Oil Medium Research Articles

A critical analysis of extracts of okra seeds and amla offering green chemistry for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their promising role in reducing crude oil viscosity

To produce zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, aqueous solution growth offers cost and energy advantages over gas phase methods making the process green, but the quality of the ZnO nanoparticles could be compromised. It is often exaggerated that plant extracts can make the solution growth process even more ‘green’, but its overall impact requires careful evaluation. In this study, the effectiveness of plant extracts obtained from okra seeds and amla and their impact on ZnO nanoparticle production are investigated. Results showed that certain chemicals like phenolic compounds from amla can exhibit significant antioxidant activity. Extraction in water at room temperature is advantageous for the green synthesis, but may require greater amount of plant part or longer extraction time. Characterization techniques including FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are employed. There are possibilities of some impurity caused by remnants of precursor for ZnO, indicating requirement for additional purification stages. SEM analysis reveals distinct morphologies influenced by plant extracts, with particle sizes ranging from sub-100 nm to several microns. Elemental composition of synthesized ZnO are consistent with that of commercial ones. Apart from synthesizing ZnO nanoparticles, their impact on the viscosity of Arab Medium Crude Oil is also investigated. Dispersion of the ZnO particles in the oil reveals up to 70% reduction in viscosity.

A mechanistic study of asphaltene formation and aggregation in presence of metallic-based nanoparticles

In this work, the effects of metallic-based nanostructures including iron oxide (Fe2O3), magnesium oxide (MgO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) on asphaltene precipitation and aggregation were explored. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) methods. Optical microscopy and asphaltene dispersant tests (ADTs) were utilized to discover the effects of nanoparticles on asphaltene stability and the size-growth of asphaltene aggregates in crude oil medium. The interactions of the asphaltene functional groups with metal oxide nanoparticles were evaluated at molecular scale by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), FT-IR, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Results of different experiments exhibited that synthesized nanostructures in general postpone the asphaltene onset of precipitation (AOP) and reduce the size of asphaltene aggregates in unstable crude oil medium. MgO nanoparticles with a concentration of 300 ppm had the greatest effect on controlling the asphaltene precipitation and aggregation. The TGA/DTG analysis showed that the oxidation of pure asphaltenes occurs at a temperature of about 425 °C, while the oxidation temperature of asphaltenes adsorbed on ZnO and Fe2O3 nanoparticles occurs at around 330 °C, and for MgO nanoparticles at about 365 °C. In addition, the spectra obtained from the FT-IR analysis for asphaltenes without and with nanoparticles at the wavelengths of 1450 and 2900 cm−1 show the medium C–H stretching bonds that play the most important role in the adsorption of asphaltene on the surfaces of the nanoparticles. Also, the recorded FESEM images of the asphaltene and nanoparticles demonstrated the proper absorption of asphaltenes in the empty spaces between the structures of nanoparticles. According to the results from different experiments and intermolecular analyses, the performance of synthesized nanoparticles for retarding asphaltene precipitation and dispersing the asphaltene aggregates was in order of MgO (300 ppm) > Fe2O3 (300 ppm) > ZnO (700 ppm). The results of intermolecular analyses established the effective adsorption of the asphaltene particles onto the surface of the nanoparticles, which is caused by strong hydrogen interactions between the active sites of the asphaltene and nanoparticles. The findings of this study prove that metal-oxide nanoparticles can be utilized as an economically and environmentally-effective agents for controlling asphaltene formation and aggregation in crude oil.

Bioactive metabolites of Asparagopsis stabilized in canola oil completely suppress methane emissions in beef cattle fed a feedlot diet.

