A multi-stage oil-water-separating process design for the sea oil spill recovery robot

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Min-ge; Wu, Jian-guo; Lin, Xinhua; Wang, Xiao-ming

2018-03-01

Oil spill have the most common pollution to the marine ecological environment. In the late stage of physical method recovery, because of the thin oil and the strong sea breeze, the recovery vessels has low efficiency and high energy consumption. This paper develops a multi-stage oil-water-separating process carried by the sea oil spill recovery robot in severe conditions. This design consists of three separation process, among which both the first and third process adopt corrugated sheets horizontal oil-water separator, while the second is hydraulic rotary breaker. This design also equiptment with rectifier and cyclone separator and other important components. This process has high flexibility and high recovery efficiency. The implement effect is significant.

Oil/gas collector/separator for underwater oil leaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henning, C.D.

1992-12-31

This invention is comprised of an oil/gas collector/separator for recovery of oil leaking, for example, from an offshore or underwater oil well. The separator is floated over the point of the leak and tethered in place so as to receive oil/gas floating, or forced under pressure, toward the water surface from either a broken or leaking oil well casing, line, or sunken ship. The separator is provided with a downwardly extending skirt to contain the oil/gas which floats or is forced upward into a dome wherein the gas is separated from the oil/water, with the gas being flared (burned) at the top of the dome, and the oil is separated from water and pumped to a point of use. Since the density of oil is less than that of water it can be easily separated from any water entering the dome.

Separation kinetics of an oil-in-water emulsion under enhanced gravity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krebs, T.; Schroën, C.G.P.H.; Boom, R.M.

2012-01-01

The breakup of crude oil emulsions to produce clean oil and water phases is an important task in crude oil processing. We have investigated the demulsification kinetics of a model oil-in-water emulsion in a centrifugal field to mimic the forces acting on emulsion droplets in oil/water separators

40 CFR 63.137 - Process wastewater provisions-oil-water separators.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... wastewater provisions—oil-water separators. (a) For each oil-water separator that receives, manages, or...; (2) A floating roof meeting the requirements in 40 CFR part 60, subpart QQQ § 60.693-2 (a)(1)(i), (a... to construct and operate a floating roof, such as over the weir mechanism, the owner or operator...

Robust and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics for oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Zhaozhu; Xu, Xianghui; Guo, Fang; Zhu, Xiaotao; Men, Xuehu; Ge, Bo

2013-08-14

By introducing the incorporation of polyaniline and fluorinated alkyl silane to the cotton fabric via a facile vapor phase deposition process, the fabric surface possessed superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 156° and superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 0°. The as-prepared fabric can be applied as effective materials for the separation of water and oil mixture with separation efficiency as high as 97.8%. Compared with other materials for oil/water separation, the reported process was simple, time-saving, and repeatable for at least 30 times. Moreover, the obtained fabric kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency under extreme environment conditions of high temperature, high humidity, strong acidic or alkaline solutions, and mechanical forces. Therefore, this reported fabric has the advantages of scalable fabrication, high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and excellent durability, exhibiting the strong potential for industrial production.

Selective separation of oil and water with special wettability mesh membranes

KAUST Repository

Liu, Defei

2017-02-24

Due to the different interfacial effects of oil and water, utilizing the special wettability of solid surfaces to design an oil and water separation process has been demonstrated to be an effective approach for oil/water separation. In this report, a simple process has been developed to fabricate special surface wettability mesh membranes. The carbon nanoparticles with diameters of 10 nm were first coated onto the surface of steel wires based on a candle soot coating process. These templates of carbon nanoparticles were then coated with a more stable layer of silica (SiO2) particles via a facile chemical vapor deposition route. After being modified by two separate methods, a superhydrophobic/superoleophilic membrane was obtained by the use of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (PFOTS) and a oleophobic/superhydrophilic membrane was obtained by using poly(diallyldimethylammonium-perfluorooctanoate) (PDDA–PFO). Separation experiments show that these superhydrophobic/superoleophilic or oleophobic/superhydrophilic mesh membranes can be used to selectively separate oil/water with a high flux of more than 930 L m−2 h−1 and a collecting efficiency of over 97%. Furthermore, the repetitions of the separation experiments demonstrate that these superhydrophobic/superoleophilic or oleophobic/superhydrophilic mesh membranes are durable, stable and reusable, making them encouraging candidates for practical oil-polluted water treatment.

[Study on essential oil separation from Forsythia suspensa oil-bearing water body based on vapor permeation membrane separation technology].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qian; Zhu, Hua-Xu; Tang, Zhi-Shu; Pan, Yong-Lan; Li, Bo; Fu, Ting-Ming; Yao, Wei-Wei; Liu, Hong-Bo; Pan, Lin-Mei

2018-04-01

To investigate the feasibility of vapor permeation membrane technology in separating essential oil from oil-water extract by taking the Forsythia suspensa as an example. The polydimethylsiloxane/polyvinylidene fluoride (PDMS/PVDF) composite flat membrane and a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat membrane was collected as the membrane material respectively. Two kinds of membrane osmotic liquids were collected by self-made vapor permeation device. The yield of essential oil separated and enriched from two kinds of membrane materials was calculated, and the microscopic changes of membrane materials were analyzed and compared. Meanwhile, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to compare and analyze the differences in chemical compositions of essential oil between traditional steam distillation, PVDF membrane enriched method and PDMS/PVDF membrane enriched method. The results showed that the yield of essential oil enriched by PVDF membrane was significantly higher than that of PDMS/PVDF membrane, and the GC-MS spectrum showed that the content of main compositions was higher than that of PDMS/PVDF membrane; The GC-MS spectra showed that the components of essential oil enriched by PVDF membrane were basically the same as those obtained by traditional steam distillation. The above results showed that vapor permeation membrane separation technology shall be feasible for the separation of Forsythia essential oil-bearing water body, and PVDF membrane was more suitable for separation and enrichment of Forsythia essential oil than PDMS/PVDF membrane. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Development of a centrifugal in-line separator for oil-water flows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slot, J.J.

2013-01-01

The world energy consumption will increase in the next decades. However, many aging oil fields are showing a steady decline in oil production. And they are producing increasing amounts of water, making the separation of the oil from the oil-water mixture an important processing step. In-line

Preparation of novel cotton fabric composites with pH controlled switchable wettability for efficient water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions separation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Wu, Jianning; Meng, Guihua; Wang, Yixi; Liu, Zhiyong; Guo, Xuhong

2018-06-01

The wetting materials with the ability of controllable oil/water separation have drawn more and more public attention. In this article, the novel cotton fabric (CF) with pH controlled wettability transition was designed by a simple, environmentally friendly coating copolymer/SiO2 nanoparticles, poly(heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate- co-3-trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate- co-2-vinilpiridine) (PHDFDMA- co-PTMSPMA- co-P2VP). Furthermore, the structures and morphologies of coated CF were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), NMR, GPC, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The coated CF exhibits switchable wettability between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity via adjusting pH value. When the coated CF is placed in the neutral aqueous (pH = 7.0), it is superhydrophobic in the air and superoleophilic. It allows oil to go through but blocking water. However, in acidic aqueous environment (pH = 3.0), it turns superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic, which allows water to penetrate but blocking oil. Therefore, the coated CF could be applied to separate oil/water mixtures, ternary oil/water/water mixtures continuously and different surfactant stabilized emulsions (oil-in-water, water-in-oil) and displays the superior separation capacity for oil-water mixtures with a high efficiency of 99.8%. Moreover, the cycling tests demonstrate that the coated CF possesses excellent recyclability and durability. Such an eminent, controllable water/oil permeation feature makes coated CF could be selected as an ideal candidate for oil/water separation.

Microfluidic methods to assess demulsification kinetics for oil-water-separation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krebs, T.; Schroën, C.G.P.H.; Boom, R.M.

