Study on Viscoelastic Behaviors of Waxy Crude Water-in-Oil Emulsion

Emulsion of waxy crude oil is one of the common states in the subsea pipeline. At low temperatures in offshore environment, waxy crude oils with water could form the crude oil emulsion gel of oil-in-water emulsion. Thus, the waxy crude oil emulsion viscoelastic behavior for deep sea transportation and restarting pipeline safety is particularly important. By means of MASIII HAAKE rheometer which is produced by German company, waxy crude oil emulsion viscoelastic behavior is explored at different volumetric water contents and different shear stresses. By analyzing the rate of change of shear rate in the initial stage, the influence rules of viscoelastic properties were summarized, with the change of volumetric water content and the applied shear stress and based on the experimental results, the law of emulsion is explained from the micro level. It is proposed that brittle fracture exists between wax crystals, and flexible fracture was found in the interaction between water droplets and wax crystals.

A NOVEL METHOD OF BREAKING WATER-IN-OIL EMULSIONS BY USING MICROPOROUS MEMBRANE

A novel method for breaking emulsions with microporous membranes is presented.A membrane would act as a coalescer if its pore size is smaller than the emulsion droplets and if the dispersed phase has great affinity to the membrane.It was observed that a hydrophilic membrane is able to break water in oil emulsions with high separation efficiency.Effects of the membrane pore size,membrane thickness,transmembrane pressure and emulsion composition on demulsification performance were investigated.It was found that the membrane pore size and transmembrane pressure affect demulsification performance remarkably while other factors have slight or almost no effect.

One-step fabrication superhydrophobic sand filter for capillary-driven separation of water-in-oil emulsions

The efficient separation of water-in-oil emulsion is of significance in environment and energy filed,and it has become a world-wide challenge.Herein,we have presented a one-step,facile and low-cost approach to prepare superhydrophobic sands for efficient separation of water-in-oil emulsion.The as-prepared sand layers possessed a water contact angle higher than 151°,demonstrating their superior superhydrophobic property.Besides,the as-prepared sand layers could separate water-in-emulsions with separation efficiency up to 99.7%,which is superior to both traditional and superwettable filtration membranes.The effect of thickness of sand layer on separation performance was also investigated.The results showed that the filtration flux decreased with the increased of filtration thickness while the separation efficiency increased.The as-prepared sand layer proposed by this study is a processing candidate for separating water-in-oil emulsion in practical industry.Additionally,the as-prepared superhydrophobic sand fabrication method also provides an alternative for desert water storage.

Kinetic and Phase Behaviors of Catalytic Cracking Dry Gas Hydrate in Water-in-Oil Emulsion

The systematic experimental studies were performed on the hydrate formation kinetics and gas-hydrate equilibrium for a simulated catalytic cracking gas in the water-in-oil emulsion. The effect of temperature, pressure and initial gas-liquid ratio on the hydrate formation was studied, respectively. The data were obtained at pressures ranging from 3.5 to 5 MPa and temperatur.es from 274.15 to 277.15 K. The results showed that hydrogen and methane can be separated Irom the （~2＋ ti＇action by tOrming hydrate at around 273.15 K which is much higher temperature than that of the cryogenic separation method, and the hydrate formation rate can be enhanced in the wa- ter-in-oil emulsion compared to pure water. The experiments provided the basic data for designing the industrial process, and setting the suitable operational conditions. The measured data ot gas-hydrate equilibria were compared with the predictions by using the Chen-Guo hydrate thermodynamic model.

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF WATER-IN-OIL EMULSIONS FOR ZINC HOT ROLLING

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Tuning the membrane rejection behavior by surface wettability engineering for an effective water-in-oil emulsion separation

Membrane-based separation is a promising technology to eliminate water impurities from the oil phase.However,it remains a great challenge to separate water from highly emulsified viscous oil owing to the high stability of the water droplets in oil.Herein we report a surface wettability engineering on an alumina ceramic membrane to achieve an efficient separation of a water-in-oil(W/O)emulsion.Silanes with different carbon chain lengths and fluorinated status were introduced to endow the alumina membrane with different surface wettabilities.While all the modified membranes exhibited excellent separation of the W/O without Span 80(surfactant),the one with amphiphobic wettability and lowest surface energy failed to separate the Span 80 stabilized W/O.The presence of Span 80 reduced the interfacial tension of water droplets,making them easier to deform and penetrate the modified membrane with the lowest surface energy.It reveals that engineering proper surface wettability is the key to separating the oil and water phases.Besides,the modified membranes maintained decent separation performance and stability under long-term run separation of the emulsified W/O.

