Facile synthesis of chromium chloride/poly(methyl methacrylate) core/shell nanocapsules by inverse miniemulsion evaporation method and application as delayed crosslinker in secondary oil recovery

Cr(III)ehydrolyzed polyacrylamide(HPAM)gels have been extensively studied as a promising strategy controlling waste water production for mature oilfields.However,the gelation time of the current technologies is not long enough for in-depth placement.In this study,we report a novel synthesis method to obtain chromium chloride/poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)nanocapsules which can significantly delay the gelation of HPAM through encapsulating the chromium chloride crosslinker.The chromium chloride-loaded nanocapsules(CreNC)are prepared via a facile inverse miniemulsion evaporation method during which the hydrophobic PMMA polymers,pre-dispersed in an organic solvent,were carefully controlled to precipitate onto stable aqueous miniemulsion droplets.The stable aqueous nanodroplets(W)containing Cr(III)are dispersed in a mixture of organic solvent(O1)with PMMA and nonsolvent medium(O2)to prepare an inverse miniemulsion.With the evaporation of the O1,PMMA forms CreNCs around the aqueous droplets.The CreNCs are readily transferred into water from the organic nonsolvent phase.The CreNCs exhibit the tunable size(358-983 nm),Cr loading(7.1%-19.1%),and Cr entrapment efficiency(11.7%-80.2%),with tunable zeta potentials in different PVA solutions.The CreNCs can delay release of Cr(III)and prolong the gelation time of HPAM up to 27 days.

On the uncertainty of interwell connectivity estimations from the capacitance-resistance model

The capacitance-resistance model （CRM） is an alternative to conventional reservoir simulation. CRM, a simplification of complex numerical models, uses production and injection rates to infer a reservoir description. There is no prior geologic model. The principal output of CRM fitting is the fraction of injected fluid （usually water） that is produced at a producer at steady-state. These fractions are interwell connectivities. Interwell connectivities are fundamental information needed to manage waterfloods in oil reservoirs. The data-driven CRM is a fast tool to estimate these parameters in mature fields and allows one to make full use of the dynamic data available. This paper considers the problem of setting an upper bound on the uncertainty of interwell connectivities for linear-constrained models. Using analytical bounds and numerical simulations, we derive a consistent upper limit on the uncertainty of interwell connections that can be used to quantify the information content of a given dataset.

Study of parametric effect on saturation rate in imbibition phenomenon for various porous materials

The mathematical model of imbibition phenomenon through homogeneous as well as heterogeneous porous media is presented in this study.Various types of porous materials including Fragmented Mixture,Touchet silt loam,and Glass Beads are investigated and discussed in terms of the relative permeability,capillarity,and heterogeneity of the material on saturation rate of a reservoir.In the present model,the comparison of saturation level for different time and distance level have been discussed between homogeneous and heterogeneous porous medium for various types of sands.The reduced differential transform method(RDTM)is used to obtain approximate analytical solution of the proposed model.Numerical and graphical results are presented for a wide range of time and distance.

Solvent Extraction in Hydrometallurgy: Present and Future

During the past 10 years, there have been incremental advances in the application of solvent extraction to process hydrometallurgy. The most cited areas in the literature include chemistry, chemical engineering, pilot plants, and plant operation. Within these areas, there were considerable interest in synergism, diluents, degradation, contactors, surfactants, hydrometallurgical applications, environmental and secondary applications, and health and safety. The summary to the present is followed by a prediction for the future in the above areas of interest. These include the use of speciation; improved understanding of the role of surfactants on the system; optimization through modelling, pilot plants, and contactor selection; improvements in plant operation; further new applications; and plant safety. The review has indicated that considerable knowledge is now available to optimize and improve on process design and plant applications.