Asparagopsis taxiformis (Asparagopsis) has been shown to be highly efficacious at inhibiting the production of methane (CH4) in ruminants. To date, Asparagopsis has been primarily produced as a dietary supplement by freeze-drying to retain the volatile bioactive compound bromoform (CHBr3) in the product. Steeping of Asparagopsis bioactive compounds into a vegetable oil carrier (Asp-Oil) is an alternative method of stabilizing Asparagopsis as a ruminant feed additive. A dose-response experimental design used 3 Asp-Oil-canola oil blends, low, medium, and high Asp-Oil which provided 17, 34, and 51mg Asparagopsis derived CHBr3/kg dry matter intake (DMI), respectively (in addition to a zero CHBr3 canola oil control), in a tempered-barley based feedlot finisher diet, fed for 59 d to 20 Angus heifers (five replicates per treatment). On four occasions, live weight was measured and CH4 emissions were quantified in respiration chambers, and blood, rumen fluid, and fecal samples were collected. At the end of the experiment, all animals were slaughtered, with carcasses graded, and samples of meat and edible offal collected for testing of consumer sensory qualities and residues of CHBr3, bromide, and iodide. All Asp-Oil treatments reduced CH4 yield (g CH4/kg DMI, P = 0.008) from control levels, with the low, medium, and high Asp-Oil achieving 64%, 98%, and 99% reduction, respectively. Dissolved hydrogen increased linearly with increasing Asp-Oil inclusion, by more than 17-fold in the high Asp-Oil group (P = 0.017). There was no effect of Asp-Oil treatment on rumen temperature, pH, reduction potential, volatile fatty acid and ammonia production, rumen pathology, and histopathology (P > 0.10). There were no differences in animal production and carcass parameters (P > 0.10). There was no detectable CHBr3 in feces or any carcass samples (P > 0.10), and iodide and bromide residues in kidneys were at levels unlikely to lead to consumers exceeding recommended maximum intakes. Overall, Asp-Oil was found to be safe for animals and consumers of meat, and effective at reducing CH4 emissions and yield by up to 99% within the range of inclusion levels tested.

Comparative study of reciprocating sliding wear of HNBR on the effects of temperature

The wear of the sealing rubber of packers, which are widely used in the field of oil production, has drawn more and more attention nowadays. This research conducted the reciprocating sliding wear tests of hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) at 20 °C, 60 °C, 100 °C and 140 °C in different downhole mediums (dry, water, crude oil). The results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) curves fluctuate greatly under dry sliding and water medium condition, but keep a stable state in crude oil medium. In dry sliding condition, the average COFs and wear volume increase firstly, then diminish and reach the minimum at 140 °C due to the reduced hardness and matrix binding force. Schallamach waves, little debris and pits feather the worn surface of HNBR at lower test temperature (20 °C and 60 °C). Plastic deformation and cracks occur at 100 °C and 140 °C, indicating the combined mechanism of abrasive wear and fatigue wear at this condition. Both the average COF and wear volume increase slightly with temperature in water and crude oil medium. This paper has guiding significance to improve the sealing performance of packer.

ВОССТАНОВЛЕНИЕ ИЗНОШЕННЫХ ПОВЕРХНОСТЕЙ ТРЕНИЯ СКОЛЬЖЕНИЯ ГАЗОДИНАМИЧЕСКИМ НАПЫЛЕНИЕМ МЕДНО-ЦИНКОВЫХ ПОКРЫТИЙ

Preliminary studies of copper and copper-zinc coatings obtained by gas-dynamic spraying have shown high mechanical and tribological properties of the formed functional surfaces. The influence of the modes of spraying and subsequent heat treatment on copper-zinc gas dynamic coatings has been little studied. (Research purpose) The research purpose is investigating the effect of technological modes of spraying, as well as subsequent heat treatment of the coating on its phase composition, structure and properties. (Materials and methods) The coating was applied using a Dimet gas dynamic installation with different overlap of the sprayed layers and subsequent heat treatment of the resulting coating at different temperatures and exposure times. The structure of the coating was studied using an X-ray diffractometer and a spectrometer. Cohesive properties were determined on a bursting testing machine by the "ring separation" method, tribological properties were determined on the MT-8 stand during reciprocating sliding of flat mating bodies. (Results and discussion) It was determined that the chemical and phase composition of the copper-zinc coating applied with a displacement of the nozzle by two millimeters and an air flow temperature of 450 degrees Celsius, after heat treatment in the temperature range of 420-430 degrees Celsius and a holding time of 180 minutes corresponds to two-phase brass type L65. The study of the parameters of the copper lattice shows that after exposure in the furnace for 60 minutes, a two-phase structure is formed based on solid solutions of zinc in copper with different copper content and an electronic-type solid solution based on CuZn. (Conclusions) Tribological tests of the copper-zinc coating in the I-20A industrial oil medium revealed the presence of mutual mass transfer of copper and zinc from the coating to the counterbody and vice versa, which is accompanied by a wear-free effect at a load of up to 10 megapascals. The cohesive strength of the copper-zinc coating depends on the time of heat treatment (phase composition) and after 60 minutes of exposure exceeds the initial values (approximately 78 megapascals) and reaches approximately 93 megapascals.