Oil-in-water nanoemulsions loaded with lycopene extracts encapsulated by spray drying:Formulation,characterization and optimization

Lycopene is very susceptible to degradation once released from the protective chromoplast environment.In this study,oil-in-water(O/W)nanoemulsions coupled with spray drying technology were applied for the encapsulation and stabilization of lycopene extracted from tomato waste.Tomato extract was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction.Nanoemulsions were prepared by a high-speed rotor stator using isopropyl myristate as the oil phase and Pluronic F-127 as the emulsifier for the aqueous external phase.The effect of emulsification process parameters was investigated.Spray drying of the produced emulsions was attempted to obtain a stabilized dry powder after the addition of a coating agent.The effect of different coating agents(maltodextrin,inulin,gum arabic,pectin,whey and polyvinylpyrrolidone),drying temperature(120-170℃),and feed flow rate(3-9 ml·min^(-1))on the obtained particles was evaluated.Results revealed that the emulsion formulation of 20/80(O/W)with 1.5%(mass fraction)of Pluronic F-127 as stabilizer in the aqueous phase resulted in a stable nanoemulsion with droplet sizes in the range of 259-276 nm with a unimodal and sharp size distribution.The extract in the nanoemulsion was well protected at room temperature with a degradation rate of lycopene of about 50%during a month of storage time.The most stable emulsions were then processed by spray drying to obtain a dry powder.Spray drying was particularly successful when using maltodextrin as a coating agent,obtaining dried spherical particles with mean diameters of(4.87±0.17)μm with a smooth surface.The possibility of dissolving the spray dried powder in order to repristinate.The original emulsion was also successfully verified.

Insights into the enhancement of food flavor perception:strategies,mechanism and emulsion applications

The core drivers of the modern food industry are meeting consumer demand for tasty and healthy foods.The application of food flavor perception enhancement can help to achieve the goals of salt-and sugar-reduction,without compromising the sensory quality of the original food,and this has attracted increasing research attention.The analysis of bibliometric results from 2002 to 2022 reveals that present flavor perception enhancement strategies(changing ingredient formulations,adding salt/sugar substitutes,emulsion delivery systems)are mainly carry out based on sweetness,saltiness and umami.Emulsion systems is becoming a novel research foci and development trends of international food flavor perception-enhancement research.The structured design of food emulsions,by using interface engineering technology,can effectively control,or enhance the release of flavor substances.Thus,this review systematically summarizes strategies,the application of emulsion systems and the mechanisms of action of food flavor perception-enhancement technologies,based on odor-taste cross-modal interaction(OTCMI),to provide insights into the further structural design and application of emulsion systems in this field.

Anti-abrasion collagen fiber-based membrane functionalized by UiO-66-NH_(2)with ultra-high efficiency and stability for oil-in-water emulsions separation

Membrane separation strategies offer promising platform for the emulsion separation.However,the low mechanical strength of membrane separation layers and the trade-off between separation flux and efficiency present significant challenges.In this study,we report a CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane with high separation flux,efficiency and stability,through utilizing a robust anti-abrasion collagen fiber membrane(CFM)as the multifunctional support and UiO-66-NH_(2)by an in-situ growth as the separation layer.The high mechanical strength of the CFM compensated for the weakness of the separation layer,while the charge-breaking effect of UiO-66-NH_(2),along with the size sieving of its constituent separating layers and the capillary effect of the collagen fibers,contributed to the potential for efficient separation.Additionally,the CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane exhibited superhydrophilic properties,making it suitable for separating oil-in-water microemulsions and nanoemulsions stabilized by anionic surfactants.The membrane demonstrated remarkable separation efficiencies of up to 99.960%and a separation flux of370.05 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1).Moreover,it exhibits stability,durability,and abrasion resistance,maintaining excellent separation performance even when exposed to strong acids and alkalis without any damage to its structure and performance.After six cycles of reuse,it achieved a separation flux of 417.97 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1)and a separation efficiency of 99.747%.Furthermore,after undergoing 500 cycles of strong abrasion,the separation flux remained at 124.39 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1),with a separation efficiency of 99.992%.These properties make it suitable for the long-term use in harsh operating environments.We attribute these properties to the electrostatic effect resulting from the amino group on UiO-66-NH_(2)and its in-situ growth on the CFM,which forms a size-screening separation layer.Our work highlights the potential of the CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane as an environmentally friendly size-screening material for the efficient emulsion wastewater separation.

