Studies of nonequilibrium behavior in surfactant systems using videomicroscopy and diffusion path analysis

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7040691

Raney, K H

A petroleum sulfonate system typical of those used in surfactant flooding of oil reservoirs was examined to determine salinity effects on nonequilibrium phenomena. Microemulsions and/or brine phases formed as intermediate layers at all salinities. Diffusion paths calculated for a model system match the experimental results with regard to the number and rate of formation of the intermediate phases. Contacting experiments were performed between an oil phase containing oleic acid and caustic brine solutions of varying salinity and pH. Interfacial turbulence and liquid crystal formation were commonplace. Spontaneous emulsification of water in the oil was observed when the surfactant was oil-soluble. Oil-in-water emulsions formed spontaneously when the surfactant was hydrophilic. Hydrocarbons were contacted with aqueous solutions of pure ethyoxylated alcohol surfactants. Enhanced solubilization of oil was seen at temperatures above the cloud point of the nonionic surfactant solutions. Intermediate liquid crystal and microemulsion layers typically formed near the phase inversion temperature, while conversion of oil into a water-in-oil microemulsions occurred at higher temperatures. Comparison of a pure ethoxylated alcohol system was also made to formulations having the same cloud point but containing a different ethoxylated alcohol and a lipophilic additive. Differences in nonequilibrium behavior were observed upon contacting with hydrocarbons due to partitioning of additive into the oleic phase. Finally, contacting experiments were compared to calculated diffusion paths for a well-characterized oil-water-alcohol system. One observation was the formation of an interface across a three-phase region.

• Research Organization: Rice Univ., Houston, TX (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7040691
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
PHASE STUDIES
ALCOHOLS
BRINES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DIFFUSION
ENHANCED RECOVERY
HYDROCARBONS
INTERFACES
LIQUID CRYSTALS
MICROEMULSIONS
MICROSCOPY
OLEIC ACID
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM SULFONATES
PH VALUE
SALINITY
SOLUBILITY
SURFACTANTS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
COLLOIDS
CRYSTALS
DISPERSIONS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ESTERS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUIDS
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
SULFONATES
SULFONIC ACID ESTERS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production