Water Content Of Emulsion Research Articles

Demulsification of water-in-crude oil emulsions using single mode and multimode microwave irradiation

Abstract During petroleum production and refining, water-in-crude oil emulsions are formed in a desirable or undesirable fashion. However, for economic and operational reasons it is necessary to separate water from oil. In order to present an alternative to the currently available techniques used to solve such task, this study aims to analyze the influence of microwave application modes (multimode and single mode) on the breaking efficiency of a synthetic water-in-crude oil emulsion. In both heating modes, it was observed that the water content, temperature, and total applied energy are preponderant parameters regarding obtain higher efficiencies. The single mode heating required less energy to reach the same temperature and/or demulsification efficiency while the multimode provided better reproducibility. The power dissipation and, consequently, the microwave heating efficiency was dependent on the heating temperature and the emulsion water content. Furthermore, it was noticed that the presence of chemical additives tends to minimize any effect of irradiation mode on demulsification efficiency at temperatures above the 120 °C.

Experimental Investigation on a Diesel Engine Fueled by Diesel-Biodiesel Blends and their Emulsions at Various Engine Operating Conditions

The present work aims to investigate emulsion fuel characteristics with different levels of water concentration and their effects on performance and emissions of a light-duty diesel engine. The engine was operated at three engine speeds of 1000, 2100 and 3000rpm, respectively. At each speed, three loads (20%, 50%, and 80%) were applied. Diesel and biodiesel-diesel blends up to 40 by step of 10 were emulsified with three different levels of water concentration (5%, 10% and 15%). Emulsifiers Sorbitan Monoleate (Span 80) and Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monoleate (Tween 80) were used to prepare emulsion fuels. Fuel properties, stability and particle size distribution were measured. Engine performance (brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE)) and emissions were investigated. An increase in BTE was observed with increased water content in emulsions. A reduction in exhaust gas temperature (EGT) with an increase in water content was achieved. The nitrogen oxides (NOx) and smoke emissions were also significantly reduced with the increase in water content in the emulsion compared to their bases. Emulsion fuel containing a higher water content revealed a considerable increase in carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.

Calorimetric Studies of Formation/Decomposition Processes of Natural Gas Hydrates in Paraffin Oil/Water Emulsions

AbstractThe paper considers the research results of natural gas (NG) hydrate formation process in systems consisting of paraffin oil and distilled water at various ratios. Thermobaric conditions of hydrates phase transitions in water-oil emulsions were determined by the method of high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was ascertained that the equilibrium curve in systems under study, compared to the process of hydrate formation of this gas in distilled water, is shifted in the area of low pressures and high temperatures. According to DSC analysis results and volume analysis, it was determined that with increase of the water content in emulsions by more than 40 % of mass, the degree of water conversion into hydrate in emulsions decreases. It was concluded that the degree of water conversion into hydrate in emulsions can be used as an index of its stability.

Ultrasonic processing of butter oil (ghee) into oil-in-water emulsions

Butter oil (ghee) derived from cow or buffalo milk is in semi-solid form at room temperature and contains >99% of lipids. Apparent high viscosity and water immiscibility – owing to the hydrophobic nature of lipid components hinder the applicability of butter oil for formulations. Here, we have employed ultrasonic processing technique to create oil-in-water emulsions of butter oil. We show that the butter oil is capable of self-stabilizing an emulsion at low concentration while higher concentrations could be kinetically stabilized using pluronic stabilizer. We were able to modulate water contents of emulsions in the range of 80%–95% and maintain the particle size in submicron range. Reported butter oil emulsions retain hydrophobic properties of the original butter oil within cores of dispersed particles, overcome a problem of butter oil-water immissibility, display fluid consistency, and are stable for several months. These properties are highly suitable for developing food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic formulations. Practical applications Ultrasonic processing of butter oil improves its miscibility with water and increases its fluidity thereby enhancing its capability to be used as or to derive formulations for various applications. Further advantage of the reported butter oil emulsions is that they can be loaded with ‘polar’ in addition to ‘non-polar’ active molecules, which was hardly possible with formulations merely based on butter oil. This is because an aqueous phase of the butter oil emulsion contains 80%–95% water where polar molecules can easily be solvated. These emulsions, prepared from quite an abundant and economical source, can potentially act as alternatives to the emulsions that usually involve highly expensive lipid components whose extraction or synthesis are rather tough tasks. The ultrasonic processing of butter oil, presented here, could be easily scaled-up using continuous processing modes.