Electrospraying of submicron alginate beads in Canola oil

In this study, we investigated the electrospraying phenomena of alginate solutions in an oil medium to produce submicron alginate beads. The alginate spray dope solution, dispersed with CaCO3 particles, were electrosprayed into acidified canola oil under continuous flow. The formation of the Ca2+ crosslinked alginate beads suspension in the oil was confirmed by confocal laser microscopy, with bead diameters ranging from 200 to 900 nm. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed that bead sizes were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) from 872 ± 37 to 472 ± 23.2 nm when the applied voltage increased from 5 to 15 kV at 1.5 cm electric field distance. Additionally, alginate bead size decreased from 472 ± 23.2 to 228.2 ± 21.5 nm as the solution conductivity increased from 7 to 21 mS/cm, while increasing Span®80 concentration from 0.1 to 0.5% (w/w) reduced the bead size from 581.2 ± 43.6 to 472 ± 23.2 nm. Conversely, increasing alginate (from 2 to 6% w/w) or acetic concentrations (from 0.1 to 0.5%, w/w) resulted in an increased bead size (from 327.4 ± 22.8 to 524.3 ± 53.9 nm and 380.4 ± 1.4 to 472 ± 23.2 nm, respectively). During the 8 d storage period at 4 °C, the alginate beads suspension in canola oil remained visually uniform; however, sedimentation of beads was observed at 22 °C. Overall, this study demonstrated that submicron alginate beads of various sizes can be obtained by electrospraying aqueous alginate solution in an oil medium, through adjusting solution properties and processing parameters.

Olive Oil Polyphenols Improve HDL Cholesterol and Promote Maintenance of Lipid Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) accorded a health claim to olive oil polyphenols in that they protected LDL particles from oxidative damage. However, limited scientific evidence has so far failed to confer any claim of function on the maintenance of normal lipid metabolism. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of human RCTs, evaluating the effect of olive oil polyphenol administration on lipid profiles. Previous literature was acquired from six electronic databases until June 2023. A total of 75 articles were retrieved and screened for inclusion criteria, which resulted in the selection of 10 RCTs that evaluated the effect of daily exposure to olive oil polyphenols on serum lipids in adults. Meta-analyses were built by tertiles of outcomes, as follows: low (0-68 mg/kg), medium (68-320 mg/kg), and high (320-600 mg/kg) polyphenols for HDL and LDL cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C, respectively), and low (0-59.3 mg/kg), medium (59.3-268 mg/kg), and high (268-600 mg/kg) polyphenols for total cholesterol (TC). The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration code: CRD42023403383). The study design was predominantly cross-over (n = 8 of 10) but also included parallel (n = 2 of 10). The study population was predominantly European and healthy. Daily consumption of olive oil polyphenols did not affect TC levels and only slightly significantly reduced LDL-C, with WMD statistically significant only for high daily consumption of olive oil polyphenols (WMD -4.28, 95%CI -5.78 to -2.77). Instead, our data found a statistically significant HDL-C enhancing effect (WMD pooled effect model: 1.13, 95%CI 0.45; 1.80, heterogeneity 38%, p = 0.04) with WMD by daily exposure level showing a statistically significant improvement effect for low (WMD 0.66, 95%CI 0.10-1.23), medium (WMD 1.36, 95%CI 0.76-1.95), and high (WMD 1.13, 95%CI 0.45-1.80) olive oil polyphenol consumptions. Olive oil polyphenols contribute toward maintaining lipid metabolism. Thus, food labeling regulations should stress this health feature of olive oil, whereby a declaration of the olive oil polyphenol content should be added to products on the market. Consumers need to be aware of the quality and possible health effects of any products they consume, and enforcement of nutrition labels offers the best way of providing this information.

