Co-adsorption behavior of aggregated asphaltenes and silica nanoparticles at oil/water interface and its effect on emulsion stability

In petroleum industry, crude oil emulsions are commonly formed in oilfields. The asphaltenes and fine particles in crude oil may affect the stability of the emulsions by adsorbing at the water/oil interface. In this research, the effect of silica nanoparticles and asphaltenes on emulsion stability is explored first. The asphaltenes are proved to benefit emulsion stability. Unlike the asphaltenes, however, the modified silica nanoparticles may have positive or negative effect on emulsion stability, depending on the asphaltene concentration and aggregation degree in the emulsions. Further, it is confirmed by conducting interfacial experiment that the asphaltenes and particles can adsorb at the interface simultaneously and determine the properties of the interfacial layer. More in-depth experiments concerning contact angle and asphaltene adsorption amount on the particles indicate that the asphaltenes can modify the wettability of the particles. Higher concentration and lower aggregation degree of the asphaltenes can increase their adsorption amount on the surface of particles and then improve the modification effectiveness of the particles. Resultantly, the particles with good modification effectiveness can enhance the emulsion stability while the particles with poor modification effectiveness will weaken the emulsion stability.

Comparison of feasibility,microstructure and performance of hybrid laser arc,activated flux tungsten inert gas and friction stir welding for thick plate of innovative ultra-pure ferritic stainless steel

An innovative grade of ferritic stainless steel,ultra-pure 18Cr–2Mo thick plate,was designed and produced for special industrial application.In order to maintain its mechanical properties after joining,three advanced joining methods,hybrid laser arc welding,activated flux tungsten inert gas welding and friction stir welding,were selected and conducted to connect the thick plates.The feasibility of three joining methods,the microstructure and mechanical properties were compared,and the results have demonstrated that the sound joint was successfully produced using the selected parameters through friction stir welding.The obtained hardness and impact toughness of the weld zone were satisfying.In terms of activated flux tungsten inert gas welding,the crack will be created due to microstructural brittleness.And as for hybrid laser arc welding,the weld zone is narrow,and the addition of wire during welding for the top weld metal area leads to higher formation ratio of low-angle grain boundaries,which is beneficial to performance of the joint.However,there is still a weak area in the fusion line of the welded joint.The result has illustrated that the welding of innovative ultra-pure ferritic stainless steel thick plate by friction stir welding is feasible.