2012-01-01

The control of emulsion stability is of crucial importance in the process of crude/oil water separation, which is a key step in industrial oil production. Separation is enhanced if coalescence between droplets takes place, the extent of which will depend on the flow parameters as well as on the

Immobilizing Water into Crystal Lattice of Calcium Sulfate for its Separation from Water-in-Oil Emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Guangming; Li, Junxi; Nie, Yunliang; Zhang, Sen; Dong, Fan; Guan, Baohong; Lv, Xiaoshu

2016-07-19

This work report a facile approach to efficiently separate surfactant-stabilized water (droplet diameter of around 2.0 μm) from water-in-oil emulsion via converting liquid water into solid crystal water followed by removal with centrifugation. The liquid-solid conversion is achieved through the solid-to-solid phase transition of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4. 0.5H2O, HH) to dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O, DH), which could immobilize the water into crystal lattice of DH. For emulsion of 10 mg mL(-1) water, the immobilization-separation process using polycrystalline HH nanoellipsoids could remove 95.87 wt % water at room temperature. The separation efficiency can be further improved to 99.85 wt % by optimizing the HH dosage, temperature, HH size and crystalline structure. Property examination of the recycled oil confirms that our method has neglectable side-effect on oil quality. The byproduct DH was recycled to alpha-HH (a valuable cemetitious material widely used in construction and binding field), which minimizes the risk of secondary pollution and promotes the practicality of our method. With the high separation efficiency, the "green" feature and the recyclability of DH byproduct, the HH-based immobilization-separation approach is highly promising in purifying oil with undesired water contamination.

A Microfluidic Method to Assess Emulsion Stability in Crude-Oil/Water Separators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krebs, T.; Schroën, C.G.P.H.; Boom, R.M.

2011-01-01

The control of emulsion stability and droplet size is of crucial importance for oil production, especially for the processes of crude/oil water separation and cleanup of produced water. To recover pure oil and water, coalescence between droplets needs to take place, the extent of which will depend

Fabrication and evaluation of nanocellulose sponge for oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Phanthong, Patchiya; Reubroycharoen, Prasert; Kongparakul, Suwadee; Samart, Chanatip; Wang, Zhongde; Hao, Xiaogang; Abudula, Abuliti; Guan, Guoqing

2018-06-15

Nanocellulose sponge was fabricated by a facile method: freeze-drying of nanocellulose aqueous suspension to sponge state, following by hydrophobic treatment with stearoyl chloride at 50 °C for 1 h. The obtained nanocellulose sponge showed superhydrophobicity (160° of water contact angle) and superoleophilicity with high protection from water but selective absorption of oil. Its absorption capacities for various kinds of oil and non-polar liquids were 25-55 times higher than its dry weight and exhibited excellent selectivity for absorbing of oil which spilled on the surface of water or underwater with high separation efficiency. This superhydrophobic nanocellulose sponge can be easily recovered by simple squeezing and reused at least 10 cycles with remained high separation efficiency. It is expected that such a biodegradable nanocellulose sponge can be applied to solve the oil spill accident and treat the oily wastewater from households and industries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smart candle soot coated membranes for on-demand immiscible oil/water mixture and emulsion switchable separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian; Zhao, Zhihong; Li, Dianming; Tian, Haifeng; Zha, Fei; Feng, Hua; Guo, Lin

2017-09-21

Oil/water separation is of great importance for the treatment of oily wastewater, including immiscible light/heavy oil-water mixtures, oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsions. Smart surfaces with responsive wettability have received extensive attention especially for controllable oil/water separation. However, traditional smart membranes with a switchable wettability between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity are limited to certain responsive materials and continuous external stimuli, such as pH, electrical field or light irradiation. Herein, a candle soot coated mesh (CSM) with a larger pore size and a candle soot coated PVDF membrane (CSP) with a smaller pore size with underwater superoleophobicity and underoil superhydrophobicity were successfully fabricated, which can be used for on-demand immiscible oil/water mixtures and surfactants-stabilized oil/water emulsion separation, respectively. Without any continuous external stimulus, the wettability of our membranes could be reversibly switched between underwater superoleophobicity and underoil superhydrophobicity simply by drying and washing alternately, thus achieving effective and switchable oil/water separation with excellent separation efficiency. We believe that such smart materials will be promising candidates for use in the removal of oil pollutants in the future.

Bioinspired polydopamine particles-assisted construction of superhydrophobic surfaces for oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Bin; Wang, Yanbing; Peng, Bo; Deng, Ziwei

2016-11-15

Frequent oil spillages and industrial discharge of oils/organic solvents have induced severe environmental pollution and ecological damage, and a great cost in energy and finance has been consumed to solve the problems raised. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a surface hydrophobic modification that can be applied to materials with desired properties of high separation efficiency, excellent selectivity and stable performance in extreme conditions during the oil/water separation. Herein, with combined bioinspirations from mussel adhesive protein (polydopamine) and superhydrophobic lotus leaf (hierarchical structures), we develop a general way to superhydrophobically modify various commercial materials, aiming for the selective removal of oils/organic solvents from water. In this procedure, immersing commercial materials (e.g. melamine sponge, stainless steel mesh, nylon netting and cotton cloth) into water/ethanol/ammonia mixtures at a low concentration of dopamine (DA, 2mg/mL) allows a polydopamine (PDA) coating with a tunable roughness appearing on the substrate in one step. This is because DA can self-polymerize and form PDA particles with a catalyst of ammonia, attaching to any surfaces due to abundant catechol and amine groups in PDA, and ultimately, resulting in hierarchical structures. The subsequent decoration with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecanethiol features the surface superhydrophobic and superoleophilic. This approach is straightforward and economic, and carried out under a mild, environmental-benign circumstance, with nonspecific substrate demands. In addition, the as-prepared superhydrophobic materials exhibit excellent separation performances including high absorption/separation capacity, excellent selectivity, and extraordinary recyclability for collecting various oils/organic solvents from water. These superhydrophobic materials have also verified to be highly chemical resistant, environment stable and mechanically durable. Therefore, this

A facile method for emulsified oil-water separation by using polyethylenimine-coated magnetic nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Ting; Qi, Dongming; Zhang, Dong; Lü, Yulan; Zhao, Hongting

2018-04-01

Oil spills and oily wastewater discharges from ships and industrial activities have serious impacts on the environment and human health. In this study, a class of easy-to-synthesize polyethylenimine (PEI)-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was successfully synthesized via a one-step coprecipitation method. The synthesized PEI-coated Fe3O4 MNPs were characterized by using multiple technologies and applied in emulsified oil-water separation for the first time. It was found that the PEI effectively tuned the surface charge and wettability of MNPs. As a result, the PEI-coated MNPs could successfully assemble at the oil-water interface and promote the coalescence of oil droplets, thereby facilitating the subsequent magnetic separation. Results showed that the oil-water separation performance was superior and enhanced with the increase of ionic strength. Recycling experiment indicated that the PEI-coated MNPs could be reused up to six times without showing a significant decrease in separation efficiency. All of these results suggested that the PEI-coated MNP could potentially be used as a class of promising nanomaterials for emulsified oil-water separation. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Robust superhydrophobic surface by nature-inspired polyphenol chemistry for effective oil-water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Bu, Yiming; Huang, Jingjing; Zhang, Shiyu; Wang, Yinghua; Gu, Shaojin; Cao, Genyang; Yang, Hongjun; Ye, Dezhan; Zhou, Yingshan; Xu, Weilin

2018-05-01

With the ever-increasing oil spillages, oil-water separation has attracted widespread concern in recent years. In this work, a nature-inspired polyphenol method has been developed to fabricate the durable superhydrophobic surfaces for the oil-water separation. Inspiring from the adhesion of polyphenol and reducing capacity of free catechol/pyrogallol groups in polyphenol, firstly, the simple immersion of commercial materials (melamine sponge, PET, and nonwoven cotton fabrics) in tannic acid (TA) solution allows to form a multifunctional coating on the surface of sponge or fabrics, which was used as reducing reagent to generate Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Then, decoration of 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT) molecules produced superhydrophobic surfaces. The surface topological structure, chemical composition, and superhydrophobic property of the as-prepared surface are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The WCAs of as-prepared sponge and fabrics were higher than 150°. The stability, absorption capacity, and recyclability of as-prepared sponge and fabrics were investigated. The as-prepared sponge demonstrates high oil/water selectivity and high absorption capacity (66-150 g/g) for a broad variety of oils and organic solvents, and was chemically resistant, robust against abrasion, and long-term durability in harsh environments. Most important of all, it can continuously separate various kinds of oils or organic pollutants from the surface of water. This study presents a facile strategy to fabricate superhydrophobic materials for continuous oil-water separation, displaying great potential in large-scale practical application.