Thermodynamic Modeling and Process Simulation of Kumkol Crude Oil Refining

The Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) mechanism is commonly regarded as the first stage in petroleum refining. In this study, Aspen Plus® is used to simulate the basic process of a CDU, which consists of an Atmospheric Distillation Column (ATC) and a Vacuum Distillation Column (VC). These columns are fed with two types of crude oil: KUMKOL from Kazakhstan and Soviet Export Blend, in the proportions of 0.75:0.25, 0.50:0.50, and 0.25:0.75, respectively. The goal was to do a parametric analysis and analyze the resultant streams of naphtha, kerosene, Atmospheric Gas Oil (AGO), Light Vacuum Gas Oil (LVGO), and Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil (HVGO). The simulation used the CHAO-SEA thermodynamic model, which included the Chao-Seader correlation, the Scatchard-Hildebrand model, the Redlich-Kwong equation of state, the Lee-Kesler equation of state, and the API gravity technique. Temperature, pressure, mass flow, enthalpy, vapor percentage, and average molecular weights of the streams at various phases within the CDU system were estimated. For both the ATC and VC columns, curves indicating Temperature- Pressure vs the number of stages, as well as ASTM D86 (temperature) versus stream volume % distillation, were developed. The results show that when compared to feed streams containing 0.25 and 0.50 StdVol of Kumkol Kazakhstan Oil, the feed stream with 0.75 StdVol produces more Heavy, Medium, and Light Vacuum Gas Oil (H-VGO, M-VGO, and L-VGO), as well as more Vacuum Gas (VG). These findings indicate that Kumkol Kazakhstan Oil is of high quality and has fewer contaminants, such as sulfur when compared to other accessible mixes throughout the world.

On the settling of aligned spherical particles in various quiescent media

We investigated experimentally the settling behaviour of vertically aligned spherical particles within various quiescent media at different release frequencies. The particles had a diameter of $d = 4$ mm and density of $\rho _s = 2200$ kg m $^{-3}$ , and were released near the free surface of water, ethanol, a G60 water–glycerine mixture (60 % glycerine by weight) and oil media at frequencies of $f_P = 4$ , 6 and 8 Hz, thereby allowing study of Galileo numbers, $Ga \in [16, 976]$ . Particle tracking velocimetry quantified the motion of nearly 800 particles in a 600 mm high tank, and particle image velocimetry examined flow patterns around the particles. Results revealed that the centre of mass of the particle trajectories exhibited preferential in-plane motions, with significant lateral dispersion and large $Ga$ in water and ethanol, and nearly vertical paths with low $Ga$ in the G60 mixture and oil media. Varying degrees of particle separation resulted in higher terminal velocities than for a single particle. Hence, particle drag decreased in all cases, with the oil medium showing the highest drag reduction under the closest particle separation, reaching up to nearly 70 % of that for the single particle. The vertical and lateral pair dispersions, $R^2_z$ and $R^2_L$ , exhibited ballistic scaling, with dependences on the initial separation, $r_0$ , and the type of medium. With large $Ga$ , $R^2_z$ displayed a ballistic regime followed by a slower rate, whereas with small $Ga$ , $R^2_z$ maintained a consistent ballistic regime throughout settling. Finally, normalized $R^2_z$ demonstrated distinct scaling (exponent 2/3 and 1) dependent on the normalized initial separation and $Ga$ .