Effect of sodium starch octenyl succinate-based Pickering emulsion on the physicochemical properties of hairtail myofibrillar protein gel subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles

A Pickering emulsion based on sodium starch octenyl succinate(SSOS)was prepared and its effects on the physicochemical properties of hairtail myofibrillar protein gels(MPGs)subjected to multiple freeze-thaw(F-T)cycles were investigated.The whiteness,water-holding capacity,storage modulus(G')and texture properties of the MPGs were significantly improved by adding 1%-2%Pickering emulsion(P<0.05).Meanwhile,Raman spectral analysis demonstrated that Pickering emulsion promoted the transformation of secondary structure,enhanced hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions,and promoted the transition of disulfide bond conformation from g-g-g to g-g-t and t-g-t.At an emulsion concentration of 2%,theα-helix content decreased by 10.37%,while theβ-sheet content increased by 7.94%,compared to the control.After F-T cycles,the structure of the MPGs was destroyed,with an increase in hardness and a decrease in whiteness and water-holding capacity,however,the quality degradation of MPGs was reduced with 1%-2%Pickering emulsion.These findings demonstrated that SSOS-Pickering emulsions,as potential fat substitutes,can enhance the gel properties and the F-T stability of MPGs.

Pickering emulsion transport in skeletal muscle tissue:A dissipative particle dynamics simulation approach

Lymph node targeting is a commonly used strategy for particulate vaccines,particularly for Pickering emulsions.However,extensive research on the internal delivery mechanisms of these emulsions,especially the complex intercellular interactions of deformable Pickering emulsions,has been surprisingly sparse.This gap in knowledge holds significant potential for enhancing vaccine efficacy.This study aims to address this by summarizing the process of lymph-node-targeting transport and introducing a dissipative particle dynamics simulation method to evaluate the dynamic processes within cell tissue.The transport of Pickering emulsions in skeletal muscle tissue is specifically investigated as a case study.Various factors impacting the transport process are explored,including local cellular tissue environmental factors and the properties of the Pickering emulsion itself.The simulation results primarily demonstrate that an increase in radial repulsive interaction between emulsion particles can decrease the transport efficiency.Additionally,larger intercellular gaps also diminish the transport efficiency of emulsion droplet particles due to the increased motion complexity within the intricate transport space compared to a single channel.This study sheds light on the nuanced interplay between engineered and biological systems influencing the transport dynamics of Pickering emulsions.Such insights hold valuable potential for optimizing transport processes in practical biomedical applications such as drug delivery.Importantly,the desired transport efficiency varies depending on the specific application.For instance,while a more rapid transport might be crucial for lymph-node-targeted drug delivery,certain applications requiring a slower release of active components could benefit from the reduced transport efficiency observed with increased particle repulsion or larger intercellular gaps.

Hyperspectral remote sensing identification of marine oil emulsions based on the fusion of spatial and spectral features

Marine oil spill emulsions are difficult to recover,and the damage to the environment is not easy to eliminate.The use of remote sensing to accurately identify oil spill emulsions is highly important for the protection of marine environments.However,the spectrum of oil emulsions changes due to different water content.Hyperspectral remote sensing and deep learning can use spectral and spatial information to identify different types of oil emulsions.Nonetheless,hyperspectral data can also cause information redundancy,reducing classification accuracy and efficiency,and even overfitting in machine learning models.To address these problems,an oil emulsion deep-learning identification model with spatial-spectral feature fusion is established,and feature bands that can distinguish between crude oil,seawater,water-in-oil emulsion(WO),and oil-in-water emulsion(OW)are filtered based on a standard deviation threshold–mutual information method.Using oil spill airborne hyperspectral data,we conducted identification experiments on oil emulsions in different background waters and under different spatial and temporal conditions,analyzed the transferability of the model,and explored the effects of feature band selection and spectral resolution on the identification of oil emulsions.The results show the following.(1)The standard deviation–mutual information feature selection method is able to effectively extract feature bands that can distinguish between WO,OW,oil slick,and seawater.The number of bands was reduced from 224 to 134 after feature selection on the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer(AVIRIS)data and from 126 to 100 on the S185 data.(2)With feature selection,the overall accuracy and Kappa of the identification results for the training area are 91.80%and 0.86,respectively,improved by 2.62%and 0.04,and the overall accuracy and Kappa of the identification results for the migration area are 86.53%and 0.80,respectively,improved by 3.45%and 0.05.(3)The oil emulsion identification model has a certain degree of transferability and can effectively identify oil spill emulsions for AVIRIS data at different times and locations,with an overall accuracy of more than 80%,Kappa coefficient of more than 0.7,and F1 score of 0.75 or more for each category.(4)As the spectral resolution decreasing,the model yields different degrees of misclassification for areas with a mixed distribution of oil slick and seawater or mixed distribution of WO and OW.Based on the above experimental results,we demonstrate that the oil emulsion identification model with spatial–spectral feature fusion achieves a high accuracy rate in identifying oil emulsion using airborne hyperspectral data,and can be applied to images under different spatial and temporal conditions.Furthermore,we also elucidate the impact of factors such as spectral resolution and background water bodies on the identification process.These findings provide new reference for future endeavors in automated marine oil spill detection.

