Single Oil Research Articles

Use of biomarkers, porphyrins, and trace elements to assess the origin, maturity, biodegradation, and migration of Alturitas oils in Venezuela

This work is an analysis of crude oil samples from thirty wells in the Alturitas Field (Lake Maracaibo Basin, western Venezuela). Different biomarkers, ten trace elements, and porphyrins were analysed using GC–MS, ICP–OES and UV–visible techniques, respectively. The characterization of these crude oils leads us to conclude that they all fall into a single non-biodegraded oil family derived from a single pulse of hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation from the thermally mature calcareous La Luna source rock deposited in an anoxic marine palaeoenvironment under reducing conditions. The main objective of this work is to present a secondary oil migration model for the Marcelina reservoir of the Alturitas Field. The multivariate statistical study of trace-element concentrations, porphyrin contents, and polar compound proportions shows that these parameters can be split into two groups. The first group (Cd, Cu, Mo, Fe, P, Zn, Ca, and Mg) indicates a chalcophic association (Cd, Cu, Mo, and Zn) or colloidal complexes with naphthenic acids (Ca, Mg, and Fe). The other two trace elements (V and Ni), together with porphyrins and polar compounds, reveal that oil compositions has been affected by geochromatography, indicating a highly probable secondary migration pathway along a preferential axis orientated southeast to northwest.

Early development of New Zealand hapuku Polyprion oxygeneios eggs and larvae

This study describes for the first time the normal development of New Zealand hapuku Polyprion oxygeneios embryos and larvae reared from fertilization to 11 days post-hatch (dph) at a constant temperature. Fertilized eggs were obtained from natural spawnings from communally reared captive wild broodstock. Eggs averaged 2 mm in diameter and had single or multiple oil globules. Embryos developed following the main fish embryological stages and required an average of 1859·50 degree hours post-fertilization (dhpf) to hatch. The newly hatched larvae (4·86 mm mean total length, L(T) ) were undifferentiated, with unpigmented eyes, a single and simple alimentary tube and a finfold that covered the entire body. Larvae relied on the energy from the yolk-sac reserves until 11 dph (7·33 mm mean L(T) ), when yolk-sac reabsorption was almost completed. Some of the major developmental stages from hatching to yolk-sac reabsorption were eye pigmentation (5 dph), upper jaw formation (7 dph), lower jaw formation (8 dph) and mouth opening (8-9 dph). By 9 dph, the digestive system consisted of pancreas, liver, primordial stomach, anterior and posterior gut; therefore, P. oxygeneios larvae would be capable of feeding on live prey. The developmental, morphological and histological data described constitutes essential baseline information on P. oxygeneios biology and normal development.

Antimicrobial activity of multipurpose essential oil blends

Two types of multipurpose essential oil blends, blend11 containing eleven different essential oils and blend12 containing twelve, were tested against bacterial strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Serratia marcescens ATCC 13880 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and against the fungi, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 10894 and Fusarium solani ATCC 36031 to determine the spectrum of in vitro antimicrobial activity using aromatograms (paper disc diffusion assays). Microbial growth was decreased by multipurpose blend11 and blend12 in a similar manner. The saline control disc did not inhibit antimicrobial growth while the two blends exhibited significant zones of inhibition for all 3 bacteria and for the 3 fungi. The greatest antibacterial activity of blend11 and blend12 was exhibited with P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens followed by S. aureus. A high level of activity was associated with C. albicans and a lower level with F. solani followed by A. fumigatus. It is clearly evident from previous published studies that no single essential oil will effectively inhibit the growth of all of the organisms in our study. However, our results demonstrate that blend11 and blend12 have a broad range of inhibitory activity affecting all of the microorganisms tested.

Oil-Soluble DRA Development and Application

To solve the single tube gathering process paraffin oil viscosity reduction shaft and gathering the problem of high back pressure. Technical application of crude oil pour point depressant, mixed ester, benzene, ethylene oxide such as octylphenol ether compound by an oil-soluble DRA. Dosage in the 50 ~ 100mg/l to meet the water when the wellbore is less than 25% of the wax viscosity and single-tube process requirements gathering, can be compared to the multi-port wells, monitoring data before and after dosing showed that the crude oil after dosing freezing point decreased 5.6 °C, the average rate of 87.4% viscosity reduction, the average rate of 91.5% paraffin. Pipeline wellhead back pressure reduced by 20 to 30 percentage points

Spawning aggregation of the lanternfish Diaphus danae (family Myctophidae) in the north-western Coral Sea and associations with tuna aggregations