Numerical Studies On the Oil Film Thickness in the Case of Stratified Flow with Different Oil-Water Flow Combinations Through Sudden Contraction Tube

Abstract Most of the oil transportation industries deal with liquid-liquid flow considering the adiabatic situation. In such applications, film thickness measurement plays a very significant role in understanding the flow characteristics. The distribution of phases for efficient wall treatment and to understand the phase distribution, measurement of film thickness is very important. Among different flow patterns, stratified flow is most common for low and medium viscous oil-water flow. At lower oil velocities, stratified flow is observed downstream of singularity whereas in the upstream section, stratified flow is observed for low to medium oil velocities and high-water superficial velocity. Variation of oil film thickness for stratified flow has been analyzed in the present study. Results show that oil film thickness decreases with the increase in the superficial velocity of water (Us-Water) for a constant oil superficial velocity (Us-Oil). With the increase in the volume fraction of one phase, the film thickness of that phase increases. As Us-Oil increases, the film thickness of oil also increases for a constant Us-Water. Oil film thickness is directly proportional to the viscosity of oils. This means, the more the viscosity of the oil, the more will be the oil film thickness.

Efficient Surfactant-Mediated Photovoltaic Manipulation of Fl-Scale Aqueous Microdroplets for Diverse Optofluidic Applications on LiNbO3 Platform.

The electrodeless biocompatible manipulation of femtoliter-scale aqueous microdroplets remains challenging to date. The appropriate isolation of electrostatic charges from fL-scale aqueous microdroplets is crucial for electrodeless optoelectronic manipulation based on space-charge-density modulation. Here, we propose surfactant-mediated photovoltaic manipulation, in which the surfactant layers self-assembled at the water-oil and oil-LN interfaces are employed to isolate photovoltaic charges. The reduced electrostatic attenuation, remarkable hydrophobicity, and strong electrical breakdown suppression of the surfactant layers enable the stable and swift manipulation of fL-scale aqueous microdroplets using μW-level laser in an oil medium. By virtue of the surfactant-mediated photovoltaic manipulation, we realized a controllable merging/touching/detaching switch of aqueous microdroplets by adjusting the laser illumination intensity and position and demonstrated the cascading biochemical operations and microreactions of aqueous microdroplets and microdroplet strings. To demonstrate its potential in photonic MEMS assemblies, we demonstrated the end coupling of a tightly focused-laser-beam into a ZnO microrod leveraging the refraction effect occurring at the water/oil interface. Moreover, because of the selective permeability of the droplet-interface-bilayer developed between the touching microdroplets, we achieved in situ adjustment of the size of the microdroplets and the fluorescent solute contained in the microdroplets, aiming at constructing multicomponent fluorescent microdroplets with tunable whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) characteristics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Study on the characteristic of asphaltene-wax co-precipitation during gas injection of unconventional gas condensate reservoirs

The intensification of energy shortage has accelerated the development of unconventional oil and gas resources, during which complex problems of organic solid precipitation often occur. The precipitation behavior of organic solid such as asphaltene and wax play an important role in the optimization of reservoir production. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of the precipitation mechanism and interaction between asphaltene and wax, especially under high temperature and pressure. A self-designed precipitation apparatus based on backscattered light was utilized to achieve this objective. The effects of temperature range 30–120 ℃, pressure range 5–85 MPa, gas-oil ratio of 150，300 and 500 sm3/sm3 and injection gas of CH4, CO2 and N2 on organic solid precipitation in condensate oil-gas system were studied by physical simulation. The results revealed that asphaltene precipitated separately at high temperature, and asphaltene and wax co-precipitated at low temperature. Based on the observed precipitation behavior, a co-precipitation mechanism of asphaltene and wax under high-pressure conditions was proposed: Asphaltene particles precipitated first, providing nucleation sites for wax absorption, growth, and cross-linking as the pressure decreased. Moreover, the depressurization induced phase separation during oil and gas production resulted in the extraction of light components, reducing the solubility of wax and exacerbating reservoir damage caused by the precipitation of organic solid. Increasing the gas-oil ratio led to higher amounts of organic solid precipitation and shifted the pressure at which precipitation occurred. Furthermore, the miscibility of injection medium and condensate oil will also significantly affect organic matter precipitation, and the potential damage to the reservoir can be shown as follows: N2＞CO2＞CH4.

