence of the pitch of orifices and gas flow rate on bubble coalescence efficiency. As the number of orifices increases, bubble coalescence efficiency is reduced by the disturbance from the bubbles at adjacent orifices. A hindering coefficient is used to consider the hindering effect of additives on bubble coalescence efficiency. Finally a new calculation expression is established to predict bubble coalescence efficiency near multi-orifice plate whose fundamental form is based on the logistic curve of binary response. The calculated values that refer to this calculation expression are well consistent with the experimental results.

A continuous-discontinuous cellular automaton method for cracks growth and coalescence in brittle material

A method of continuous-discontinuous cellular automaton for modeling the growth and coalescence of multiple cracks in brittle material is presented. The method uses the level set to track arbitrary discontinuities, and calculation grids are independent of the discontinuities and no remeshing are required with the crack growing. Based on Grif- fith fracture theory and Mohr-Coulumb criterion, a mixed fracture criterion for multiple cracks growth in brittle mate- rial is proposed. The method treats the junction and coales- cence of multiple cracks, and junction criterion and coales- cence criterion for brittle material are given, too. Besides, in order to overcome the tracking error in the level set ap- proximation for crack junction and coalescence, a dichotomy searching algorithm is proposed. Introduced the above the- ories into continuous-discontinuous cellular automaton, the present method can be applied to solving multiple crack growth in brittle material, and only cell stiffness is needed and no assembled global stiffness is needed. Some numerical examples are given to shown that the present method is efficient and accurate for crack junction, coalescence and percolation problems.

Simulation of lattice orientation effects on void growth and coalescence by crystal plasticity

A three dimensional rate-dependent crystal plasticity model is applied to study the influence of crystal orientation and grain boundary on the void growth and coalescence. The 3D computational model is a unit cell including one sphere void or two sphere voids. The results of three different orientations for single crystal and bicrystals are compared. It is found that crystallographic orientation has noticeable influences on the void growth directionvoid shape, and void coalescence of single crystal. The void growth rate of bicrystals depends on the crystallographic orientations and grain boundary direction.

CFD aided investigation of single droplet coalescence

This article describes the development of a coalescence model using various CFD work packages,and is validated using as toluene water model system.Numerical studies were performed to describe droplet interactions in liquid–liquid test systems.Current models use adjustable parameters to describe these phenomena.The research in the past decades led to different correlations to model coalescence and breakage depending on the chemical system and the apparatus geometry.Especially the complexity of droplet coalescence requires a detailed investigation of local phenomena during the droplet interaction.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) studies of single droplet interactions were performed and validated with experimental results to improve the understanding of the local hydrodynamics and film drainage during coalescence.The CFD simulations were performed for the interaction of two differently sized droplets at industrial relevant impact velocities.The experimental verification and validation of the numerical results were done with standardized high-speed imaging studies by using a special test cell with a pendant and a free rising droplet.An experimental based algorithm was implemented in the open source code OpenF OAM to account for the contact time and the dimple formation.The standard European Federation of Chemical Engineering(EFCE) test system toluene/water was used for the numerical studies and the experimental investigations as well.The results of the CFD simulations are in good accordance with the observed coalescence behavior in the experimental studies.In addition,a detailed description of local phenomena,like film rupture,velocity gradients,pressures and micro-droplet entrainment could be obtained.

Enhanced coalescence separation of oil-in-water emulsions using electrospun PVDF nanofibers

A novel and high-efficiency coalescence membrane enhanced by nano-sized polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)nanofibers based on polyester(PET)substrate was fabricated using electrospinning method.The properties of the electrospun nanofibers such as roughness and surface morphology greatly affected the oil droplet interception efficiency and surface wettability of the membrane.A series of coalescence units were prepared with different layers of nanofibrous membrane and the separation efficiencies at different initial concentrations,flow rates,and oil types were tested.It is very interesting that the obtained nanofibrous membrane exhibited superoleophilicity in air but poor oleophilicity under water,which was beneficial to the coalescence process.The coalescence unit with four membrane layers had excellent performances under different initial concentrations and flow rates.The separation efficiency of the 4-layers unit remained above 98.2%when the initial concentration reached up to 2000 mg·L-1.Furthermore,the unit also exhibited good performance with the increasing oil density and viscosity,which is promising for large-scale oil wastewater treatment.

Mechanism and simulation of droplet coalescence in molten steel

Droplet coalescence in liquid steel was carefully investigated through observations of the distribution pattern of inclusions in solidified steel samples. The process of droplet coalescence was slow, and the critical Weber number(We) was used to evaluate the coalescence or separation of droplets. The relationship between the collision parameter and the critical We indicated whether slow coalescence or bouncing of droplets occurred. The critical We was 5.5, which means that the droplets gradually coalesce when We ≤ 5.5, whereas they bounce when We > 5.5. For the carbonate wire feeding into liquid steel, a mathematical model implementing a combined computational fluid dynamics(CFD)–discrete element method(DEM) approach was developed to simulate the movement and coalescence of variably sized droplets in a bottom-argon-blowing ladle. In the CFD model, the flow field was solved on the premise that the fluid was a continuous medium. Meanwhile, the droplets were dispersed in the DEM model, and the coalescence criterion of the particles was added to simulate the collision-coalescence process of the particles. The numerical simulation results and observations of inclusion coalescence in steel samples are consistent.