Durable underwater superoleophobic PDDA/halloysite nanotubes decorated stainless steel mesh for efficient oil-water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Kun; Zeng, Yicheng; Zhou, Cailong; Chen, Jiahui; Wen, Xiufang; Xu, Shouping; Cheng, Jiang; Lin, Yingguang; Pi, Pihui

2017-09-01

A durable underwater superoleophobic mesh was conveniently prepared by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) on a stainless steel mesh. The hierarchical structure and roughness of the PDDA/HNTs coating surface were controlled by adjusting the number of layer deposition cycles. When the PDDA/HNTs coating with 10 deposition cycles was decorated on the mesh with pore size of about 54 μm, the underwater superoleophobic mesh was obtained. The as-prepared underwater superoleophobic PDDA/HNTs decorated mesh exhibits outstanding oil-water separation performance with a separation efficiency of over 97% for various oil/water mixtures, which allowed water to pass through while repelled oil completely. In addition, the as-prepared decorated mesh still maintained high separation efficiency above 97% after repeated 20 separation times for hexane/water mixture or chloroform/water mixture. More importantly, the as-prepared decorated mesh is durable enough to resist chemical and mechanical challenges, such as strong alkaline, salt aqueous and sand abrasion. Therefore, the as-prepared decorated mesh has practical utility in oil-water separation due to its stable oil-water performance, remarkable chemical and mechanical durability and the facile and eco-friendly preparation process.

Green Approach to the Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Mesh Surface for Oil/Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fajun; Lei, Sheng; Xu, Yao; Ou, Junfei

2015-07-20

We report a simple and environment friendly method to fabricate superhydrophobic metallic mesh surfaces for oil/water separation. The obtained mesh surface exhibits superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity after it was dried in an oven at 200 °C for 10 min. A rough silver layer is formed on the mesh surface after immersion, and the spontaneous adsorption of airborne carbon contaminants on the silver surface lower the surface free energy of the mesh. No low-surface-energy reagents and/or volatile organic solvents are used. In addition, we demonstrate that by using the mesh box, oils can be separated and collected from the surface of water repeatedly, and that high separation efficiencies of larger than 92 % are retained for various oils. Moreover, the superhydrophobic mesh also possesses excellent corrosion resistance and thermal stability. Hence, these superhydrophobic meshes might be good candidates for the practical separation of oil from the surface of water. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

On-demand oil-water separation via low-voltage wettability switching of core-shell structures on copper substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Kung, Chun Haow; Zahiri, Beniamin; Sow, Pradeep Kumar; Mérida, Walter

2018-06-01

A copper mesh with dendritic copper-oxide core-shell structure is prepared using an additive-free electrochemical deposition strategy for on-demand oil-water separation. Electrochemical manipulation of the oxidation state of the copper oxide shell phase results in opposite affinities towards water and oil. The copper mesh can be tuned to manifest both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties to enable oil-removal. Conversely, switching to superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic allows water-removal. These changes correspond to the application of small reduction voltages (air drying. In the oil-removal mode, heavy oil selectively passes through the mesh while water is retained; in water-removal mode, the mesh allows water to permeate but blocks light oil. The smart membrane achieved separation efficiencies higher than 98% for a series of oil-water mixtures. The separation efficiency remains high with less than 5% variation after 30 cycles of oil-water separation in both modes. The switchable wetting mechanism is demonstrated with the aid of microstructural and electrochemical analysis and based on the well-known Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel theories. The selective removal of water or oil from the oil-water mixtures is driven solely by gravity and yields high efficiency and recyclability. The potential applications for the relevant technologies include oil spills cleanup, fuel purification, and wastewater treatment.

Feasibility evaluation of downhole oil/water separator (DOWS) technology.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veil, J. A.; Langhus, B. G.; Belieu, S.

1999-01-31

The largest volume waste stream associated with oil and gas production is produced water. A survey conducted by the American Petroleum Institute estimated that 20.9 billion barrels of produced water were disposed of in 1985 (Wakim 1987). Of this total, 91% was disposed of through disposal wells or was injected for enhanced oil recovery projects. Treatment and disposal of produced water represents a significant cost for operators. A relatively new technology, downhole oil/water separators (DOWS), has been developed to reduce the cost of handling produced water. DOWS separate oil and gas from produced water at the bottom of the well and reinject some of the produced water into another formation or another horizon within the same formation, while the oil and gas are pumped to the surface. Since much of the produced water is not pumped to the surface, treated, and pumped from the surface back into a deep formation, the cost of handling produced water is greatly reduced. When DOWS are used, additional oil may be recovered as well. In cases where surface processing or disposal capacity is a limiting factor for further production within a field, the use of DOWS to dispose of some of the produced water can allow additional production within that field. Simultaneous injection using DOWS minimizes the opportunity for contamination of underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) through leaks in tubing and casing during the injection process. This report uses the acronym 'DOWS' although the technology may also be referred to as DHOWS or as dual injection and lifting systems (DIALS). Simultaneous injection using DOWS has the potential to profoundly influence the domestic oil industry. The technology has been shown to work in limited oil field applications in the United States and Canada. Several technical papers describing DOWS have been presented at oil and gas industry conferences, but for the most part, the information on the DOWS technology has not been widely

Superhydrophilic graphene oxide@electrospun cellulose nanofiber hybrid membrane for high-efficiency oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ao, Chenghong; Yuan, Wei; Zhao, Jiangqi; He, Xu; Zhang, Xiaofang; Li, Qingye; Xia, Tian; Zhang, Wei; Lu, Canhui

2017-11-01

Inspired from fishscales, membranes with special surface wettability have been applied widely for the treatment of oily waste water. Herein, a novel superhydrophilic graphene oxide (GO)@electrospun cellulose nanofiber (CNF) membrane was successfully fabricated. This membrane exhibited a high separation efficiency, excellent antifouling properties, as well as a high flux for the gravity-driven oil/water separation. Moreover, the GO@CNF membrane was capable to effectively separate oil/water mixtures in a broad pH range or with a high concentration of salt, suggesting that this membrane was quite promising for future real-world practice in oil spill cleanup and oily wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Demulsifiers for Separating Water from Anthracene Oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zečević, N.

2008-03-01

, causes the phenomenon of cavitations.In the oil-furnace carbon black plant of Petrokemija d. d. Kutina, the storage tank TK48003, was filled with 800 tons of anthracene oil. The average water fraction in the tank was w = 10·10 –2. It was impossible to manipulate in the process of production, because the mentioned water fraction caused the cavitations effect. Therefore, it was necessary to decrease the water fraction to below w = 2.0·10 –2, which will be satisfactory for production.As the water and anthracene oil formed a homogeneous emulsion (similar density at all temperatures, it was impossible to manage decanting the water from the anthracene oil. Additionally, it was impossible to manage evaporation of the water from the oil by heating the whole emulsion,because the flash point of anthracene oil is in the temperature range of T = 100 to 105 °C. Distillation of the whole emulsion of 800 tons was also impossible, because there was no distillation column adequate for separating the water from the anthracene oil. Thus, the use of different demulsifiers proved as a potential solution for separating the homogeneous mixture of anthracene oil and water. Namely, demulsifiers are a special type of high molecular tensides and organic solvents, which serve for separation the water from different hydrocarbons.The most common use is in emulsions with “lighter” hydrocarbons, especially when the density is not above r=0.850 g cm–3. Since the density of anthracene oil ranges from r=1.05 to 1.09 g cm–3, it was necessary to customise the conditions of application, and to choose the mostadequate demulsifier for the separation of water from anthracene oil. Therefore, we experimented with different kinds of demulsifiers in cooperation with the companies TEH PROJEKT KEMO d. o. o. and KEM PROJEKT d. o. o. In laboratory conditions, we tested five different demulsifiers with different concentrations, and their efficiency in separating the water from anthracene oil. We then