234 Effects of Feeding a Phytogenic Blend with or without Supplementation of Specialty Fats on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

Abstract An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that inclusion of a phytogenic feed additive (Fresta Protect, Delacon, Linz, Austria), separately or in conjunction with specialty fats (modified soy oil blend and medium chain fatty acid blend), in diets for nursery pigs would improve growth performance. Weaned pigs [n = 4,400; 5.7 ± 0.1 kg body weight (BW)] were allotted to 50 replicate pens per treatment (20 to 23 pigs per pen) in 5 barns. Pens were blocked by location within barn and randomly allotted to 4 treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Treatment main effects were specialty fats inclusion in phase 1 (0 or 1.3%) and phytogenic inclusion in phase 1 and 2 (0 or 0.1%). Pigs were fed experimental diets during phase 1 and 2 (day 0 – 10 and 10 – 21, respectively), and pig and feed weights were recorded at the beginning and end of each phase. Data were analyzed using the lme4 package of R 4.1.2, and the statistical model included the fixed effects of specialty fats, phytogenic, and their interaction, as well as the random effects of barn and location within barn. In phase 1, an interaction was detected (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for final BW, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed (G:F; Table 1). In general, phase 1 performance was improved by phytogenic inclusion when no specialty fats were present in the diet, but pigs did not benefit from inclusion of the phytogenic when fed in combination with specialty fats. Body weight at the end of phase 2 was reduced (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for pigs fed specialty fats, but inclusion of the phytogenic increased (P &amp;lt; 0.05) phase 2 final BW and ADG regardless of specialty fat inclusion. Supplementation of the phytogenic increased (P &amp;lt; 0.05) phase 2 G:F as well, and the improvement in G:F was more pronounced when fed in conjunction with specialty fats, though this observation may be partially confounded by compensatory gain for the specialty fats and phytogenic combination treatment. The phytogenic also increased (P &amp;lt; 0.05) overall ADG and G:F, whereas the main effect of specialty fats reduced (P &amp;lt; 0.05) overall ADG and G:F. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of a phytogenic feed additive improved growth performance of nursery pigs, whereas specialty fats decreased growth performance, and the best performance was achieved when the phytogenic was fed in the absence of specialty fats.

The JAK/STAT/NF-κB signaling pathway can be regulated by rosemary essential oil, thereby providing a potential treatment for DNCB-induced in mice

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism through which rosemary essential oil treats atopic dermatitis. MethodsA dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis mouse model was established and treated with low (1%), medium (2%), and high (4%) doses of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil (EORO). Serum levels of interleukin (IL)−6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in each group were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Skin tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue. We used network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to verify the biological activity of essential proteins and their corresponding compounds in the pathway. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for metabolomics analysis and multivariate statistical analysis of mouse serum to screen differential metabolites and metabolic pathway analysis. Protein expression of p-JAK1, CD4+ cells, and IL-4 in the skin tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry analysis. Protein levels of STAT3, p-STAT3, P65, and p-P65 in damaged skin tissues were detected using western blotting. ResultThe skin of mice in the model group showed different degrees of erythema, dryness, scratches, epidermal erosion and shedding, and crusting. After treatment, the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in EORO group were significantly decreased, and the expression of p-JAK1,CD4 + cells, IL-4, p-P65 / P65 and p-STAT3 / STAT3 proteins in skin tissues were decreased. ConclusionEORO can effectively improve DNCB-induced AD-like skin lesions in mice by regulating the JAK/STAT/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby reducing the production of downstream arachidonic acid metabolites, inhibiting skin inflammation, and restoring epidermal barrier function.

Effect of Salt Concentration on Oil Recovery during Polymer Flooding: Simulation Studies on Xanthan Gum and Gum Arabic.