Influence of the Powder on the Properties of the Liquid Crystal Emulsions

The purpose of study was to evaluate the effect of four powder including titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,silica,and kaolin on the properties of the liquid crystal emulsions.The results show that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the liquid crystal structure.In addition,the addition of Kaolin and silica have an effect on the stability of the liquid crystal structure.Sensory evaluation and Texture analyzer results shown that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the spreadability of liquid crystal system.The addition of silica and Kaolin was increased the hardness and adhesive of the liquid crystal system.Rheological experiments shown that the kaolin system had lower structural stability.the system with titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,and silica has good stability.This paper provides data support for the application of powders in the formulation of liquid crystal system,which aims to provide a data basis for the preparation and applications of liquid crystal emulsion.

Experimental investigation on using CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion with high water cut in enhanced oil recovery

CO_(2) emulsions used for EOR have received a lot of interest because of its good performance on CO_(2)mobility reduction.However,most of them have been focusing on the high quality CO_(2) emulsion(high CO_(2) fraction),while CO_(2) emulsion with high water cut has been rarely researched.In this paper,we carried out a comprehensive experimental study of using high water cut CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion for enhancing oil recovery.Firstly,a nonionic surfactant,alkyl glycosides(APG),was selected to stabilize CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion,and the corresponding morphology and stability were evaluated with a transparent PVT cell.Subsequently,plugging capacity and apparent viscosity of CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion were measured systematically by a sand pack displacement apparatus connected with a 1.95-m long capillary tube.Furthermore,a high water cut(40 vol%) CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion was selected for flooding experiments in a long sand pack and a core sample,and the oil recovery,the rate of oil recovery,and the pressure gradients were analyzed.The results indicated that APG had a good performance on emulsifying and stabilizing CO_(2) emulsion.An inversion from H_(2)O/CO_(2) emulsion to CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion with the increase in water cut was confirmed.CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsions with lower water cuts presented higher apparent viscosity,while the optimal plugging capacity of CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion occurred at a certain water cut.Eventually,the displacement using CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion provided 18.98% and 13.36% additional oil recovery than that using pure CO_(2) in long sand pack and core tests,respectively.This work may provide guidelines for EOR using CO_(2) emulsions with high water cut.

Progress in Preparation and Application of Gel-Emulsions

Compared to conventional emulsions, gel-emulsions have a higher internal phase volume fraction, unique structures and properties, higher viscosity, and tunable internal structures. These advantages make them widely applicable in the cosmetics industry, food industry, aerospace, and biomedicine, with significant potential in the development of new materials and high-performance products. The factors affecting the stability of gel-emulsions, as well as the types of stabilizers required for their preparation (including solid particles, surfactants, and small molecule gelators), and the corresponding preparation methods (including the one-step method, two-step method, and phase inversion method) are reviewed in this article. The applications of gel-emulsions in porous materials, food, cosmetics, and stimuli-responsive materials are introduced, and future research directions are also discussed.

A Self-supporting,Surface Carbonized Filter Paper Membrane for Efficient Water-in-Oil Emulsion Separation

Due to the important role of oil source in our life,the separation of water-in-oil emulsion is urgent and necessary.Membrane seperation technology has been an efficient and widely used method in separating oil-water separation.Herein,we report a versatile approach to fabricate surface carbonized membranes with self-standing property from biomass-derived precursor by synergistic charring of phytic acid,arginine and filter paper.The obtained membrane exhibited superhydrophobicity in oil,excellent fouling resistance,and self-supporting ability.The membrane can be cycle-used at least 12 times with high permeation flux(up to 1380 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1))and separation efficiency(up to 99.4%).