A simplified approach for the simulation of water-in-oil emulsions in gravity separators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lakehal, D.; Narayanan, C. [ASCOMP GmbH, Zurich (Switzerland); Vilagines, R.; Akhras, A.R. [Saudi Aramco, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia). Research and Development Center

2009-07-01

A new method of simulating 3-phase flow separation processes in a crude oil product was presented. The aim of the study was to increase the liquid capacity of the vessels and develop methods of testing variable flow entry procedures. The simulated system was based on gravity separation. Oil well streams were injected into large tanks where gas, oil and water were separated under the action of inertia and gravity. An interface tracking technique was combined with a Euler-Euler model developed as part of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program. Emulsion physics were modelled by interface tracking between the gas and oil-in-water liquid mixture. Additional scalar transport equations were solved in order to account for the diffusive process between the oil and water. Various settling velocity models were used to consider the settling of the dispersed water phase in oil. Changes in viscosity and non-Newtonian emulsion behaviour were also considered. The study showed that the interface tracking technique accurately predicted flow when combined with an emulsion model designed to account for the settling of water in the oil phase. Further research is now being conducted to validate computational results against in situ measurements. 13 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs.

A self-cleaning underwater superoleophobic mesh for oil-water separation

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Lianbin; Zhong, Yujiang; Cha, Dong Kyu; Wang, Peng

2013-01-01

and inexpensive approaches for the cleaning-up of the oily pollution in water system. In this study, a self-cleaning underwater superoleophobic mesh that can be used for oil-water separation is prepared by the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of sodium silicate

Dual Superlyophobic Copper Foam with Good Durability and Recyclability for High Flux, High Efficiency, and Continuous Oil-Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wenting; Li, Song; Liu, Yan; Xu, Zhengzheng; Wei, Sufeng; Wang, Guoyong; Lian, Jianshe; Jiang, Qing

2018-03-21

Traditional oil-water separation materials have to own ultrahigh or ultralow surface energy. Thus, they can only be wetted by one of the two, oil or water. Our experiment here demonstrates that the wettability in oil-water mixtures can be tuned by oil and water initially. Hierarchical voids are built on commercial copper foams with the help of hydrothermally synthesized titanium dioxide nanorods. The foams can be easily wetted by both oil and water. The water prewetted foams are superhydrophilic and superoleophobic under oil-water mixtures, meanwhile the oil prewetted foams are superoleophilic and superhydrophobic. In this paper, many kinds of water-oil mixtures were separated by two foams, prewetted by corresponding oil or water, respectively, combining a straight tee in a high flux, high efficiency, and continuous mode. This research indicates that oil-water mixtures can be separated more eco-friendly and at lower cost.

Amine functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for removal of oil droplets from produced water and accelerated magnetic separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ko, Saebom, E-mail: saebomko@austin.utexas.edu [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Kim, Eun Song [University of Texas, Department of Biomedical Engineering (United States); Park, Siman [University of Texas, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (United States); Daigle, Hugh [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Milner, Thomas E. [University of Texas, Department of Biomedical Engineering (United States); Huh, Chun [University of Texas, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (United States); Bennetzen, Martin V. [Maersk Oil Corporate (Denmark); Geremia, Giuliano A. [Maersk Oil Research and Technology Centre (Qatar)

2017-04-15

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with surface coatings designed for water treatment, in particular for targeted removal of contaminants from produced water in oil fields, have drawn considerable attention due to their environmental merit. The goal of this study was to develop an efficient method of removing very stable, micron-scale oil droplets dispersed in oilfield produced water. We synthesized MNPs in the laboratory with a prescribed surface coating. The MNPs were superparamagnetic magnetite, and the hydrodynamic size of amine functionalized MNPs ranges from 21 to 255 nm with an average size of 66 nm. The initial oil content of 0.25 wt.% was reduced by as much as 99.9% in separated water. The electrostatic attraction between negatively charged oil-in-water emulsions and positively charged MNPs controls, the attachment of MNPs to the droplet surface, and the subsequent aggregation of the electrically neutral oil droplets with attached MNPs (MNPs-oils) play a critical role in accelerated and efficient magnetic separation. The total magnetic separation time was dramatically reduced to as short as 1 s after MNPs, and oil droplets were mixed, in contrast with the case of free, individual MNPs with which separation took about 36∼72 h, depending on the MNP concentrations. Model calculations of magnetic separation velocity, accounting for the MNP magnetization and viscous drag, show that the total magnetic separation time will be approximately 5 min or less, when the size of the MNPs-oils is greater than 360 nm, which can be used as an optimum operating condition.

Reliability Omnipotent Analysis For First Stage Separator On The Separation Process Of Gas, Oil And Water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sony Tjahyani, D. T.; Ismu W, Puradwi; Asmara Santa, Sigit

2001-01-01

Reliability of industry can be evaluated based on two aspects which are risk and economic aspects. From these points, optimation value can be determined optimation value. Risk of the oil refinery process are fire and explosion, so assessment of this system must be done. One system of the oil refinery process is first stage separator which is used to separate gas, oil and water. Evaluation of reliability for first stage separator system has been done with FAMECA and HAZap method. The analysis results, the probability of fire and explosion of 1.1x10 - 2 3 /hour and 1.2x10 - 1 1 /hour, respectively. The reliability value of the system is high because each undesired event is anticipated with safety system or safety component

Innovative in-line separators: removal of water or sand in oil/water and gas/liquid/solid pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jepson, Paul; Cheolho Kang; Gopal, Madan [CC Technologies, Dublin, OH (United States)

2003-07-01

In oil and gas production, multiphase mixtures are often separated before downstream processing. The separators are large, often 20 - 40 feet long and large diameter and use sophisticated internals. The costs are in the millions of dollars. Further, the sand and water in the flow can cause severe internal erosion and corrosion respectively before the flow reaches the separators. The CC Technologies/MIST In line Separation System is a cost-effective, efficient device for use in multiphase environments. The device is applicable for gas/solid, gas/liquid/solid and oil/water systems and offers exceptional separation between phases for a fraction of the cost of expensive gravity separators and hydro cyclones. The System contains no moving parts and is designed to be of the same diameter as the pipe, and experiences low shear forces. It can be fabricated with standard pipes. The efficiency of the separator has been determined in an industrial scale, pilot plant test facility at CC Technologies in 4-inch diameter pipes and has been found to be in excess of 98-99% for the removal of sand. Two phase oil/water separation effectiveness is in excess of 90% in 1-stage and 95% in 2 - stage. (author)

Study of factors governing oil-water separation process using TiO₂ films prepared by spray deposition of nanoparticle dispersions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gondal, Mohammed A; Sadullah, Muhammad S; Dastageer, Mohamed A; McKinley, Gareth H; Panchanathan, Divya; Varanasi, Kripa K

2014-08-27

Surfaces which possess extraordinary water attraction or repellency depend on surface energy, surface chemistry, and nano- and microscale surface roughness. Synergistic superhydrophilic-underwater superoleophobic surfaces were fabricated by spray deposition of nanostructured TiO2 on stainless steel mesh substrates. The coated meshes were then used to study gravity driven oil-water separation, where only the water from the oil-water mixture is allowed to permeate through the mesh. Oil-water separation efficiencies of up to 99% could be achieved through the coated mesh of pore sizes 50 and 100 μm, compared to no separation at all, that was observed in the case of uncoated meshes of the same material and pore sizes. An adsorbed water on the TiO2 coated surface, formation of a water-film between the wires that form the mesh and the underwater superoleophobicity of the structured surface are the key factors that contribute to the enhanced efficiency observed in oil-water separation. The nature of the oil-water separation process using this coated mesh (in which the mesh allows water to pass through the porous structure but resists wetting by the oil phase) minimizes the fouling of mesh so that the need for frequent replacement of the separating medium is reduced. The fabrication approach presented here can be applied for coating large surface areas and to develop a large-scale oil-water separation facility for oil-field applications and petroleum industries.