Oil recoveries from medium and heavy oil reservoirs under natural recovery production are small because of the high viscosity of the oil. Normal water flooding procedures are usually ineffective, as the injected water bypasses much of the oil because of its high mobility. Thermal flooding processes are desirable but have many disadvantages from costs, effects on the environment, and loss of lighter hydrocarbons. Chemical flooding options, such as bio-polymer flooding options, are attractive, as they are environmentally friendly and relatively cheap to deploy and help to increase the viscosity of the injecting fluid, thereby reducing its mobility and increasing its oil recovery. The downside to polymer flooding includes reservoir temperature, salinity, molecular weight, and composition. Six weight percentages of two polymers (xanthan gum, XG, and gum arabic, GA) are dissolved in water, and their viscosity is measured in the laboratory. These viscosities are incorporated with correlations in the Eclipse software to create models with different polymer concentrations of (0.1% wt., 0.2% wt., 0.3% wt., 0.4% wt., 0.5% wt., and 1% wt.). A base case of natural recovery and water injection was simulated to produce an oil recovery of 5.9% and 30.8%, respectively, while at 0.1% wt. and 1% wt., respectively, oil recoveries of 38.8% and 45.7% (for GA) and 48.1% and 49.8% (for XG) are estimated. At 5% and 10% saline conditions, a drop in oil recovery of (4.6% and 5.3%) is estimated during GA flooding and (1.2% and 1.7%) for XG flooding at 1% wt., respectively. XG exhibits higher oil recoveries compared to GA at the same % wt., while oil recoveries during GA floodings are more negatively affected by higher saline concentrations.

Investigation of Ferrofluid Sessile Droplet Tensile Deformation in a Uniform Magnetic Field

A significant growth of research on digital microfluidics has been achieved over the past several decades, and the field is still attracting increasing attention for fulfilling relevant mechanisms and potential applications. Numerous studies have been devoted to actively manipulating droplets in a variety of fundamental and applicational scenarios. In this work, the deformation of ferromagnetic fluid droplets is studied under an external uniform magnetic field. The droplets are precisely dispersed on the bottom surface of a container assembled with polymer methacrylate (PMMA) plates. Mineral oil is applied instead of air as the surrounding medium for easy stretching and preventing water solvent evaporation in ferrofluid. The design and processing of the container are firstly carried out to observe the shape and characterize the wettability of the droplets in the immiscible mineral oil medium. Furthermore, the droplets’ deformation and the working mechanism are given under the action of the horizontal uniform magnetic field. At different magnetic field intensities, the droplet is stretched in the horizontal direction parallel to the applied field. Due to volume conservation, the dimension in the height reduces correspondingly. With the coupling effect of magnetic force, viscous force and interfacial tension, the contact angle first increases with the magnetic field and then basically remains unchanged upon magnetization saturation. Consistent with the experimental results, the numerical method clearly reveals the field coupling mechanism and the nonlinear deformation of the sessile droplet.

Petrophysical Properties and Identification of Electrofacies from Well Log Data of Nahr Umr Formation in Subba Oilfield, Southern Iraq

The main purpose of this study is to identify electrofacies and evaluate the petrophysical properties of the Nahr Umr Formation in four wells: A, B, C, and D in the Subba oilfield, southern Iraq. The petrophysical properties, such as shale volume, porosity, water saturation, hydrocarbon saturation, and bulk water volume, were computed and interpreted using Techlog software. According to the interpretation of density, neutron, and gamma ray sonic logs and deep resistivity logs using the IPSOM technique, four electrofacies were identified as sandstone, shaly sand, sandy shale, and shale electrofacies. The formation was divided into three parts based on well log interpretation and petrophysical analysis: the upper part, middle part, and lower part Interpretation of formation lithology and petrophysical parameters shows that the lower part consists mainly sandy shale with layers of sandstone and shale high porosity and high oil saturation whereas middle part consists mainly of sandstone, alternating with thin bedded of sandy shale and shale with high porosity and medium oil saturation. The upper part consists mainly of a sandy shale alternating with shale and shaly sand with high porosity, hydrocarbon saturation, and lower water saturation.

