Relationship between microemulsion specific refraction and its interfacial tension behavior versus excess oil and brine

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · J. Colloid Interface Sci.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6863640

Bryant, G M; Derderian, E J; Glass, J E

Oil recovery from immiscible microemulsion core floods has been correlated with the capillary number NC which was derived for the microemulsion viscosity, the microemulsion frontal velocity in a porous medium, and the interfacial tensions of the microemulsion vs. equilibrated excess oil and brine phases, respectively. Since immiscible oil displacement by microemulsions is most effective when interfacial tension is a minimum, and by definition this occurs when the interfacial tensions with 2 phases is equal, it is pertinent to study phase behavior. It is conceptually attractive to relate microemulsion interfacial tension behavior vs. equilibrated excess phases to fundamental physical properties of the microemulsion phase itself. The density and index of refraction are 2 such properties; they depend on the relative amounts of oil and brine in the microemulsion such that their values are always bounded by the density and refractive index values of the bulk excess phases. A relationship between the dielectric constant or index of refraction and surface tension which correlates the surface tensions of nonpolar and nonhydrogen-bonded polar liquids is known, but it is not applicable to complex multicomponent systems such as microemulsions.

• OSTI ID: 6863640
• Journal Information: J. Colloid Interface Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Colloid Interface Sci.; (United States) Vol. 68:1; ISSN JCISA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
BRINES
COLLOIDS
CORRELATIONS
DENSITY
DISPERSIONS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INTERFACES
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MICROEMULSIONS
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
OIL WELLS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PETROLEUM
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOVERY
REFRACTIVITY
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACE TENSION
WELLS