A spawning aggregation of the lanternfish Diaphus danae in the Coral Sea, that is fed on by spawning aggregations of yellowfin and bigeye tuna, has been sampled by mid-water trawling for the first time. Males and females in the aggregation occurred at a ratio of 23 to 1 and occupied two non-overlapping size classes (males 71.2–95.1-mm standard length (SL), females 99.0–121.4-mm SL). Hydrated oocytes with single oil droplets, which indicated imminent spawning, were in higher proportion in the first trawl (2134 hours to 2234 hours) than in the final trawl (0324 hours to 0424 hours) through the aggregation. Maximum estimated female D. danae fecundity (25 803) and gonadosomatic index (34.01) were higher than for any other lanternfish species recorded. Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) individuals collected from aggregations were estimated to have 81–319 D. danae specimens in their stomachs. The annual Coral Sea D. danae aggregation is the only confirmed lanternfish spawning aggregation in Australian waters. The D. danae spawning aggregation provides a rich, transient foraging resource for spawning bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the Coral Sea, these being the only known tuna spawning aggregations in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery.

Additive and inhibitory effect of antifungal activity of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) and Zingiber officinale (Ginger) essential oils against Pityriasis versicolor infections

The antifungal potential of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) essential oils alone and in combinations, against common causes of Pityriasis versicolor infections in humans was investigated via in vitro investigations, in order to determine a suitable dosage for use in clinical trials. The antifungal activity of oils was screened against Malassezia furfurby using disc diffusion method and microdilution method. Turmeric oil showed strong antifungal activity (55 mm, MIC 0.1 µl/ml) while ginger oil had good antifungal activity (37.5 mm, 0.03 µl/ml) and their mixture showed excellent antifungal activity (65 mm, MIC 0.02 µl/ml) against M. furfur. The inhibition zone of mixture of oils (turmeric and ginger) is higher than single oils and reference antibiotics. Gentamycin and Streptomycin showed inhibition zone of 16.5 and 17 mm against M. furfur. From our findings, the results provide a scientific validation for the use of these essential oils in the treatment of dermatophytic infections and could be used in future for the development of anti-skin disease agents. Key words: Pityriasis versicolor, Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale oils.

Organic Geochemistry: 1. Geographic location of crude oils based on biomarker compositions of the Sunda-Asri Basins, Indonesia

Geochemical mapping programs have generated information on the relative concentrations of biomarker fingerprints in crude oils from the offshore Sunda-Asri Basins, Java Sea, Indonesia. These oils analyzed are considered to be derived exclusively from similar source rocks deposited in a similar lacustrine depositional setting. A suite of biomarker parameters was statistically compared to each other in order to achieve spatial/temporal patterns of fingerprint data set. Principal component analysis (PCA) allows the identification of structural relationships (similarities and/or oppositions) between various fingerprint descriptors for the crude oil samples. The results surprisingly emphasize the separation of the oil samples in regards to their locations. Finally, hierarchy cluster analysis (HCA) techniques were classified into six cluster groups comprising (North, Central and South) oil fields, and a mixed oil group. The central oil samples have single outlier oil from S18 sample of south oil field. Biomarker correlation study with the help of multivariate statistical techniques has been successfully employed to distinguish and place the offshore Sunda-Asri crude oils based on their geographic locations. This paper discuss the successfully biomarker indicators to distinguish and locate the Sunda-Asri crude oils based on their much closed geographic locations.

Faith in Action

In 2009, female-headed households represented 29.9% (4.4 million) of all U.S. families, with many living below the poverty line. A church in Bowling Green, Kentucky, began a Single Mothers' Oil Change service, incorporating health screening by nurses using Pender's Health Promotion Model. Nurses are equipped to identify health barriers and offer health promotion guidance and social support to single, low-income women.

Design of down-Hole Oil-Water Separation and Reinjection in the same Well System with Surface Driving Single Screw Pump

Down-hole oil-water separation and reinjection in the same well system can reduce the cost of lifting the water and the ground pollution due to the treatment of production water, which can bring good economic and environmental benefits. By combining down-hole oil-water separation technology with surface driving single screw pump oil production technology, the author designed an innovative system of down-hole oil-water separation and reinjection in the same well. In this paper, the general structure, working principle and structure characteristics of the system are introduced. The structure composition and the connection method of each part are described, and the calculation method of basic parameters of the single screw pump in the system is given.