In situ delivery of rhBMP-2 in surface porous shape memory scaffolds developed through cryogenic 3D plotting

Three dimension (3D) printing has been increasingly used to make tissue engineering scaffolds. However, polyester-based scaffolds made through traditional 3D printing such as fused deposition modeling (FDM) lack of bioactivity as biomolecules cannot be directly blended with inks to achieve an in situ delivery. In addition, with increasing demand of reducing surgical trauma, implanting scaffolds through a minimally invasive way is of great importance. Here, surface porous tissue engineering scaffolds were made from novel poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate)-based water-in-oil emulsions through a cryogenic 3D plotting. The effects of water content in emulsions on the microstructure of 3D plotted scaffolds were investigated. With heat treatment at 40°C, scaffolds became soft and can be injected into a catheter. Growth factors can be loaded into the scaffolds in situ and showed a sustained release within 30 days.

How to select the right solvent for solvent-aided steam injection processes

Solvent-steam processes gained popularity in recent years in the extraction of high-asphaltenes-content heavy hydrocarbons. However, while solvent selection is key for the success of these processes, the criteria for solvent selection are still not fully established. In this study, three asphaltenes insoluble (propane, n-hexane, carbon dioxide) and one asphaltenes soluble (toluene) solvents were tested on solvent-aided steam processes to extract a bitumen sample from Alberta, Canada. Both steam flooding and SAGD performances were analyzed. The impact of clay presence was investigated by conducting experiments with and without the addition of clays, consisting of an illite-kaolinite mixture. The results of this study suggest that the produced oil samples from steam injection processes are in the form of water-in-oil emulsions. It has been observed that the amount of asphaltenes in produced oil determines the amount of water trapped in the form of emulsions. Co-injection of solvent with steam decreases the interfacial film between water and asphaltenes. However, asphaltenes insoluble solvents were found to be more effective to eliminate the forces at the oil-water interface. Presence of clays also reduced the water content of emulsions. The results of this study suggest that carbon dioxide, which is a non-hydrocarbon asphaltenes-insoluble solvent, yields the greatest quality oil with the lowest amount of water and clay in produced oil and provides high oil recovery. Hence, it is recommended to use asphaltenes-insoluble, non-hydrocarbon solvents for the extraction of low API gravity, high viscosity, and high asphaltenes content reservoirs.

Effect of emulsion fuel on engine emissions–A review

Emulsion fuel is an unconventional fuel for diesel engines, which can be used without modifications in the engine. The benefits of an emulsion fuel include lowering the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) which are harmful to health and cause diesel engines to suffer. This paper explains in detail the effect of water in the emulsion fuel on the emissions of NOx, PM, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), smoke and exhaust temperature. Experimental results from various researchers show a decrease in the NOx and PM emissions simultaneously. However, the results with the increasing water percentage in emulsion fuel are not consistent for HC and CO emissions. The water content in emulsion fuel affects the combustion and reduces the peak temperature in the combustion chamber. On the other hand, microexplosion phenomenon occurs and causes an increase in the volatility of diesel fuel which improves the combustion efficiency.

Performance of Electrostatic Field in Continuous Demulsification of Simulated Crude Oil Emulsion

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion is always formed in crude oil production. In most cases, the presence of water droplets in crude oil is undesirable because they can cause several problems such as corrosion of process equipment and a decrease in crude oil quality, as well as its market price. In this research, a simulated W/O emulsion that consists of kerosene as a continuous oil phase, water as a dispersed phase and SPAN 80 as an emulsifier has been formulated. The feasibility of using Span 80 for W/O emulsion formation and emulsion stability has been investigated. Stability test proved that the emulsions with 2 w/v % of Span 80 were stable and no separation was observed for the first 48 hours of gravitational settling. Besides, this research also aimed to study the effects of several parameters such as frequency, emulsion flow rate, voltage, water content in emulsion, and emulsifier concentration on the demulsification performance under high voltage electric field. The results showed that the best demulsification performance was 90% using electrical method at 1000 Hz of frequency, 10kV of voltage, 0.4 mL/s of emulsion flow rate, 2 w/v % of emulsifier, and 30 % of water portion of simulated crude oil.