Preparation of TiO2 microspheres with flower-like morphology through a water-in-oil emulsion route assisted by solvothermal treatment

Mesoporous TiO2 microspheres with flower-like morphology, high specific surface area, and high- crystallinity primary crystalline-phase of anatase have been prepared through a water-in-oil emulsion synthesis route assisted by solvothermal treatment. The as-prepared powder microspheres, as well as their precursor, were characterized by various techniques. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis indicated that the optimal sintering temperature of the TiO2 precursor was 550 ℃. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, and X-ray diffractionjointly confirmed that the precursor powder with a spherical structure and main particle sizes ranging from 3 to 20 μm had the same primary crystalline-phase as the TiO2 microspheres obtained from the calcination of the precur- sor at 550 ℃ for 4 h. The specific surface area of the TiO2 microspheres was approximately 123.6 m2/g according to the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） nitrogen adsorption results. Compared with the com- mercial TiO2 powder （P25）, the resulting TiO2 microspheres exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity. Based on the experimental results, a rational mechanism was proposed to elucidate the formation of the TiO2 microsoheres.

The use of bacterial cellulose from kombucha to produce curcumin loaded Pickering emulsion with improved stability and antioxidant properties

Curcumin is a bioactive molecule with limited industrial application because of its instability and poor solubility in water.Herein,curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion was produced using purified bacterial cellulose from fermented kombucha(KBC).The morphology,particle size,stability,rheological properties,and antioxidant activities of the curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion were investigated.The fluorescence microscope and scanning electron microscopy images showed that the curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion formed circular droplets with good encapsulation.The curcumin-load Pickering emulsion exhibited better stability under a wide range of temperatures,low p H,sunlight,and UV-365 nm than the free curcumin,indicating that the KBC after high-pressure homogenization improved the stability of the CPE.The encapsulated curcumin retained its antioxidant capacity and exhibited higher functional potential than the free curcumin.The study demonstrated that the KBC could be an excellent material for preparing a Pickering emulsion to improve curcumin stability and antioxidant activity.

Rheo-optic in situ synchronous study on the gelation behaviour and mechanism of waxy crude oil emulsions

An improved rheo-optic in situ synchronous measurement system was employed to investigate the gelation behaviour and mechanism of waxy crude oil emulsions. By combining transmitted natural light and reflected polarized light microscopy, a multiangle composite light source was built to achieve the simultaneous observation of wax crystals and emulsified water droplets, as well as their dynamic aggregation process. Main outcomes on the microscopic mechanism were obtained by developed microscopic image processing method. It was found that the microstructure of W/O waxy crude oil emulsion has the evolution of “individual structure--homogeneous aggregate structure--heterogeneous coaggregate structure--floc structure” during the static cooling, which results in the four stages during gelation process. Different from previous studies, the aggregation of emulsified water droplets was found to be more significant and contributes to the formation and development of the wax crystals-emulsified water droplets coaggregate, which plays a decisive role in the further evolution of the gelled microstructure. Time series microscopic images show the dynamic aggregation of emulsified water droplets and wax crystals. Two different aggregation behaviours between wax crystals and water droplets were observed. That wax crystals can not only embed in gaps between adjacent water droplets and enhance the structure, but also surround the outside of the water droplets and continue to grow resulting in the interconnection of different coaggregates to form a larger floc structure. In addition, correlation between viscoelasticity and microstructure evolution of waxy crude oil emulsions of different water contents was discussed. With increasing water contents, the microstructure is changed from wax crystal flocculation structure as the main skeleton and the emulsified water droplets embedded in it, into the aggregation of emulsified water droplets occupying the main position. When the number of wax crystals and water droplets reaches a certain ratio, did wax crystals form coaggregates with emulsified water droplets, and the remaining wax crystals formed an overall flocculation structure, the viscoelasticity of the waxy crude oil emulsion is the highest.

A Versatile Coating Approach to Fabricate Superwetting Membranes for Separation of Water-in-Oil Emulsions

Separation of oil/water mixtures, especially for the emulsified oil/water mixtures, is important because of the frequent occurrence of oil spill accidents. Utilizing superwetting porous membrane has become a promising approach to separate either surfactant-free or surfactant-stabilized emulsions. Herein we report a facile and versatile strategy for preparing hydrophobic/under-oil superhydrophobic membranes by coating the skeletons of the membranes with the poly[（3,3,3- trifluoropropyl）methylsiloxane] （PTFPMS） nanoparticles. The obtained membranes could be used to separate various water- in-oil emulsions with high flux and separation efficiency. In addition, owning to the outstanding resistance of PTFPMS to the most organic solvents or oils, the modified membranes exhibited the excellent reusability and the antifouling properties that were critical in the practical applications. Many commercially available membranes can be modified by such a simple method.