Antioxidant activities of Juniperus foetidissima essential oils against several oxidative systems

The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of essential oils obtained from branchlets of male and female trees as well as fruits of Juniperus foetidissima Willd., Cupressaceae, from Iran. For this purpose, essential oils of J. foetidissima were phytochemically analyzed and different concentrations of them were tested in five oxidative systems: 1) low-density lipoprotein oxidation; 2) linoleic acid peroxidation; 3) red blood cell hemolysis; 4) hemoglobin glycation; and 5) insulin glycation assays. In all employed systems, antioxidant effects were observed from the three tested oils though in varying degrees. The most promising activities of the oils were observed against hemoglobin and insulin glycation. Antioxidant activities of the oils did not appear to be dose-dependent. In addition, no consistent superiority in antioxidant effects was observed from a single oil in different assays. In view of the current results, J. foetidissima branchlet and fruit oils could be regarded as effective natural products with anti-glycation activity.

Microcapsules with a pH responsive polymer: Influence of the encapsulated oil on the capsule morphology

Microcapsules were prepared by microsieve membrane cross flow emulsification of Eudragit FS 30D/dichloromethane/edible oil mixtures in water, and subsequent phase separation induced by extraction of the dichloromethane through an aqueous phase. For long-chain triglycerides and jojoba oil, core-shell particles were obtained with the oil as core, surrounded by a shell of Eudragit. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT oil) was encapsulated as relatively small droplets in the Eudragit matrix. The morphology of the formed capsules was investigated with optical and SEM microscopy. Extraction of the oil from the core-shell capsules with hexane resulted in hollow Eudragit capsules with porous shells. It was shown that the differences are related to the compatibility of the oils with the shell-forming Eudragit. An oil with poor compatibility yields microcapsules with a dense Eudragit shell on a single oil droplet as the core; oils having better compatibility yield porous Eudragit spheres with several oil droplets trapped inside.

Probiotics and dietary counselling targeting maternal dietary fat intake modifies breast milk fatty acids and cytokines

Breast milk fatty acids possess immunomodulatory properties, and new intervention strategies beyond supplementation of maternal diet with single oils are called for. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary intervention during pregnancy and breastfeeding on breast milk fatty acid and cytokine composition. Pregnant women were randomised into three study groups: dietary intervention with probiotics (diet/probiotic) or with placebo (diet/placebo) and a control group (control/placebo). Dietary intervention included dietary counselling and provision of rapeseed oil-based food products. The probiotics used were Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 in combination. Dietary intake was evaluated by food records at every trimester of pregnancy and 1month postpartum. Breast milk samples were collected after birth (colostrum) and 1month after delivery for fatty acid and cytokine analysis (n=125). Dietary intervention improved the quality of fat in the diet. In breast milk, the proportion of α-linolenic acid and total n-3 fatty acids was higher in both dietary intervention groups compared with control group (p<0.05). In the diet/probiotic group, the γ-linolenic acid content was higher compared with the diet/placebo group (p<0.05). The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-4 and IL-2 were higher in both dietary intervention groups compared with controls, and furthermore, long-chain n-3 fatty acids were associated with several cytokines in colostrum samples. The present intervention demonstrated the possibility of modifying breast milk immunomodulatory factors by dietary means.

Energy efficiency evaluation of lipid production by oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides

Mass–energy balance of lipid fermentation by oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides Y4 with glucose as sole carbon source was investigated. The elemental composition of the freeze-dried cell samples obtained at different time points was determined using a Vario EL3 analyzer to estimate the biomass energetic yield (η). Then this work established the biomass energetic yield (η) to sets of biochemical variables and a new equation was developed to determine η without elemental composition of biomass. Biomass energetic yield estimated by the new equation was highly in accordance with that based on elemental composition. Bomb-calorimetric measurements were shown to be a direct method of quantifying the energy content of oleaginous yeasts. Combustion heat (Q c) of biomass determined experimentally was in consistent with those calculated according to its elementary contents. The relationship between lipid content and Q c of the cells was simulated and a new practical equation was developed based on lipid content (Y L/S) to evaluate Q c of biomass. Biomass energetic yield of R. toruloides Y4 could reach higher than 0.8. Combustion heat of biomass obtained after 116 h was 33 (kJ g−1) that was about 73% of the combustion heat of diesel. The results revealed that R. toruloides Y4 was an efficient “energy-converter” in lipid production with glucose as the substrate. The results also implied the approaches to estimating η of fermentation, and Q c of single oil cells developed in this study should be valuable to address the overall techno-economical analysis of bio-energy production.