EFFECT OF WATER CONTENT, TEMPERATURE AND AVERAGE DROPLET SIZE ON THE SETTLING VELOCITY OF WATER-IN-OIL EMULSIONS

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions are complex mixtures generally found in crude oil production in reservoirs and processing equipment. Sedimentation studies of water-oil emulsions enable the analysis of the fluid dynamic behavior concerning separation of this system composed of two immiscible liquids. Gravitational settling was evaluated in this article for a model emulsion system consisting of water and a Brazilian crude oil diluted in a clear mineral oil as organic phase. The effects of water content and temperature were considered in the study of sedimentation velocity of water-oil emulsions. Water contents between 10% and 50 % and temperatures of 25, 40 and 60 ºC were evaluated, and a Richardson-Zaki type correlation was obtained to calculate settling velocities as a function of the process variables investigated. Water contents and average droplet sizes were monitored at different levels in the settling equipment, thus enabling identification of the effect of these variables on the phenomena of sedimentation and coalescence of the emulsions studied. The results showed that the emulsion stability during sedimentation was governed by the emulsion water content, which yielded high settling velocities at low water contents, even when very small droplets were present. A quantitative analysis of the combined effects of drop size and droplet concentration supports the conclusion that a stronger effect is produced by the higher concentration of particles, compared with the relatively smaller effect of increasing the size of the droplets.

MDO (Marine Diesel Oil) 에멀젼 연료에 의한 디젤엔진의 배출가스 저감

Abstract : In this study, the characteristics of emulsified fuel and engine emissions were studied with engine dynamometer. Micro- explosion took place in the combustion chamber. While combustion, emulsion fuel scattered to micro particles and it caused to smoke reduction. The heat produced from water vapour reduce the temperature of internal combustion chamber and it caused to inhibition of NOx production. It can be verified by the lower exhaust temperature of each ND-13 mode using emulsion fuel than that of MDO fuel. The NOx and smoke concentration were reduced by increasing water content in emulsion fuel. The power also decreased accordingto the increment of water content of emulsion fuel because emulsion fuel has low calorific value due to high water content than MDO. As a result of ND-13 mode test with 17% moisture content, it was achieved 24% reduction in NOx production, 76% reduction in smoke density, 11% reduction of SO 2 and 13% reduction in power loss. Key Words : MDO, Emulsify, Emulsion Fuel, NOx, Smoke

Effect of oxygen enriched combustion and water–diesel emulsion on the performance and emissions of turbocharged diesel engine

Oxygen enriched combustion (OEC) is potential to improve emissions, thermal efficiency and brake power output of diesel engine. The purpose of this investigation is to study whether it is feasible to apply water diesel emulsion to mitigate the increasing NOx caused by OEC with comparable BSFC and power output. Effect of OEC on particle size and number concentration was also analyzed in this paper. Oxygen concentration of intake air varied from 21% to 24% by volume. Water content in tested fuels was 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by volume respectively. The result indicated that lower BSFC, higher cylinder pressure and shorter ignition delay were observed when OEC was applied, while opposite trends were found when using WDE. Reduction of PM and NOx can be realized simultaneously by applying OE combined with WDE. Particle number concentration of nucleation mode increases with increasing oxygen concentration, while that of accumulation mode decreases. Optimal operating condition was realized when water content in emulsion was below 20% along with low oxygen enrichment.

Drug release from biodegradable polyesterurethanes with shape-memory effect

Three dimension (3D) printing has been increasingly used to make tissue engineering scaffolds. However, polyester-based scaffolds made through traditional 3D printing such as fused deposition modeling (FDM) lack of bioactivity as biomolecules cannot be directly blended with inks to achieve an in situ delivery. In addition, with increasing demand of reducing surgical trauma, implanting scaffolds through a minimally invasive way is of great importance. Here, surface porous tissue engineering scaffolds were made from novel poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate)-based water-in-oil emulsions through a cryogenic 3D plotting. The effects of water content in emulsions on the microstructure of 3D plotted scaffolds were investigated. With heat treatment at 40 °C, scaffolds became soft and can be injected into a catheter. Growth factors can be loaded into the scaffolds in situ and showed a sustained release within 30 days.

Study on Lubrication Properties of Emulsion for Aluminum Cold-Rolling

Paper discusses that water content of emulsion has effects on the surface quality of cold-rolled aluminum alloy 5052 and higher concentration of emulsion gave thicker lubrication film and better surface quality of aluminum strip. When the speed of rolling reaching a critical speed, thickness of emulsion film will decrease with time. Film forming of emulsion shows that when rolling speed is low, properties of emulsion is similar to that of oil, while when speed reaching a critical value, mechanism of lubrication in rolling work zone will change from plate-out model suitable for low rolling speed to starvation model suitable for high rolling speed .This paper also discusses friction model for cold-rolling, and explains that the contact length of work zone and strip and forward slip get greater with rolling reduction increasing , which easily result in lubrication failure in the work zone.

