Synergistic anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system with high emulsification efficiency for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

Emulsification is one of the important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. To improve oil recovery for low permeability reservoirs, a highly efficient emulsification oil flooding system consisting of anionic surfactant sodium alkyl glucosyl hydroxypropyl sulfonate(APGSHS) and zwitterionic surfactant octadecyl betaine(BS-18) is proposed. The performance of APGSHS/BS-18 mixed surfactant system was evaluated in terms of interfacial tension, emulsification capability, emulsion size and distribution, wettability alteration, temperature-resistance and salt-resistance. The emulsification speed was used to evaluate the emulsification ability of surfactant systems, and the results show that mixed surfactant systems can completely emulsify the crude oil into emulsions droplets even under low energy conditions. Meanwhile,the system exhibits good temperature and salt resistance. Finally, the best oil recovery of 25.45% is achieved for low permeability core by the mixed surfactant system with a total concentration of 0.3 wt%while the molar ratio of APGSHS:BS-18 is 4:6. The current study indicates that the anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system can improve the oil flooding efficiency and is potential candidate for application in low permeability reservoirs.

Characterization of Flame Retardancy and Oil-Water Separation Capacity of Superhydrophobic Silylated Melamine Sponges

A silylated melamine sponge(SMS)was prepared by two simple steps,namely,immersion and dehydration of a melamine sponge coated with methyltrichlorosilane.The silylated structure of SMS was characterized by FT-IR(Fourier-transform infrared)spectroscopy,SEM(Scanning electron microscopy)and in terms of water contact angles.Its oil-water absorption and separation capacities were measured by FT-IR and UV-visible spectrophoto-metry.The experimental results have shown that oligomeric silanol covalently bonds by Si-N onto the surface of melamine sponge skeletons.SMS has shown superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle exceeding 150°±1°,a better separation efficiency with regard to diesel oil(by 99.31%(wt/wt%)in oil-water mixture and even up to 99.99%(wt/wt%)for diesel oil in its saturated aqueous solution.Moreover,SMS inherited the intrinsicflame retardancy of the melamine sponge.In general,SMS has shown superhydrophobicity,high porosity,excellent selectivity,remarkable recyclability,and better absorption capacity for various oils and organic solvents,and a high separation efficiency for oil in saturated aqueous solutions.

Analysis of Ultrasonic Emulsification Surgery and Small Incision Cataract Extracapsular Extraction Surgery for Cataract Clinical Treatment Level Improvement

Objective:To analyze the efficacy of ultrasonic emulsification and small incision cataract extracapsular extraction in cataract patients.Methods:96 cataract patients admitted from May 2021 to May 2023 were selected and randomly grouped into group A(ultrasonic emulsification)and group B(small-incision extracapsular cataract extraction),with 48 cases each.Results:At 1 week,1-month,and 3 months post-operation,the visual acuity of group A was higher and the astigmatism value was lower than that of group B(P<0.05);at 12h,24h,and 48h post-operation,the intraocular pressure of group A was higher than that of group B(P<0.05);the thickness of macular area of group A was lower than that of group B at 1 week and 1-month post-operation(P<0.05).Conclusion:Ultrasonic emulsification in cataract patients was slightly better than small incision cataract extracapsular extraction in correcting astigmatism,improving visual acuity,and regulating macular thickness.However,due to the high energy of ultrasonic emulsification,the risk of complications such as high postoperative intraocular pressure was higher.Small-incision extracapsular cataract extraction has better application value in economically disadvantaged areas.

Preparation of Silica Nanosphere with Vertical Pore and Its Application in Oil-water Separation

Uniform monodispersed mesoporous silica nanospheres with vertical pores were successfully synthesized using chiral amphiphilic small molecule L-16Ala5PyClO4and solvents as dual templates via solgel transcription.The morphologies and pore sizes of silicas are adjustable by changing the type and amount of solvents in the reaction systems.With the increase of the organic solvent content,the morphologies of the obtained silica changed from nanospheres with vertical pore structures to nanosheets structures.When 1 mL of benzene,cyclohexane or toluene were used as solvents,only silica nanospheres were obtained,the BET surface areas of silica nanospheres reached 600.7,669.5,and 560.8 m^(2)/g,respectively.The pore sizes were 3.51,3.54,and 3.46 nm,respectively.Significantly,these ordered silica nanospheres/poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene)(PVAco-PE)nanofiber membranes have high separation efficiencies(>99%)for n-hexane/water mixtures.