Applying CFD in the Analysis of Heavy Oil/Water Separation Process via Hydrocyclone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K Angelim

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years most of the oil reserves discovered has been related to heavy oil reservoirs whose reserves are abundant but still show operational difficulties. This fact provoked great interest of the petroleum companies in developing new technologies for increasing the heavy oil production. Produced water generation, effluent recovered from the production wells together with oil and natural gas, is among the greatest potential factors for environmental degradation. Thus, a new scenario of the oil industry appears requiring improvement in treatment units for produced water. Among the technological improvements in the facilities, the use of hydrocyclones has been applied in the treatment of the oily water. In this sense, this study aims to investigate numerically the separation process of heavy oil from a water stream via hydrocyclone, using the computational fluid dynamics technique. In the mathematical modeling was considered a two-phase, three-dimensional, stationary, isothermal and turbulent flow. Results of streamlines, pressure and volume fraction fields of the involved phases (oil and water into the hydrocyclone, and mechanical efficiency and pumping power of the fluids are shown and analyzed. In conclusion, it seems that with increasing fluid input velocity in the device there is an increase in pressure drop, indicating a greater pumping energy consumption of the mixture, and greatly influences the separation process efficiency.

Inspired by Stenocara Beetles: From Water Collection to High-Efficiency Water-in-Oil Emulsion Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Xinjuan; Qian, Long; Yuan, Xianxia; Zhou, Cailong; Li, Zhaowen; Cheng, Jiang; Xu, Shouping; Wang, Shuangfeng; Pi, Pihui; Wen, Xiufang

2017-01-24

Inspired by the water-collecting mechanism of the Stenocara beetle's back structure, we prepared a superhydrophilic bumps-superhydrophobic/superoleophilic stainless steel mesh (SBS-SSM) filter via a facile and environmentally friendly method. Specifically, hydrophilic silica microparticles are assembled on the as-cleaned stainless steel mesh surface, followed by further spin-coating with a fluoropolymer/SiO 2 nanoparticle solution. On the special surface of SBS-SSM, attributed to the steep surface energy gradient, the superhydrophilic bumps (hydrophilic silica microparticles) are able to capture emulsified water droplets and collect water from the emulsion even when their size is smaller than the pore size of the stainless steel mesh. The oil portion of the water-in-oil emulsion therefore permeates through pores of the superhydrophobic/superoleophilic mesh coating freely and gets purified. We demonstrated an oil recovery purity up to 99.95 wt % for surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions on the biomimetic SBS-SSM filter, which is superior to that of the traditional superhydrophobic/superoleophilic stainless steel mesh (S-SSM) filter lacking the superhydrophilic bump structure. Together with a facile and environmentally friendly coating strategy, this tool shows great application potential for water-in-oil emulsion separation and oil purification.

Robust and durable superhydrophobic fabrics fabricated via simple Cu nanoparticles deposition route and its application in oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jintao; Wang, Hongfei

2017-06-15

The exploitation of separation materials with high selectivity for oil pollutants is of great importance due to severe environmental damage from oil spillages and industrial discharge of oils. A facile in situ growth process for creating superhydrophobic-superoleophilic fabrics for oil-water separation is developed. This proposed method is based mainly on the deposition Cu nanoparticles and subsequent hydrophobic modification. Compared with the hydrophilicity of original fabric, the water contact angle of the modified fabric rises to 154.5°, suggesting its superhydrophobicity. The as-prepared fabrics also exhibit wonderful oil-water selectivity, excellent recyclability, and high separation efficiency (>94.5%). Especially, via pumping the fabric rolled into a multilayered tube, various types of oils on water surface can be continuously separated in situ without any water uptake. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic fabrics show excellent superhydrophobic stability, and can resist different chemicals, such as salty, acidic, and alkaline solutions, oils, and hot water. After the abrasion of 400cycles, the broken fabric still possesses highly hydrophobicity with water contact angle of 145°. Therefore, due to simple fabrication steps, low cost, and scalable process, the as-prepared fabrics can be applied in the separation of oils and other organic solvents from water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation of water and oil by poly (acrylic acid)-coated stainless steel mesh prepared by radiation crosslinking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jung Woong; Park, Jong Seok; Lim, Young Mook; Jeun, Joon Pyo; Kang, Phil Hyun [Research Division for Industry and Environment, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

The stainless steel mesh coated with poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel was fabricated and applied for the separation of water and oil. The stainless steel mesh was immersed in aqueous poly (acrylic acid) solution, and then irradiated by radiation to introduce poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel on the surface of mesh by crosslinking. It was possible to separate oil and water from mixtures of oil/water effectively using the hydrogel-coated mesh. The effect of irradiation dose, coating thickness, size of mesh on the separation efficiency was examined.

OPTIMIZATION OF DEMULSIFIER FORMULATION FOR SEPARATION OF WATER FROM CRUDE OIL EMULSIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Hajivand

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract In this study, various water-soluble and oil-soluble demulsifiers were selected for separation of water from crude oil emulsions and their productivity measured using the Bottle-test method at 70 °C and 10 ppm concentration. The best ones among 23 demulsifiers examined through the screening process were fatty alcohol ethoxylate, triethanol amine and urea from the water-soluble group and Basororol E2032, Basorol PDB 9935 and TOMAC from the oil-soluble category. Furthermore, the present study investigated the factors effective for demulsification such as temperature, concentration, pH, salinity and modifiers. It was found that the separation improves with increasing demulsifier concentration, increasing salt content, increasing temperature up to 80 °C, keeping the pH values between 5-9. Adding solvent modifiers proved unnecessary. Two formulations were prepared based on suggested optimal concentrations of demulsifier content by experimental design using Qualitec 4 and these proved to be highly effective in treating real and synthetic emulsions.

Operations and maintenance manual for the water/oil separator (F-2014)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, R.M.

1996-01-01

This Document Provides Operating, Maintenance and Spare Part Information for the Ultra Aqua UFA-6 Water/Oil Separator Installed at MASF. (The plant has been designed for processing of condensates from air compressors.)

Fabrication of a novel superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface by one-step electrodeposition method for continuous oil/water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Meisu; Jiang, Meihuizi; Zhang, Yanzong; Liu, Yan; Shen, Fei; Yang, Gang; He, Yan; Wang, Lilin; Zhang, Xiaohong; Deng, Shihuai

2018-03-01

A novel superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface was fabricated by one-step electrodeposition on stainless steel meshes, and the durability and oil/water separation properties were assessed. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and optical contact angle measurements were used to characterize surface morphologies, chemical compositions, and wettabilities, respectively. The results indicated that the as-prepared mesh preformed excellent superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity with a high water contact angle (WCA) of 162 ± 1° and oil contact angle of (OCA) 0°. Meanwhile, the as-prepared mesh also exhibited continuous separation capacity of many kinds of oil/water mixtures, and the separation efficiency for lubrication oil/water mixture was about 98.6%. In addition, after 10 separation cycles, the as-prepared mesh possessed the WCAs of 155 ± 2°, the OCAs of 0° and the separation efficiency of 97.8% for lubrication oil/water mixtures. The as-prepared mesh also retained superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties after abrading, immersing in salt solutions and different pH solutions.

In-Line Oil-Water Separation in Swirling Flow (USB stick)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slot, J.J.; van Campen, L.J.A.M.; Hoeijmakers, Hendrik Willem Marie; Mudde, R.F.; Johansen, S.T.