Mechano-Driven Tribo-Electrophoresis Enabled Human-Droplet Interaction in Three-dimensional Space.

Electronically controlled droplet manipulation has widespread applications in biochemistry, life sciences and industry. However, current technologies such as electrowetting, electrostatics, and surface charge printing rely on complex electrode arrays and external power supplies, leading to inefficient manipulation. In light of these limitations, w e propose a novel method that leverages tribo-electrophoresis (TEP) to pipette in an oil medium, thereby enabling human-droplet interactions to be constructed with greater efficiency. O ur approach involves in the rational design of a triboelectric nanogenerator-electrostatic tweezer that generates an electric field to charge the droplet and improves the maneuverability of the charged droplet, including aligned/non-aligned pipetting, stable transport in clamped state, which can be accomplished solely by hand motion. The TEP method not only provides droplets with the freedom to move in three dimensions, but also offers a feasibility case for chemical reactions in the liquid phase and non-invasive sample extraction. This breakthrough establishes a cornerstone for human-droplet interactions capitalized on triboelectric nanogenerators, opening new avenues for research in droplet manipulation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Mint-flavor Microcapsules and Its Application in Cigarettes

By using microcapsule technology, the components that may react with each other can be made into microcapsule products respectively, so that they can be stabilized in a system, and each effective component can be released in an orderly manner and act at the corresponding time, thus improving the flavor and nutrition of the products. In order to further find an efficient and reasonable cigarette flavoring process, this study used gelatin and Arabic gum as composite wall materials to synthesize mint-flavored microcapsules by complex coacervation. Firstly, gelatin-Arabic gum dispersed peppermint oil in water medium to form micro-droplets, then the pH value of the system was adjusted, the solubility was reduced and condensed into capsules, and then glutaraldehyde was added for curing reaction. The test results show that the embedding efficiency of microcapsules is the highest when the mass ratio of mint essence to two sustained-release materials is 1:9. When the dosage of mint-flavor microcapsules is 10 ~ 15 mg/ cigarette, the aroma of cigarettes increases obviously, the irritation decreases, and the aroma of wild mint essential oil can also be coordinated with the cigarette aroma. The results show that the samples of mint-flavor microcapsules synthesized in this study greatly improve the aroma characteristics and smoking characteristics of cigarettes, which lays a foundation for the brand development of cigarettes and has a good application prospect.

Recreational impacts of an oil spill in a world heritage area: a combined travel cost and contingent behaviour method approach

ABSTRACT Fiordland National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. An oil spill in this area could impact the visitation to not only Milford Sound, but to all of Fiordland National Park and the lower South Island. This study examined the impacts on the recreational value of Fiordland National Park under three oil spill scenarios in Milford Sound. Using a combined approach of travel cost and contingent behaviour methods revealed a consumer surplus of a visit to Fiordland National Park of NZD 534.76 and NZD 1,449.28 per person, with and without accommodation respectively. This leads to an aggregate consumer surplus estimate ranging from NZD 427.8–1,159.4 million for Fiordland National Park based on pre-COVID visitor numbers. The three oil spill scenarios represented small, medium, and large-scale oil spills, limiting various water-based activities at each step. This showed that for each increase in oil level, there was a decrease of NZD 164.10 and NZD 923.73 per person with and without accommodation respectively. This leads to an estimated minimum decrease of the welfare of visitors by 30.7–63.7 percent, or a decrease of NZD 131.3–734.0 million in the annual recreational value. Key Policy Highlights Aggregate annual recreational value estimates ranging from NZD 427.8 million – NZD 1.6 billion pre-COVID19. An oil spill occurring in Milford Sound demonstrated a minimum annual recreational value decrease of NZD 131.3 million over five years. These results demonstrate the need for appropriately funded prevention and preparedness policies to minimize possible damages.