Wax deposition modeling in oil-water stratified pipe flow

Wax deposition in oil-water stratified flow is commonly encountered onshore and offshore oil production pipe systems,and typically reduces transportation capacity of oil.The accurate predicted model of wax deposition has becomes an indispensable approach to design effective remediation strategies.However,a reliable mechanistic model for wax deposition prediction in oil-water two-phase stratified pipe flow is lacking to validate the deposition process.In this work,a three-dimensional(axial,radial,and angular)robust wax deposit model for oil-water stratified circular pipe flow was developed.The model of formation of a gel deposit based on the first principles of rheology was developed,associated with the results obtained from hydrodynamics and heat/mass transfer simulations.The predictions for wax deposition are found to compare satisfactorily with experimental data with two different oils for single phase and four different water cuts for oil-water stratified pipe flow.It can be seen from the wax gelation mechanism that an increase in water cut can help to reduce the wall/oil-deposit interface shear stress,thereby leading to an increase in the degree of gelation as well as the deposit rate.Furthermore,a local deposit analysis in the circumferential direction was conducted,for water cut 75%and total flow rate 5 m3/h,which provided insights to understand that the thickness on pipe wall was roughly uniformly distributed locates near the top of the pipe and the nearer the position gets close to two points,where the oil-water interface contacts the inner wall,the deposition thickness quickly dropped to 0.It was attributed to the fact that a roughly uniformly thickness far away from the oil-water interface contact the inner wall resulted in the slowly changes temperature along the circumferential pipe wall wetted by oil.

Molecular design and applications of a nanostructure green Tripodal surface active ionic liquid in enhanced oil recovery: Interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, and emulsification

Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) are considered as prominent materials in enhanced oil recovery thanks to their high interfacial activity. This study reports the preparation and applications of a nanostructure Tripodal imidazolium SAIL as an environmentally-friendly substitute to the conventional surfactants. The product has a star-like molecular structure centered by a triazine spacer, namely [(C_(4)im)_(3)TA][Cl_(3)], prepared by a one-step synthesis method and characterized with FT-IR, NMR, XRD, and SEM analysis methods. The interfacial tension of the system was decreased to about 78% at critical micelle concentration of less than 0.08 mol·dm^(−3). Increasing temperature, from 298.2 to 323.2 K, improved this capability. The solid surface wettability was changed from oil-wet to water-wet and 80% and 77% stable emulsions of crude oil–aqueous solutions were created after one day and one week, respectively. Compared to the Gemini kind homologous SAILs, the superior effects of the Tripodal SAIL were revealed and attributed to the strong hydrophobic branches in the molecule. The Frumkin adsorption isotherm precisely reproduced the generated IFT data, and accordingly, the adsorption and thermodynamic parameters were determined.

Preparation of Hydrophobic Fly Ash by Surface Modification and Oil-water Separation Devices

A simple and effective superhydrophobic mesh was designed and made to separate oil-water mixture. Alkali-activated fly ash reacted with 1-bromooctadecane to prepare superhydrophobic modified fly ash (MFA) with low surface energy through Williamson ether synthesis. The MFA powder was then coated uniformly on a stainless steel mesh (SSM) along with the epoxy resin E44 and curing agent T31 to give the superhydrophobic MFA-modified stainless steel mesh (MFA-SSM). The MFA-SSM has a high static water contact angle (CA) of 150.1°and can separate various oil or organic solvent from water with>95%separation efficiency. The oil-water separation efficiency remained high after 30 runs of petroleum ether/water separation.The developed superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh is expected to have wider use in oil-water separation.

Emulsifying property,antioxidant activity,and bitterness of soybean protein isolate hydrolysate obtained by Corolase PP under high hydrostatic pressure

Enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins can enhance their emulsifying properties and antioxidant activities.However,the problem related to the hydrolysis of proteins was the generation of the bitter taste.Recently,high hydrostatic pressure(HHP)treatment has attracted much interest and has been used in several studies on protein modification.Hence,the study aimed to investigate the effects of enzymatic hydrolysis by Corolase PP under different pressure treatments(0.1,100,200,and 300 MPa for 1-5 h at 50℃)on the emulsifying property,antioxidant activity,and bitterness of soybean protein isolate hydrolysate(SPIH).As observed,the hydrolysate obtained at 200 MPa for 4 h had the highest emulsifying activity index(47.49 m^(2)/g)and emulsifying stability index(92.98%),and it had higher antioxidant activities(44.77%DPPH free radical scavenging activity,31.12%superoxide anion radical scavenging activity,and 61.50%copper ion chelating activity).At the same time,the enhancement of emulsion stability was related to the increase of zeta potential and the decrease of mean particle size.In addition,the hydrolysate obtained at 200 MPa for 4 h had a lower bitterness value and showed better palatability.This study has a broad application prospect in developing food ingredients and healthy foods.

PROGRESS IN PHASE INVERSION EMULSIFICATION FOR EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE DISPERSIONS

In this review, our recent work in phase inversion emulsification （PIE） for polymer （especially epoxy resin） waterborne dispersions is summarized. Based on experimental results about PIE process, the physical model is proposed which can guide the synthesis of the waterborne dispersions such as polymer/nanoparticle composite dispersion. In the presence of a latent curing catalyst, PIE can give a crosslinkable epoxy resin waterborne dispersion. The dispersions can form cured transparent coatings with some unique properties such as UV shielding. They are promising in functional coatings, waterborne resin matrices for composites, and sizing for high performance fibers.