The Development and Application of a Demulsifier Used for ASP Flooding–Produced Liquid from the Xing 2 Area of the Daqing Oilfield

Alkaline surfactant polymer (ASP) flooding was successfully used in Daqing oilfield, and its incremental recovery was more than 20% original oil in place (OOIP) over water flooding. But the ASP flooding–produced liquid contains oil displacement agents, such as alkaline, surfactant, and polymer, which result in emulsions having higher stability and more complex properties than water flooding emulsions, so ASP flooding technology has resulted in some new problems in the treatment of the produced liquid, such as the difficulty of oil–water separation, and this problem has become a factor that limits the applications of ASP flooding technology. The development of a demulsifier for use with ASP flooding–produced liquid has a significant function for improving the economic benefit of ASP flooding technology. By analyzing the components and structure of the ASP flooding–produced liquid from Xing 2 of Daqing oilfield, meanwhile, considering the relationship between the structure and properties of demulsifier, demulsifier (called DX) was developed. DX demulsifier has been successfully applied in the ASP flooding treatment station in Xing 2 of Daqing oilfield. The results of field tests showed that DX demulsifier had better demulsification performance on the ASP flooding–produced liquid from Xing 2 of Daqing oilfield and was better than that of the polyether demulsifier commonly used in Daqing oilfield. After separating oil and water, the water content in emulsions was less than 20% (which meets the requirement of electrical dehydrator) and oil content in sewage water was less than 200 mg/L (if using other polyether demulsifiers, the oil content in sewage water is greater than 2,000 mg/L), so it provides a good foundation for sewage water treatment.

Dehydration Efficiency of Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsions in Alternating Current Electrical Fields

The influence of several operational variables on the electrostatic separation of water-in-crude oil emulsions is investigated in a concentric cylinder rheometer equipped with an alternating current (AC) generator. Shear rate, temperature, emulsion water content, electric field strength, and application time are all found to play a role in the process. The droplet size distributions achieved across some of the experiments are acquired to give further support to the conclusions. Finally, the experimental results are compared to the theoretical expression for the electrocoalescence process and discussed.

11301 乳化燃料による舶用ディーゼル機関の粒子状物質排出特性(エンジン・システム)

With the increase of the concerns for the global environmental protection, the particulate emission of diesel engines is becoming increasingly serious. In this paper, experimental investigation was conducted with the four-stroke marine diesel engine, to study the effect of water emulsified fuel on the engine performance and the particulate emission. The particulate emission from the test engine was measured by partial-flow dilution tunnel system. The results show that use of emulsion fuel has a significant effect to the NO_x reduction, but an increase in water content of emulsion fuel increases the specific fuel consumption and the formation of particulate matter.

Effect of Ambient Pressure on Micro-Explosion of an Emulsion Droplet Evaporating on a Hot Surface

An experimental study has been carried out to reveal the statistical characteristics for the onset of micro-explosion of an emulsion droplet evaporating on a hot surface under high pressure conditions. The oil-in-water emulsion consisting of base fuel and water doped with small amount of surfactant is tested after degasification. The base fuels employed are n-hexadecane, n-tetradecane and n-dodecane. The water content of emulsions is varied from 0.1 to 0.2 by volume. Experiments are made at various surface temperatures and ambient pressures. The Weibull analysis is applied to obtain the distribution function of the waiting time for the onset of micro-explosion and to derive the empirical formula for the rate of micro-explosion as a function of water volume and emulsion temperature. The results show that the waiting time is correlated well with the Weibull distribution of the wear-out type. The waiting time decreases with an increase in the ambient pressure, saturation temperature of base fuel, water content and surface temperature. An empirical formula is proposed for the rate of micro-explosion as a function of water volume and emulsion temperature.