An analytical model for production data analysis of under saturated oil reservoirs subjected to edge aquifer

Analysis of production data is an important method for estimating recoverable reserves and probable life of the reservoirs. Robust techniques for analysis of production data have been developed and widely used for many years. These methods range from the traditional Arps decline method to modern production data analysis. The most recent techniques are based on material balance time to account for variable operating conditions. In these methods, production rate and flowing bottom hole pressure must be known. A major limitation of many existing modern techniques is volumetric assumption of the reservoir. This paper presents a new model that accounts for non-volumetric effects of edge aquifers on production data analysis of single phase oil reservoirs by defining a new material balance time function. This new time function and material balance time help us to introduce flowing material balance (FMB) equations for such reservoirs. Validity of these equations is justified using analytical solutions. For development of analytical solutions, special simplifying assumptions are considered. To justify these assumptions, comparison is made using a commercial numerical reservoir simulator across some ranges of reservoir parameters. Furthermore, based on the validated FMB equations and obtained analytical flow equations, specific procedures are developed for parameter estimation of such reservoirs. The use of these procedures in estimation of oil in place and reservoir external radius is demonstrated using synthetic examples. On the basis of the considered assumptions, the proposed procedures cannot be applied to multi-phase flow conditions, reservoirs with other types of aquifer (such as bottom aquifer), and gas reservoirs. We also show that the given FMB equations are applicable for any irregularly shaped reservoir which is partially contacted with a non-cylindrical limited edge aquifer. For such reservoir geometries, numerical solution is used for justification. This is followed by introducing a simple equation for predicting average reservoir pressure.

The kinetics of solubilization of single component non-polar oils by a non-ionic surfactant.

The kinetics of solubilization of two non-polar oils (hexadecane and 2,6,10,15,19,23 hexamethyl tetracosane) by a pure non-ionic surfactant (n-dodecyl hexaethylene glycol ether) have been investigated using a recently developed technique. A linear dependence of rate upon surfactant concentration above the cmc and a rapid increase in rate at temperatures close to the cloud point were observed. A previously developed theoretical description of the process has been expanded to account for the observation that the rates for the oils in given systems are not in the exact ratio of the equilibrium capacities of the system for the respective oils. If the effects of changes in aggregation number and shape of the micelle/solubilizate complex are considered, the absolute values of the measured and theoretical rates are in good agreement. Furthermore, the activation energies are nearly equal for the two solubilizates, a result which is in accord with theory. The micelle relaxation time tau 2 is practically independent of surfactant concentration.

Effect of Trap Type, Trap Position, Time of Year, and Beetle Density on Captures of the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

The exotic redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), and its fungal symbiont Raffaellea lauricola Harrington, Fraedrich, and Aghayeva are responsible for widespread redbay, Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng., mortality in the southern United States. Effective traps and lures are needed to monitor spread of the beetle and for early detection at ports-of-entry, so we conducted a series of experiments to find the best trap design, color, lure, and trap position for detection of X. glabratus. The best trap and lure combination was then tested at seven sites varying in beetle abundance and at one site throughout the year to see how season and beetle population affected performance. Manuka oil proved to be the most effective lure tested, particularly when considering cost and availability. Traps baited with manuka oil lures releasing 5 mg/d caught as many beetles as those baited with lures releasing 200 mg/d. Distributing manuka oil lures from the top to the bottom of eight-unit funnel traps resulted in similar numbers of X. glabratus as a single lure in the middle. Trap color had little effect on captures in sticky traps or cross-vane traps. Funnel traps caught twice as many beetles as cross-vane traps and three times as many as sticky traps but mean catch per trap was not significantly different. When comparing height, traps 1.5 m above the ground captured 85% of the beetles collected but a few were caught at each height up to 15 m. Funnel trap captures exhibited a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.79) with X. glabratus attack density and they performed well throughout the year. Catching beetles at low densities is important to port of entry monitoring programs where early detection of infestations is essential. Our trials show that multiple funnel traps baited with a single manuka oil lure were effective for capturing X. glabratus even when no infested trees were visible in the area.

