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.

Spatially resolved micron-scale wrinkle structures at asphaltene films induced by mild thermal treatment and its impact on emulsion stability

Mild thermal treatment is an important partial upgrading technique to enable bitumen pipeline transportation,but no attention has been paid to the impact of mild thermal treatment on the emulsification behavior of emerging partially upgraded bitumen.Asphaltene compounds are active emulsion stabilizers in bitumen oil.The emulsion stabilizing capacity of bitumen asphaltenes was investigated,before and after a mild thermal treatment at 400℃.The structural morphology and mechanical property of the asphaltene interfacial films were analyzed by using a combination of cryo-SEM,Langmuir trough,and Brewster angle microscopy.The thermal treatment significantly enhanced the emulsion stabilizing capacity of bitumen asphaltenes;the interfacial films formed by the thermally treated asphaltene samples appeared to be rougher and thicker with more abundant micron-scale wrinkle structures.The interfacial corrugation may intensify the mechanical stability/flexibility of the asphaltene films and consequently strengthen the stability of emulsion droplet.

Investigating Factors Influencing the Stability of Enteral Nutritional Emulsions Designed for Cancer Patients

Objective A commercially available reference product was“re-engineered”and the target emulsion was formulated to contain the same energy density,as well as the same percentage of energy sources,as the reference product.The particle size and distribution,polydispersity index(PDI),and zeta-potential of emulsions were measured as indices to analyse the quality of the emulsions.Methods The centrifugal stability(Ke)was examined as the main measure of the stability of the target emulsion.Critical parameters affecting the stability of emulsions were also determined,while the temperature was fixed at 30℃,shear speed at 3500 r/min,and shear time was 15 min.The optimal quantity of emulsifier was also studied in the crude homogenate.Results A relatively stable emulsion could be obtained by using PC-50 at a dosage of 2%as the emulsifier.A 2∶1 proportion of whey protein to casein,a 1∶1 proportion of maltodextrin(DE 10-15)to maltodextrin(DE 15-20)and medium chain triglyceride(MCT)in powder form were used to obtain the most desirable emulsion.Conclusion This study explored the critical parameters that influence the stability of a total nutrition enteral emulsion designed for cancer patients,providing useful information for further industrialisation of this and other emulsion products.

Determination of hydrophilic–lipophilic balance value and emulsion properties of sacha inchi oil

Objective: To determine hydrophilic–lipophilic balance(HLB) value, stability of formulate emulsion and properties of sacha inchi oil.Methods: The physiochemical characteristics of sacha inchi oil were first investigated.Free radical scavenging property was studied by DPPH assay. HLB value of sacha inchi oil was experimentally determined by preparing the emulsion using emulsifiers at different HLB value. Sacha inchi oil emulsion was prepared using the obtained HLB and its stability was conducted by centrifugation, temperature cycling, and accelerated stability test. The efficiency of the prepared emulsion was clinically investigated by 15 volunteers. The primary skin irritation was performed using closed patch test. Subjective sensory assessment was evaluated by using 5-point hedonic scale method.Results: Peroxide value of sacha inchi oil was 18.40 meq O2/kg oil and acid value was1.86 KOH/g oil. The major fatty acids are omega-3(44%), omega-6(35%) and omega-9(9%). The vitamin E content was 226 mg/100 g oil. Moreover, sacha inchi oil(167 ppm)and its emulsion showed 85% and 89% DPPH inhibition, respectively. The experimental HLB value of sacha inchi oil was 8.5. The sacha inchi oil emulsion exhibited good stability after stability test. The emulsion was classified as non-irritant after tested by primary skin irritation method. The skin hydration value significantly increased from38.59 to 45.21(P < 0.05) after applying sacha inchi oil emulsion for 1 month and the overall product satisfaction of volunteers after use was with score of 4.2.Conclusions: This work provides information on HLB value and emulsion properties of sacha inchi oil which is useful for cosmetic and pharmaceutical application.