2011-01-01

An in-line oil-water separator has been designed and is investigated for single- and two-phase flow. Numerical single-phase flow results show an annular reversed flow region. This flow pattern agrees qualitatively with results from measurements. In the two-phase flow simulations two different drag

Effective preparation of magnetic superhydrophobic Fe3O4/PU sponge for oil-water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zeng-Tian; Lin, Bo; Jiang, Li-Wang; Lin, En-Chao; Chen, Jian; Zhang, Shi-Jie; Tang, Yi-Wen; He, Fu-An; Li, De-Hao

2018-01-01

Fe3O4 nanoparticles were modified by tetraethoxysilane and different amounts of trimethoxy (1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl) silane in sequence to obtain the magnetic nanoparticles with low surface energy, which could be used to construct the superhydrophobic surfaces for PU sponge, cotton fabric, and filter paper by a simple drop-coating method. Particularly, all the resultant Fe3O4/PU sponges containing different fluoroalkylsilane-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles possessed both high water repellency with contact angle in the range of 150.2-154.7° and good oil affinity, which could not only effectively remove oil from water followed by convenient magnetic recovery but also easily realize the oil-water separation as a filter only driven by gravity. The Fe3O4/PU sponges showed high absorption capability of peanut oil, pump oil, and silicone oil with the maximum absorptive capacities of 40.3, 39.3, and 46.3 g/g, respectively. Such novel sponges might be a potential candidate for oil-water separation as well as oil absorption and transportation accompanied by the advantages of simple process, remote control by magnetic field, and low energy consumption.

Superhydrophobicity construction with dye-sensitised TiO2 on fabric surface for both oil/water separation and water bulk contaminants purification

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Linfeng; Zhang, Shengmiao; Zhang, Meng; Chen, Jianding

2017-12-01

For the promising material for both oil/water separation and water-soluble contaminants, the Dye@TiO2-TEOS/VTEO hybrid modified polyester fabric is developed by a simple dip-coating process, which combines Dye-sensitised TiO2 with silicon contained superhydrophobic coating to guarantee the long-term stability of Dye-sensitised TiO2 system as well as material's sustainability. The modified fabric possesses selective oil/water seperation properties towards water and oil, besides, mechanical, acid and alkali durability shows this material's appropriate performance on oil/water separation. UV-Vis absorption spectrum reveals the Dye 4-(2H-imidazol-2-ylazo) benzoic acid could sensitize the semiconductor TiO2 for visible light catalytic organic pollutant degradation that is also confirmed by methylene blue degradation experiment. Density Functional calculation (DFT) witnesses that HOMO, HOMO-1 of Dye contributed by oxygen bonding to TiO2 can insert into TiO2 band gap and result in low energy electron excitation. The ability of oil/water separation and water-soluble contaminants purification provides the material opportunity to practical applications in environmental restoration and human life.

Facile Preparation of Nanostructured, Superhydrophobic Filter Paper for Efficient Water/Oil Separation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhua Wang

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a facile and cost-effective method to obtain superhydrophobic filter paper and demonstrate its application for efficient water/oil separation. By coupling structurally distinct organosilane precursors (e.g., octadecyltrichlorosilane and methyltrichlorosilane to paper fibers under controlled reaction conditions, we have formulated a simple, inexpensive, and efficient protocol to achieve a desirable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface on conventional filter paper. The silanized superhydrophobic filter paper showed nanostructured morphology and demonstrated great separation efficiency (up to 99.4% for water/oil mixtures. The modified filter paper is stable in both aqueous solutions and organic solvents, and can be reused multiple times. The present study shows that our newly developed binary silanization is a promising method of modifying cellulose-based materials for practical applications, in particular the treatment of industrial waste water and ecosystem recovery.

Novel nanocomposite Kevlar fabric membranes: Fabrication characterization, and performance in oil/water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Karimnezhad, Hanieh; Rajabi, Laleh; Salehi, Ehsan; Derakhshan, Ali Ashraf; Azimi, Sara

2014-02-01

Nanocomposite membranes with hydrophilic surface were fabricated for separation of oil (n-hexane) from oil/water emulsion. Three different nanomaterials namely, para-aminobenzoate alumoxane (PAB-A), boehmite-epoxide and polycitrate alumoxane (PC-A) were coated on the Kevlar fabric (support), according to a three-step dip-coating protocol. FTIR, SEM, TEM, UV/vis spectrophotometer, and wettability analyses were used to characterize the composite membranes. The three coating layers interacted chemically with one another and also physically with the Kevlar fabric. Water uptake measurements indicated that the membrane is a hydrophilic one. SEM and TEM analyses showed the smooth surface of the composite membrane and three-dimensional dendrimeric hyper-branched structure of (PC-A), respectively. A dead-end filtration setup was applied to test the membranes performance under natural gravity force. Effect of pH as an important variable affecting separation process was investigated with the neutral pH provided the optimum condition for the separation. Oil rejection and permeate fluxes were also monitored. The optimum flux and rejection obtained, were 7392 (Lm-2 h-1) and 89.06% at pH 7, respectively. Fouling occurred as a gel layer on the membrane surface. The deposited oil droplets on the surface of the membrane were successfully washed away with satisfactory permeate flux recovery (FRR = 88.88% at neutral pH), using hot distilled water and acidic solution as eluents.

Application of thin film composite membranes with forward osmosis technology for the separation of emulsified oil-water

KAUST Repository

Duong, Hoang Hanh Phuoc; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2014-01-01

Large amounts of oily wastewater have been produced from various industries. The main challenge of oily wastewater treatments is to separate the stable emulsified oil particles from water. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of forward osmosis (FO) processes to treat the stable oil-water emulsions. The FO technique has been demonstrated successfully for the treatment of a wide range of oil-water emulsions from a low to a very high concentration up to 200,000. ppm. The dependence of separation performance on oily feed concentration and flow rate has been investigated. Water can be separated from oily feeds containing 500. ppm or 200,000. ppm emulsified oil at a relatively high flux of 16.5±1.2. LMH or 11.8±1.6. LMH respectively by using a thin film composite membrane PAN-TFC and 1. M NaCl as the draw solution. Moreover, this membrane can achieve an oil rejection of 99.88% to produce water with a negligible oil level. Due to the presence of emulsified oil particles in the oily feed solutions, the membrane fouling has been addressed in this study. Better anti-fouling TFC FO membranes are needed. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Application of thin film composite membranes with forward osmosis technology for the separation of emulsified oil-water

KAUST Repository

Duong, Hoang Hanh Phuoc

2014-02-01

Large amounts of oily wastewater have been produced from various industries. The main challenge of oily wastewater treatments is to separate the stable emulsified oil particles from water. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of forward osmosis (FO) processes to treat the stable oil-water emulsions. The FO technique has been demonstrated successfully for the treatment of a wide range of oil-water emulsions from a low to a very high concentration up to 200,000. ppm. The dependence of separation performance on oily feed concentration and flow rate has been investigated. Water can be separated from oily feeds containing 500. ppm or 200,000. ppm emulsified oil at a relatively high flux of 16.5±1.2. LMH or 11.8±1.6. LMH respectively by using a thin film composite membrane PAN-TFC and 1. M NaCl as the draw solution. Moreover, this membrane can achieve an oil rejection of 99.88% to produce water with a negligible oil level. Due to the presence of emulsified oil particles in the oily feed solutions, the membrane fouling has been addressed in this study. Better anti-fouling TFC FO membranes are needed. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Wet separation processes as method to separate limestone and oil shale

Science.gov (United States)