Movement of dispersed droplets of W/O emulsion in a uniform DC electrostatic field: Simulation on droplet coalescence

Considering the droplet coalescence, the motion of a group of dispersed droplets in W/O emulsion in a DC electric field is simulated. The simulation demonstrates the evolutions of droplet number, size as well as its distribution,local concentration distribution and droplet size-velocity relation with the applied time of electric field. The simulated average droplet size is roughly consistent with the experimental value. The simulated variation of droplet number with time under several applied voltages shows that increasing voltage is more effective for raising the rate of droplet coalescence than extending exerting time. However, with the further raise of applied voltage, the improvement in droplet coalescence rate becomes less significant. The evolution of simulated droplet size–velocity relationship with time shows that the inter-droplet electric repulsion force is very strong due to larger electric charge on the droplet under higher applied voltage, so that the magnitude and the direction of droplet velocity become more random, which looks helpful to droplet coalescence.

Coalescence of pore columns by domain switching

The present paper studies the coalescence of pore columns in ferroelectric ceramics driven by back and forth domain switching under cyclic electric field. A finite element method that incorporates mass transfer capacity is formulated to simulate the evolution of point defects subjected to the kinetics of pore surface diffusion and domain wall migration. The merge of point defects provides a mechanism for the vacancy agglomeration that leads to the formation of large pores or microcracks.

Simulation of crack coalescence mechanism underneath single and double disc cutters by higher order displacement discontinuity method

The present research is focused on the numerical crack coalescence analysis of the micro-cracks and cracks produced during the cutting action of TBM disc cutters. The linear elastic fracture mechanics(LEFM) concepts and the maximum tangential stress criterion are used to investigate the micro crack propagation and its direction underneath the excavating discs. A higher order displacement discontinuity method with quadratic displacement discontinuity elements is used to estimate the stress intensity factors near the crack tips. Rock cutting mechanisms under single and double type discs are simulated by the proposed numerical method.The main purposes of the present modeling are to simulate the chip formation process of indented rocks by single and double discs.The effects of specific disc parameters(except speed) on the thrust force Ft, the rolling force Fr, and the specific energy ES are investigated. It has been shown that the specific energy(energy required to cut through a unit volume of rock) of the double disc is less than that of the single disc. Crack propagation in rocks under disc cutters is numerically modeled and the optimum ratio of disc spacing S to penetration depth Pd(i.e. S/Pd ratio) of about 10 is obtained, which is in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental results cited in the literature.

Demulsification of Emulsion Liquid Membrane by Wetting Coalescence Materials

Demulsification of emulsified water-in-oil droplets was worked out with the employment of wetting coalescence materials. Demulsification is carried out in conventional stirred-column and packed-column. Among the four kinds of natural fibers and two kinds of inorganic materials tested, natural fiber A, originated from wood shavings was found to give the best performance of demulsification. The demulsification efficiency can exceed 96.5% when demulsification conditions are optimized. The packed-column showed much better performance both in terms of demulsification efficiency and repeated use of the recovered oil phase for extracting cadmium in simulated wastewater. Operating variables governing the demulsification efficiency were investigated.

Coalescence dynamics of two droplets of different viscosities in T-junction microchannel with a funnel-typed expansion chamber

The coalescence behavior of two droplets with different viscosities in the funnel-typed expansion chamber in T-junction microchannel was investigated experimentally and compared with droplet coalescence of the same viscosity.Four types of coalescence regimes were observed:contact non-coalescence,squeeze non-coalescence,two-droplet coalescence and pinch-off coalescence.For droplet coalescence of different viscosities,the operating range of non-coalescence becomes narrowed compared to the droplet coalescence of same viscosity,and it shrinks with increasing viscosity ratioηof two droplets,indicating that the difference in the viscosity of two droplets is conducive to coalescence,especially when1<η<6.Furthermore,the influences of viscosity ratio and droplet size on the film drainage time(Tdr)and critical capillary number(Ca)c)were studied systematically.It was found that the film drainage time declined with the increase of average droplet size,which abided by power-law relation with the size difference and viscosity ratio of the two droplets:Tdr~(ld)^(0.25±0.04)and Tdr~(η)^(﹣0.1±0.02).For droplet coalescence of same viscosity,the relation of critical capillary number with two-phase viscosity ratio and dimensionless droplet size is Cac=0.48λ^(0.26)l^(﹣2.64),while for droplet coalescence of different viscosities,the scaling of critical capillary number with dimensionless average droplet size,dimensionless droplet size difference and viscosity ratio of two droplets is Cac=0.11η^(﹣0.07)ls^(﹣2.23)l^(0.16)_(d).