Nanoparticle stabilized emulsion with surface solidification for profile control in porous media

Profile control is utilized to redirect the injection water to low permeability region where a large amount of crude oil lies.Performed gel particles are the commonly used agent for redistributing water by blocking the pores in high permeability region.But the capability of deep penetration of performed gel particles is poor.Here,we formulate nanoparticle stabilized emulsion(NSE).The stability and the effect of NSE on the fluid redirection in a three-dimensional porous medium were investigated.By usingμ-PIV(particle image velocimetry),it was found that the velocity gradient of continuous fluid close to the nanoparticle stabilized droplets is much higher than that close to surfactant stabilized droplets.NSE behaves as solid particle in preferential seepage channels,which will decrease effectively the permeability,thereby redirecting the subsequent injection water.Furthermore,NSE shows high stability compared with emulsion stabilized by surfactant in static and dynamic tests.In addition,water flooding tests also confirm that the NSE can significantly reduce the permeability of porous media and redirect the fluid flow.Our results demonstrate NSE owns high potential to act as profile control agent in deep formation.

Nanoparticle-stabilized Alkenyl Succinic Anhydride(ASA)Emulsions:A Review

Alkenyl succinic anhydride(ASA) is a popular paper-sizing agent that is generally added to papermaking systems as an aqueous emulsion. Herein, we reviewed the recent work focusing on ASA emulsions stabilized by solid particles. Solid particle-stabilized ASA emulsions generally possess high ASA content and exhibit good sizing performance. The particles that have been used to stabilize ASA emulsions typically include montmorillonite, laponite, alumina, TiO_2, Fe_3O_4, polyaluminum sulfate(PAS), and cellulose nanocrystals(CNCs). Montmorillonite is the first extensively studied particle stabilizer for ASA emulsions. Laponite is undoubtedly the most competent particle stabilizer for preparing ASA emulsions with high sizing efficiency. Montmorillonite and laponite can be used individually as stabilizers after modification or as co-stabilizers with other particles or polymers. TiO_2, alumina, PAS, and CNCs are commonly used as stabilizers either individually or with other particles.

Influences of water treatment agents on oil-water interfacial properties of oilfield produced water

The emulsion stability of oilfield produced water is related to the oil-water interfacial film strength and the zeta potential of the oil droplets. We investigated the effects of water treatment agents （corrosion inhibitor SL-2, scale inhibitor HEDP, germicide 1227, and flocculant polyaluminium chloride PAC） on the stability of oilfield produced water. The influence of these treatment agents on oil-water interfacial properties and the mechanism of these agents acting on the oilfield produced water were studied by measuring the interfacial shear viscosity, interfacial tension and zeta electric potential. The results indicated that the scale inhibitor HEDP could increase the oil-water interfacial film strength, and it could also increase the absolute value of the zeta potential of oil droplets. HEDP played an important role in the stability of the emulsion. Polyaluminum chloride （PAC） reduced the stability of the emulsion by considerably decreasing the absolute value of the zeta potential of oil droplets. Corrosion inhibitor SL-2 and germicide 1227 could decrease the oil-water interfacial tension, whereas they had little influence on oil-water interfacial shear viscosity and oil-water interfacial electricity properties.

Development and Applications of the Solid Emulsifier Used to Improve the Performance of Oil-in-water Drilling Fluids

The oil-in-water emulsion drilling fluids, prepared by adding 5～12% (by volume) of mineral oil (or diesel) to water-based muds, have been widely used for stuck-pipe prevention in the Shengli Oilfield. In some cases, the emulsion stability of this kind of mud system is not strong enough to meet the requirements of drilling operations. To overcome this drawback, a solid emulsifier, which is characterized by its very small particle size and special wetting behavior (slightly water-wet), has been developed and successfully applied to improve the emulsion stability and other performances of these drilling fluids. Prior to the development of this technology, an extensive study was conducted to deal with the influence of various kinds of finely divided insoluble solid particles on oil/water emulsification. The substances used include bentonite, organophilic clay, kaolinite, barite, two kinds of calcium carbonate with different particle sizes, two kinds of silica with different wetting behaviors, and a newly developed solid emulsifier. Both the emulsion stability experiments and the drop coalescence experiments are performed to evaluate the contribution of these particles to emulsification. The measured final emulsion volume disappears after 12 hours and the half-life for water and oil drops are used as the measures of emulsion stability. The experimental data show that the type, size, concentration and wettability of the particles, and the presence of some surfactants control the type and stability of emulsions for a given oil/water system, and the fine particles of the solids emulsifier provide the most effective stabilization for water-continuous emulsions compared with other kinds of particles. Meanwhile, it can be observed that these particles also stabilize oil-continuous emulsions effectively in some cases since their wetting behavior is close to neutral. The O/W emulsion mud stabilized by the newly developed solid emulsifier has become one of the major mud systems used in directional and horizontal well drilling in the Shengli Oilfield. In addition to the improvement of emulsion stability, this solid emulsifier has the advantages of improving the lubricity of mud cake and is beneficial to the control of rheological properties and filtration.