Nurme, Martin; Karu, Veiko

2015-04-01

Biggest oil shale industry is located in Estonia. Oil shale usage is mainly for electricity generation, shale oil generation and cement production. All these processes need certain quality oil shale. Oil shale seam have interlayer limestone layers. To use oil shale in production, it is needed to separate oil shale and limestone. A key challenge is find separation process when we can get the best quality for all product types. In oil shale separation typically has been used heavy media separation process. There are tested also different types of separation processes before: wet separation, pneumatic separation. Now oil shale industry moves more to oil production and this needs innovation methods for separation to ensure fuel quality and the changes in quality. The pilot unit test with Allmineral ALLJIG have pointed out that the suitable new innovation way for oil shale separation can be wet separation with gravity, where material by pulsating water forming layers of grains according to their density and subsequently separates the heavy material (limestone) from the stratified material (oil shale)bed. Main aim of this research is to find the suitable separation process for oil shale, that the products have highest quality. The expected results can be used also for developing separation processes for phosphorite rock or all others, where traditional separation processes doesn't work property. This research is part of the study Sustainable and environmentally acceptable Oil shale mining No. 3.2.0501.11-0025 http://mi.ttu.ee/etp and the project B36 Extraction and processing of rock with selective methods - http://mi.ttu.ee/separation; http://mi.ttu.ee/miningwaste/

The Janus effect on superhydrophilic Cu mesh decorated with Ni-NiO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles for oil/water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Zhi-Yong; Lyu, Shu-Shen; Fu, Yuan-Xiang; Heng, Yi; Mo, Dong-Chuan

2017-07-01

Janus effect has been studied for emerging materials like Janus membranes, Janus nanoparticles, etc., and the applications including fog collection, oil/water separation, CO2 removal and stabilization of multiphasic mixtures. However, the Janus effect on oil/water separation is still unclear. Herein, Janus Cu mesh decorated with Ni-NiO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles is synthesized via selective electrodeposition, in which we keep one side of Cu mesh (Janus A) to be superhydrophilic, while manipulate the wettability of another side (Janus B) from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. Experimental results indicate that Cu mesh with both-side superhydrophilic shows the superior oil/water separation performance (separation efficiency >99.5%), which is mainly due to its higher water capture percentage as well as larger oil intrusion pressure. Further, we demonstrate the orientation of Janus membranes for oil/water separation, and summarize that the wettability of the upper surface plays a more important role than the lower surface to achieve remarkable performance. Our work provides a clear insight of Janus effect on oil/water separation, it is significative to design high-performance membranes for oil/water separation and many other applications.

Process for separating and recovering oil from oil-sands, etc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preller, H

1921-02-24

A process for separating and recovering oil from oil-sands, bitumen from oil-chalk, oil-shale, and coal, according to Patent 400,122, is described. It is characterized in that the mined material falling on account of its weight is exposed to the running hot water in circulation through the wash-chamber and the clarifying chamber arranged separate or built on (circulation) being obtained by pumps or injectors in a regulatable motion.

Superhydrophobic silica wool—a facile route to separating oil and hydrophobic solvents from water

Science.gov (United States)

Crick, Colin R.; Bhachu, Davinder S.; Parkin, Ivan P.

2014-12-01

Silica microfiber wool was systematically functionalized in order to provide an extremely water repellent and oleophilic material. This was carried out using a two-step functionalization that was shown to be a highly effective method for generating an intense water repulsion and attraction for oil. A demonstration of the silica wools application is shown through the highly efficient separation of oils and hydrophobic solvents from water. Water is confined to the extremities of the material, while oil is absorbed into the voids within the wool. The effect of surface functionalization is monitored though observing the interaction of the material with both oils and water, in addition to scanning electron microscope images, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The material can be readily utilized in many applications, including the cleaning of oil spills and filtering during industrial processes, as well as further water purification tasks—while not suffering the losses of efficiency observed in current leading polymeric materials.

Preparation and characterization of thermo- and pH dual-responsive 3D cellulose-based aerogel for oil/water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Linyan; Li, Lian; Wang, Yixi; Wu, Jianning; Meng, Guihua; Liu, Zhiyong; Guo, Xuhong

2018-01-01

Oily wastewater caused by industrial production and crude oil leakage has attracted worldwide attention. Here, a thermo- and pH dual-responsive biodegradable cellulose-based aerogel for oil-water separation was designed and prepared via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of non-fluorine-containing 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). The cellulose-based aerogel exhibit switchable superhydrophilicity with a water contact angle (WCA) of 0° and hydrophobicity (WCA 130°) by modulating pH or temperature. The functionalized cellulose-based aerogels could be used to absorb the water under 60 °C (pH 7.0) and pH is 1.0 (T = 25 °C), while absorb oil underwater when the temperature is above 60 °C (pH 7.0) or pH is 13.0 (T = 25 °C). So this adsorbent were suitable for the separation of water-rich or oil-rich oil/water mixtures, and it could adsorb oil over ten times its own weight, and had a good reusability. What's more, the cellulose-based aerogel is green, low cost, and environmental friendly, which makes it a promising candidate to be used for oil-water separation.

A Scalable Method toward Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic PVDF Membranes for Effective Oil/Water Emulsion Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Tao; Meng, Jianqiang; Hao, Tingyu; Wang, Zihong; Zhang, Yufeng

2015-07-15

A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF membrane (PVDFAH) has been prepared by surface-coating of a hydrogel onto the membrane surface, and its superior performance for oil/water emulsion separation has been demonstrated. The coated hydrogel was constructed by an interfacial polymerization based on the thiol-epoxy reaction of pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP) with diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and simultaneously tethered on an alkaline-treated commercial PVDF membrane surface via the thio-ene reaction. The PVDFAH membranes can be fabricated in a few minutes under mild conditions and show superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties for a series of organic solvents. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis shows that the hydrogel coating was efficient throughout the pore lumen. The membrane shows superior oil/water emulsion separation performance, including high water permeation, quantitative oil rejection, and robust antifouling performance in a series oil/water emulsions, including that prepared from crude oil. In addition, a 24 h Soxhlet-extraction experiment with ethanol/water solution (50:50, v/v) was conducted to test the tethered hydrogel stability. We see that the membrane maintained the water contact angle below 5°, indicating the covalent tethering stability. This technique shows great promise for scalable fabrication of membrane materials for handling practical oil emulsion purification.

Separation of oil and grease from oil sludge using surfactant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ainon Abdul Aziz; Syed Hakimi Sakuma Syed Ahmad; Zalina Laili

2005-01-01

The objective of the experiments was to observe the efficiency of the surfactant to remove oil and grease from oil sludges using various surfactant concentration ranging from 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 30 %. The surfactant solution consists of two mixtures of Aqua 2000 and D Bond. The oil sludge were subjected to heating and surfactant treatment process. Remaining oil and grease concentration were observed on the oil sludges after treatment. Small scale experiments were conducted by heating process, without heating process and heating process with addition of sodium chloride. Surfactant solution was added in each process. Results shows that there is separation of oil and grease from the oil sludges. There were formation of mini emulsions (oil in water). The higher the concentration of surfactant used, the higher the concentrations of mini emulsion formed as observed. Solid remains after the treatment process were found to contain lesser oil concentration with presence of bitumen, sediment, organic and inorganic materials. After a washing process using distilled water, the solid was still black but less oily than before the treatment. There is no separation of oil occurred in aqueous solution for the control experiment. (Author)

Fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton textiles for water-oil separation based on drop-coating route.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ming; Wang, Chengyu; Wang, Shuliang; Li, Jian

2013-08-14

In the present study, we are so excited to report a simple drop-coating method for fabricating the superhydrophobic cotton textiles which can remove the water in oil (or the oil in water). It is confirmed that the superhydrophobic composite thin film containing modified-ZnO nanoparticles and polystyren (PS) has been successfully fabricated on the cotton textiles surface by a single-step procedure, and the superhydrophobic cotton textiles displays an excellent property in water-oil separation which is rarely put forward and studied. The static water contact angle on the superhydrophobic cotton sample surface arranges from 153° to 155°, and stays almost the same after exposure to ambient air or immersion in the corrosive liquids and oil, indicating the considerable range of potential applications for the superhydrophobic cotton textiles fabricated by this simple method. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technology of ceramic and polymeric membranes for oil/water separation; Tecnologia de membranas ceramicas e polimericas para separacao oleo/agua

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, A.A; Souto, K.M; Silva, Adriano A.; Lira, H.L.; Carvalho, L.H.; Costa, A.C.F.M. [Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), PB (Brazil)

