Evaluation of oil-in-water emulsions with cationic–anionic surfactants mixtures for potential use in the oil industry

Abstract

Abstract The emulsifier properties of sodium oleate (NaOl)-hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) aqueous mixtures were studied using different proportions of the surfactants. The formation of O/W and W/O emulsions was explored and their properties (viscosity, stability and droplets size distribution) were determined. The mixture with 0.75 mole fraction of HTAB without considering the solvent formed very stable and concentrated O/W emulsions, which were destroyed via heterocoagulation by quartzite sand. Thus, these mixtures have high potential applicability in the asphalt emulsification for pavement production or sand fixation.