HYDROCARBONS IN THE MIDDLE MIOCENE JERIBE FORMATION, DYALA REGION, NE IRAQ

The Lower Miocene Jeribe Formation in northern and NE Iraq is composed principally of dolomitic limestones with typical porosity in the range of 10–24% and mean permeability of 30 mD. The formation serves as a reservoir for oil and gas at the East Baghdad field, gas at Mansuriya, Khashim Ahmar, Pulkhana and Chia Surkh fields, and oil at Injana, Gillabat, Qumar and Jambur. A regional seal is provided by the anhydrites of the Lower Fars (Fat'ha) Formation.For this study, oil samples from the Jeribe Formation at Jambur oilfield, Oligocene Baba Formation at Baba Dome (Kirkuk field) and Late Cretaceous Tanuma and Khasib Formations at East Baghdad field were analysed in order to investigate their genetic relationships. Graphical presentation of the analytical results (including plots of pristane/nC17 versus phytane/nCl8, triangular plots of steranes, tricyclic terpane scatter plots, and graphs of pristanelphytane versus carbon isotope ratio) indicated that the oils belong to a single oil family and are derived from kerogen Types II and III. The oils have undergone minor biodegradation and are of high maturity. They were derived from marine organic matter deposited with carbonate‐rich source rocks in suboxic‐anoxic settings.A range of biomarker ratios and parameters including a C28/ C29 sterane ratio of 0.9, an oleanane index of 0.2 and low tricyclic terpane values indicate a Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous age for the source rocks, and this age is consistent with palynomorph analyses. Potential source rocks are present in the Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation and the Middle Jurassic Sargelu Formation at the Jambur, Pulkhana, Qumar and Mansuriya fields; minor source rock intervals occur in the Balambo and Sarmord Formations. Hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from the Chia Gara Formation was indicated by pyrolysate organic matter, palynofacies type (A), and the maturity of Gleichenidites spores.Oil migration from the Chia Gara Formation source rocks (and minor oil migration from the Sargelu Formation) into the Jeribe Formation reservoirs took place along steeply‐dipping faults which are observed on seismic sections and which cut through the Upper Jurassic Gotnia Anhydrite seal. Migration is confirmed by the presence of asphalt residues in the Upper Cretaceous Shiranish Formation and by a high migration index (Rock Eval SI / TOC) in the Chia Gara Formation. These processes and elements together form a Jurassic/Cretaceous – Tertiary petroleum system whose top‐seal is the Lower Fars (Fat'ha) Formation anhydrite.

A semi-implicit approach for fast parameter estimation by means of the extended Kalman filter

An assessment is performed of the impact of the time-integration scheme on data assimilation based on the extended Kalman filter approach. The usage of the implicit Euler scheme, which leads to unconditionally stable model updates for the whole range of time steps, results in a less accurate estimation of model parameters, which can be overcome using a parameter estimator based on the explicit Euler scheme. However, the latter limits the maximum time step which may lead to an unacceptable increase in computational load. The alternative can be found using a semi-implicit estimator, where a model is updated using the implicit Euler scheme, whereas the propagation of the error covariance matrix in time is based on the explicit time integration scheme. The improved properties of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated on a one-dimensional problem of permeability estimation in a porous medium for a single phase oil flow.

Reproductive behavior, eggs and larvae of a caesionine fish, Caesio caerulaurea, observed in an aquarium

The reproductive behavior and early life history of Caesio caerulaurea are described from aquarium observations. Spawning occurred mainly between a pair plus sneakers from June 11 to July 16, 1994. Six easily distinguishable behavior phases were recognized in the spawning sequence : I) Nuzzling ; 2) Several males joining in courtship ; 3) Spiraling towards the surface ; 4) Pair spawning ; 5) Sperm release by sneakers ; and 6) Post spawning. Fertilized eggs were spherical, transparent, buoyant and unpigmented. They averaged 0.82 mm in diameter and contained a single oil globule averaging 0.17 mm in diameter. Hatching began about 23 hours after fertilization at 24.0±0.5°C. Immediately after hatching, larvae were 2.02-2.46 mm in total length and had a large, round, ellipsoidal yolk. A single oil globule with about 10 melanophores protruded extensively from the anterior end of the yolk. In 36 and 48-hour old larvae, one or two dendritic melanophores were observed just posterior to the auditory vesicle. Larval development of C. caerulaurea during the first 48 hours after hatching is described.

Application of the multicomponent lattice Boltzmann simulation method to oil/water dispersions

We study the propagation of acoustic fields in bounded, two-dimensional, mono-disperse oil/water emulsions using a carefully modified and appropriately calibrated single relaxation time multicomponent lattice Boltzmann equation simulation. Our model is a variant of an algorithm applying both interface forces based on macroscopic surface tensions and a kinematic condition for phase separation, adapted to allow sonic speed variations between its oil and water components. Appropriate second-order accurate acoustic boundary conditions are obtained from a node-based lattice closure with local mass conservation and applicability for varying fluid viscosities. Data from an example simulation of a single oil drop in water interacting with a generated standing acoustic wave are presented and, where appropriate, compared with empirical theories and analogous calculations for a solid object.