Analysis of the causative factors related to earlier emulsification of silicone oil

The aim of this study is to report and analyze the factors related with earlier occurrence of silicone oil(SO) emulsification in patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy and SO injection in our hospital. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive case series undergone both SO injection and removal in our hospital, and 182 ones were eligible. Possible related independent factors included: macula status(on/off), concomitant phacoemulsification with the surgery of SO tamponading, concomitant status of proliferative vitreoretinopathy, combined surgery of retinotomy, time to have emulsification(<6 mo/≥6 mo after primary SO injection), route of SO injection(anterior/posterior), lens status(aphakic/pseudophakic/phakic), anesthesia(local/general), brands and type of SO, with/without episcleral cryotherapy, with/without hypertension, with/without diabetes, with/without intraoperative use of triamcinolone acetonide. The study revealed that brand and type of SO was the significant factor related with earlier emulsification of SO. Further study was warranted to find out the underlying causes.

SYNTHESIS OF STYRENIC TONER PARTICLES BY SPG EMULSIFICATION TECHNIQUE

This research studied the initiator efficiency for producing polymeric particles of poly(styrene-co-methyl methacrylate) copolymers by a Shirasu porous glass membrane (SPG) emulsification technique followed by suspension copolymerization. BPO, ADVN, and AIBN were used as initiators and we found that BPO is the most suitable initiator. Copolymers for various feed ratios of styrene/methyl methacrylate were thus synthesized by benzoyl peroxide, and their copolymer particle size, molecular weight distribution and pat-ride size distribution were characterized. Then n-BMA or 2-EHMA was added as the third monomer to decrease the terpolymer glass transition temperature. This article describes the preparation technique, recipes and polymerization conditions for producing both copolymer and terpolymer particles, particle size changes, the corresponding particle morphologies and glass transition temperatures.

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.

A Mutant Strain of a Surfactant-Producing Bacterium with Increased Emulsification Activity

As reported in this paper, a strain of oil-degrading bacterium Sp - 5 - 3 was determined to belong to Enterobacteriaceae, which would be useful for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The aim of our study was to generate a mutant using low energy N+ beam implantation. With 10 keV of energy and 5.2× 1014 N+/cm2 of dose - the optimum condition, a mutant, S-34, was obtained, which had nearly a 5-fold higher surface and a 13-fold higher of emulsifica-tion activity than the wild type. The surface activity was measured by two methods, namely, a surface tension measuring instrument and a recording of the repulsive circle of the oil film; the emulsification activity was scaled through measuring the separating time of the oil-fermentation mixture. The metabolic acid was determined as methane by means of gas chromatography.

Analysis of the rates of emulsification in intraocular silicone oil tamponades of differing viscosities

AIM:To investigate the rates of emulsification in silicone oil(SO)tamponades of differing viscosities used during pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)in the treatment of complicated vitreoretinal diseases.METHODS:This study was a prospective randomized clinical trial.Totally 290 cases with greater likelihoods of secondary detachment were included and randomly grouped into either Siluron 2000(n=143)or Siluron 5000(n=147)SO tamponades with 23-gauge PPV.Patient followups and data analyses were conducted 1,3,6,and 12 mo post-surgery.RESULTS:The time of the SO emulsification ranged from 1 to 17 mo,with a mean of 7.3±4.2 mo.The Siluron 5000 group showed a slower emulsification rate in comparison to the Siluron 2000 group.The Siluron 2000 group took a shorter time to show signs of emulsification,necessitating earlier SO removal.However,there were no significant differences in the occurrence of complications,including secondary retinal detachment,cataract,corneal abnormality,high intraocular pressure and hypotony.CONCLUSION:The Siluron 2000 SO tamponade shows a faster rate of emulsification than the Siluron 5000 SO,necessitating earlier removal.Both groups show similar results in terms of anatomical success and visual acuity outcome,and there is no significant difference between the SOs regarding the occurrence of complications.

HYDRODYNAMIC AND THERMODYNAMIC EFFECTS IN PHASE INVERSION EMULSIFICATION PROCESS OF EPOXY RESIN IN WATER

The mechanism of phase inversion emulsification process （PIE） was studied for waterborne dispersion of highly viscous epoxy resin using non-ionic polymeric surfactants. Drop deformation and breakup, rheological properties, conductivity, and particle size measurements reveal the micro-structural transition amid emulsification. It is revealed that strong flow causes water drop to burst with the formation of droplets and huge interface. Phase inversion corresponds to an abrupt rheological transition from a type of viscous melt with weak elasticity to a highly elastic type of aqueous gel. This implies that the phase inversion equivalent to a curvature inversion. Based on this, a geometric model is postulated to correlate process variables to the particle size. The coverage and conformation of the surfactant plays key role for the particle size of the final emulsion. The interactions of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic effects are also discussed. It is concluded that the thermodynamics control the PIE while the hydrodynamics drives the creation of interface and involves every step of PIE.