EXAMINING THE FATE OF EMULSION BREAKERS USED FOR DECANTING1

ABSTRACT Skimmers operating in waves often recover a large amount of water, both in the form of water-in-oil emulsions and free water. Recovered water dramatically reduces the temporary storage capacity available for oily fluids offshore. The addition of chemical emulsion breakers to the recovery system has been shown to increase the amount of water that can be quickly decanted when recovering emulsions. A significant potential impediment to the application of emulsion breakers to extend temporary storage capacity is the ultimate fate of the emulsion breaking chemical(s). If they end up in the separated water, they will be discharged into the marine environment when the water is decanted. The objective of this study was to research the partitioning of emulsion breakers injected into an oil spill recovery system at both lab-scale and mid-scale, at Ohmsett. The experiments were designed to simulate the conditions in an offshore oil spill recovery operation. The ability of emulsion breaker addition to reduce water contents of the recovered fluid and the effects of demulsifier addition of the oil content of decanted water were also assessed. The formation of micelles by the surfactants in the water at high concentrations and the resulting limitations of the analytical technique used to measure high concentrations of the demulsifiers in the decanted water make definitive, quantitative conclusions about the partitioning of the demulsifier between oily and water phases impossible. The following general conclusions could be made:A large fraction of the demulsifier injected into the recovered fluid stream appears to end up in the decanted water.The concentrations of demulsifier in the decanted water are well in excess of 100 ppm and could be as high as 1000's of ppm. The use of a demulsifier injected into a recovery system, combined with decanting, substantially reduced the volume of water in temporary storage tanks and the water content of emulsions for disposal/recycling. The efficacy of the demulsifier was a strong function of free water content: if the free water content exceeded approximately 55%, the effect of the surfactant was substantially reduced. The degree of emulsion breaking increased with increasing mixing energy applied to the fluid. Increasing the flow rate (and hence turbulence level) and increasing the length of the flow path both resulted in increased emulsion breaking. Primary break occurred in only a few minutes: the application of demulsifier did not appear to affect the time required compared to previous tests without demulsifiers. The results indicated that the use of a demulsifier increased oil droplet concentrations in the decanted water by approximately a factor of two compared to similar tests without demulsifier.

Decanting Tests at Ohmsett with and Without Emulsion Breakers1

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes a multi-year research program to address the decanting of water from oil spill fluids recovered by skimmers. The first series of tests, with two weir-type skimmers at Ohmsett, was conducted to study the rate and amount of free water separation that can be expected in temporary storage containers. The goal of this study was to predict the best time to decant water back into the boomed area and optimize the available onsite storage space. The results indicated that “primary break” (the initial separation of the recovered liquids) occurred within a few minutes to one hour, depending on the physical characteristics of the oil. Rapidly decanting this free water layer may offer immediate increases of 200 to 300% in available temporary storage volume. Initial oil concentrations in the decanted water also depended on the physical properties of the oil; they ranged from 100 to 3000 mg/L These declined by a factor of approximately 3 after one hour of settling, and by a factor of approximately 5 after one day. The second series of tests was undertaken to develop a more complete understanding of the use of emulsion breakers injected into an oil spill recovery system at both lab-scale (at SL Ross) and mid-scale (at Ohmsett). The experiments were designed to assess the injection/mixing/settling regimes required for optimum water-removal from a meso-stable water-in-oil emulsion with an oil spill demulsifier. The use of a demulsifier injected into a recovery system, combined with decanting, did substantially reduce the volume of water in temporary storage tanks and the water content of emulsions for disposal/recycling.

火攻法における油の改質とエマルションの流動特性に関する研究

Our combustion tube experiments for in-situ combustion with many crude oils of various densities showed that produced oil became light and was emulsified in many cases. In theprevious paper, formation mechanism of emulsion was discussed.In field operations, emulsification may cause serious problems. Then, at the present study, it was aimed to clarify the influence of emulsification to the flow properties of oil phase. Experiments were carried out with three crude oils made by distillation of Yabase crude oil which was easily emulsified. One was the original Yabase crude oil, and other two oils were the heavier and lighter oils that were made by eliminating the light component from Yabase crude oil and by adding the light component to Yabase crude oil, respectively. Results may be summarized as follows.1) Dependency of the viscosity of emulsion on the density of oil and temperature is similar to that of crude oil, but emulsification emphasizes the dependency.2) The water content of emulsion is the index of the degree of emulsification and most strongly influences the viscosity. The viscosity of the emulsion of highest water content of 75% increased by several ten to hundred times.3) The W/O emulsion formed in the in-situ combustion has the pseudoplasticity and its viscosity becomes strongly dependent on the flow speed as the water content increases.4) Though the increase of water content of emulsion eventuates in the low oil content, the residual emulsion saturation drastically increases with water content, so that the residual oil saturation does not vary so much. Therefore, the fuel necessary for successful in-situ combustion is held in the oil bed.