Formulation and Optimization of New Spreads Based on Olive Oil and Honey: A Response Surface Methodology Box-Benken Design

Bread spread is one of the fundamental foods in human diets. Generally, cheese spread, butter, chocolate spread, and margarine are the most consumed. In the last decade, a new concept alimentary has been integrated, it was low fat spread or functional spread. This work is an attempt to formulate and optimize new low-fat spreads based on olive oil and honey using a response surface methodology box-benken design. To optimize its stability and its textural properties under the effects of three factors, beeswax content, stirring time, and stirring speed. Results revealed that the best mixture was the formulation that contained 1% beeswax, 79% honey, and 20% olive oil, formulated under 6.39 min of time stirring at 15,428 rpm speed. The beeswax was the major factor showing the highest effect on all the properties of spreads.

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Deep Water Synthetic Based Drilling Fluid System

With the enhancement of environmental protection awareness, the requirements on drilling fluid are increasingly strict, and the use of ordinary oil-based drilling fluid has been strictly restricted. In order to solve the environmental protection and oil-gas reservoir protection problems of offshore oil drilling, a new synthetic basic drilling fluid system is developed. The basic formula is as follows: a basic fluid (80% Linear a-olefin + 20% Simulated seawater) + 2.5% nano organobentonite + 3.5% emulsifier RHJ-5# + 2.5% fluid loss agent SDJ-1 + 1.5% CaO + the right amount of oil wetting barite to adjust the density, and a multifunctional oil and gas formation protective agent YRZ has been developed. The performance was evaluated using a high-low-high-temperature rheometer, a high-temperature and high-pressure demulsification voltage tester, and a high-temperature and high-pressure dynamic fluid loss meter. The results show that the developed synthetic based drilling fluid has good rheological property, demulsification voltage ≥ 500 V, temperature resistance up to 160°C, high temperature and high pressure filtration loss < 3.5 mL. After adding 2% - 5% YRZ into the basic formula of synthetic based drilling fluid, the permeability recovery value exceeds 90% and the reservoir protection effect is excellent. The new synthetic deepwater drilling fluid is expected to have a good application prospect in offshore deepwater drilling.

Performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine operating on different water in diesel emulsion fuels:optimization using response surface methodology(RSM)

The nitrogen oxide(NOx)release of diesel engines can be reduced using water in diesel emulsion fuel without any engine modification.In the present paper,different formulations of water in diesel emulsion fuels were prepared by ultrasonic irradiation.The water droplet size in the emulsion,polydisperisty index,and the stability of prepared fuel was examined,experimentally.Afterwards,the performance characteristics and exhaust emission of a single cylinder air-cooled diesel engine were investigated using different water in diesel emulsion fuels.The effect of water content(in the range of 5%-10% by volume),surfactant content(in the range of 0.5%-2% by volume),and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance(HLB)(in the range of 5-8)was examined using Box-Behnken design(BBD)as a subset of response surface methodology(RSM).Considering multi-objective optimization,the best formulation for the emulsion fuel was found to be 5%water,2% surfactant,and HLB of 6.8.A comparison was made between the best emulsion fuel and the neat diesel fuel for engine performance and emission characteristics.A considerable decrease in the nitrogen oxide emission(-18.24%)was observed for the best emulsion fuel compared to neat diesel fuel.

Study of Pickering emulsions stabilized by mixed particles of silica and calcite

Picketing emulsions were prepared using mixed particles of silica and calcite as emulsifiers. The effects of the silica content in the mixed particles on the stability and the drop size of the Picketing emulsions were investigated. The results showed that the Picketing emulsions were of the oil-in-water type. With increasing silica content in the mixed partides, the stability and the drop size of the Pickering emulsions decreased. Larger silica particles had more influence on the stability of the emulsions, while smaller ones had more influence on the drop size of the emulsions. The effect of the silica particles on the emulsions was attributed to their adsorptive behavior at the oil-water interfaces of the Picketing emulsions.