MEMBRANE EMULSIFICATION SYSTEMS

Microcapsules (or microspheres) with small size and narrow size distribution have potential applications as carriers of proteins and polypeptides. However the conventional preparation methods severely limit their real applications. Membrane emulsification technology may become a new preparation method of microcapsules with monodisperse droplets, mild conditions, good stability, low energy consumption and easy to realize mass production. In this paper, studies on membrane emulsification systems and the possible existing problems are summarized, and primary attempts on preparing alginate/chitosan microcapsules are conducted.

PREPARATION OF BISPHENOL A EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE DISPERSIONS BY THE PHASE INVERSION EMULSIFICATION TECHNIQUE

The phase inversion emulsification technique (PIET) is an effective physical method for preparing waterborne dispersions of polymer resins. Some results concerning the preparation of bisphenol A epoxy resin waterborne dispersions by PIET in our laboratory were summarized. Electrical properties, rheological behavior and morphological evolution during phase inversion progress were systematically characterized. The effects of the emulsifier concentration and emulsification temperature on phase inversion progress and the structural features of the waterborne particles were studied as well. The deformation and break up of water drops in a shear field were analyzed in terms of micro-theology, while the interaction and coalescence dynamics of water drops were discussed in terms of DLVO theory and Smoluchowski effective collision theory, respectively. Based on the experimental results and theoretical analysis, a physical model of phase inversion progress was suggested, by which the effects of the parameters on phase inversion progress and the structural features of the waterborne particles were interpreted and predicted.

Impact of emulsification of crude oil on normalized radar cross section

The emulsification of crude oil is caused by the oil flowing into the water,resulting in the increase of oil film tension,viscosity,water content,and volume,which brings great harm to the marine ecological environment and difficulties for the cleanup of marine emergency equipment.The realization observation of emulsification crude oil will increase the response speed of marine emergency response.Therefore,we set up crude oil emulsification samples to study the physical property in laboratory and conducted radar measurements at different incidence angles in outdoor.The radar is C band in resolution of 0.7 m by 0.7 m.A fully polarimetric scatterometer(HH,VV,and VH/HV)is mounted at 1.66 m(minimum altitude)height at an incidence angle between 35°and 60°.An asphalt content of less than 3%crude oil and the filtered seawater were used to the outdoor emulsification scattering experiment.The measurement results are as follows.The water content can be used to describe the process of emulsification and it is easy to measure.Wind speed,asphalt content,seawater temperature,and photo-oxidation affect the emulsifying process of crude oil,and affects the normalized radar cross section(NRCS)of oil film but wind is not the dominant factor.It is the first time to find that the emulsification of crude oil results in an increase of NRCS.

Preparation of Monodispersed O/W Emulsion by Ceramic External Membrane Emulsification System——Preliminary Study on Integrated Ceramic Membrane Emulsification Reactor

A new reactor with integrated conventional slurry stirred reactor and ceramic external membrane emulsification system, was introduced in this paper. Toluene and toluene containing surfactant was separately used as dispersed phase for preparation of emulsions. Two kinds of emulsions were prepared and compared. The volume average sizes of prepared emulsions were 3.53μm and 3.6μm respectively. The results showed that the droplet sizes of two kinds of emulsions were similar, but the monodispersed emulsion was only obtained with addition of surfactant into the dispersed phase.

<i>In Vivo</i>Emulsification Analysis of 1000 cs and 5000 cs Silicone Oil after Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Vitrectomy Surgery

Purpose: To compare in vivo emulsification of silicone oil 1000 and 5000 centistokes (cs) after retinal detachment surgery. Design: Comparative non-interventional Retrospective study. Methods: Silicone oils from patients who underwent retinal detachment surgery were investigated using Spectrophotometer UV-Vis. Spectroscopically changes determine emulsification with the time of tamponade, inflammation, patients age and severity of retinal detachment. Results: We found significant difference on absorbance (p = 0.004) between used 1000 Centi stoke (cs) silicon oil (average wave length 2.51 nm;SD: 1.575 nm) and used 5000 cs silicon oil (average wave length 0.910 nm;SD: 0.564 nm). Conclusions: In vivo emulsification was higher in silicone oil 1000 compared to 5000 cs silicone oil after vitreoretinal tamponade 8 - 12 weeks due to retinal detachment surgery. Emulsification related to higher absorbance and lower transmittance in 1000 cs silicone oil. Inflammation may become a factor affecting this condition.