2004-07-01

In last years, separation techniques by membranes and membranes grew of a laboratory simple tool for an industrial process with a considerable technical and commercial impact. Today, membranes have been being widely used in the treatment of the oily/water, because they offer chemical, thermal resistance and resistance the pressure for a wide variety of alimentation terms. Membrane can be defined as a barrier that separates two phases and that restricts, total or partially, the transportation of one or several present chemical species in the phases. The morphology of the membrane and nature of the material that constitutes are some characteristics that are going to define application kind. The ideal structure for these filters is the asymmetric, formed by one or more layers of different pores size, with gradual reduction of the pores size, when approaches the side filtrate. Having in mind that the environmental legislations more process with membranes offers a new option to face these challenges. The membranes typically used in the oil and water separation act as a barrier for the emulsified oil and solubilization. In the petroleum production and refined oil water mixed with oil is prosecuted in great volumes in lots of processes, this mixture should be treated to separate the oil of water before it can return to the environment or even to be reused in the process. This review aims relate studies done with ceramic and polymeric membranes using a separation oil/water system mounted in laboratory scale in UFCG/CCT/ANP/PHH25. The results show that filtration membranes, micro filtration and ultrafiltration were very effective in oil/water separation. (author)

Evaluation of the permeability of microporous membranes polyamide 6 / clay bentonite for water-oil separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medeiros, P.S.S.; Medeiros, K.M.; Araujo, E.M.; Lira, H.L.

2014-01-01

The petroleum refining industries have faced major problems in relation to the treatment of their effluents before disposal into the environment. Among the conventional technologies treatment of these effluents, the process of oil-water separation by means of membranes has been extensively used, for having enormous potentiality. Therefore, in this study, hybrid membranes of polyamide 6/ bentonite clay were produced by the technique of phase inversion and by precipitation of the solution from the nanocomposites obtained by melt intercalation. The clay was organically modified with the quaternary ammonium salt (Cetremide®). The nanocomposites were obtained from (PA6) with untreated (AST) and treated clay (ACT), which were subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Already membranes were characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow measurements. From the XRD results, it was observed an exfoliated and/or partially exfoliated structure for the nanocomposites and for the membranes. From SEM images it was observed that the presence of AST and ACT clays in the polymeric matrix caused changes in membrane morphology and pore formation. The flow with distilled water in the membranes showed a decrease initially and then followed by stability. All membranes tested in the process of separating emulsions of oil in water, particularly those of nanocomposites obtained a significant reduction of oil concentration in the permeate, thus showing that these membranes have a great potential to be applied to the water-oil separation. (author)

Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Superhydrophobic Surfaces on Steel Substrate: Fabrication, Reversibly Extreme Wettability and Oil-Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiaojing; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun; Zhang, Lin; Liang, Tao; Feng, Yuchun; Zeng, Xingrong

2017-01-25

Functional surfaces for reversibly switchable wettability and oil-water separation have attracted much interest with pushing forward an immense influence on fundamental research and industrial application in recent years. This article proposed a facile method to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces on steel substrates via electroless replacement deposition of copper sulfate (CuSO 4 ) and UV curing of vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). PDMS-based superhydrophobic surfaces exhibited water contact angle (WCA) close to 160° and water sliding angle (WSA) lower than 5°, preserving outstanding chemical stability that maintained superhydrophobicity immersing in different aqueous solutions with pH values from 1 to 13 for 12 h. Interestingly, the superhydrophobic surface could dramatically switch to the superhydrophilic state under UV irradiation and then gradually recover to the highly hydrophobic state with WCA at 140° after dark storage. The underlying mechanism was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Additionally, the PDMS-based steel mesh possessed high separation efficiency and excellent reusability in oil-water separation. Our studies provide a simple, fast, and economical fabrication method for wettability-transformable superhydrophobic surfaces and have the potential applications in microfluidics, the biomedical field, and oil spill cleanup.

Process for separating and recovering oil from oil-sands, etc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preller, H

1920-07-14

A process for separating and recovering oil from oil-sands, bitumen from oil-chalk, oil shale, and coal is characterized in that the material to be separated feeds, by a self-acting feeding arrangement, to a system with slowly rotating drums alternating in different directions and thereby it is exposed to the action of hot water running opposite to the rotation, direction of the drum, with addition of extraction-medium, so that the light material is washed out and rises to the top. It is carried off, while the heavy material sinks to the bottom and, by bucket-conveyor is removed.

Simple and fast fabrication of superhydrophobic metal wire mesh for efficiently gravity-driven oil/water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Botao

2016-12-15

Superhydrophobic metal wire mesh (SMWM) has frequently been applied for the selective and efficient separation of oil/water mixture due to its porous structure and special wettability. However, current methods for the modification of metal wire mesh to be superhydrophobic suffered from problems with respect to complex experimental procedures or time-consuming process. In this study, a very simple, time-saving and single-step electrospray method was proposed to fabricate SMWM and the whole procedure required about only 2min. The morphology, surface composition and wettability of the SMWM were all evaluated, and the oil/water separation ability was further investigated. In addition, a commercial available sponge covered with SMWM was fabricated as an oil adsorbent for the purpose of oil recovery. This study demonstrated a convenient and fast method to modify the metal wire mesh to be superhydrophobic and such simple method might find practical applications in the large-scale removal of oils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facile way in fabricating a cotton fabric membrane for switchable oil/water separation and water purification

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yubin; Feng, Ziliang; He, Yi; Fan, Yi; Ma, Jing; Yin, Xiangying

2018-05-01

With dopamine and NiFe2O4 particles, a novel modified cotton fabric (PDA-NiFe2O4@CF) was prepared by one-pot method. Surface morphology, composition of the PDA-NiFe2O4@CF were investigated with SEM, EDX, XRD and FT-IR, respectively. According to the results, the cotton fiber surface was well coated with NiFe2O4 particles. Subsequently, wetting behavior of the modified cotton fabric was determined. The PDA-NiFe2O4@CF is superamphiphilic in air, and a dual lyophobic behavior was indicated with an oil contact angle (OCA) of 153° under water and a water contact angle (WCA) of 145° under oil. The rough micro-nano scale surface structure and high-surface-energy compositions of the PDA-NiFe2O4@CF makes the surface to be easily covered by one medium and enables it to repel other unmixable medium simultaneously. Therefore, water-oil mixtures can be separated on demand. Besides, with the unusual dual lyophobic surface of PDA-NiFe2O4@CF, both two types of emulsions were separated by gravity driven. On the other hand, it was also found that the as-prepared PDA-NiFe2O4@CF had good adsorption performance for methylene blue.

Flexible Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic MoS2 Sponge for Highly Efficient Oil-Water Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiaojia; Wang, Xiufeng; Ouyang, Xiaoping; Wen, Cuie

2016-01-01

Removal of oils and organic solvents from water is an important global challenge for energy conservation and environmental protection. Advanced sorbent materials with excellent sorption capacity need to be developed. Here we report on a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic MoS2 nanosheet sponge (SMS) for highly efficient separation and absorption of oils or organic solvents from water. This novel sponge exhibits excellent absorption performance through a combination of superhydrophobicity, high porosity, robust stability in harsh conditions (including flame retardance and inertness to corrosive and different temperature environments) and excellent mechanical properties. The dip-coating strategy proposed for the fabrication of the SMS, which does not require a complicated process or sophisticated equipment, is very straightforward and easy to scale up. This finding shows promise for water remediation and oil recovery. PMID:27272562

Green technological approach to synthesis hydrophobic stable crystalline calcite particles with one-pot synthesis for oil-water separation during oil spill cleanup.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Min-Nan; Maity, Jyoti Prakash; Bundschuh, Jochen; Li, Che-Feng; Lee, Chin-Rong; Hsu, Chun-Mei; Lee, Wen-Chien; Huang, Chung-Ho; Chen, Chien-Yen

2017-10-15

The process of separating oil and water from oil/water mixtures is an attractive strategy to answer the menace caused by industrial oil spills and oily wastewater. In addition, water coproduced during hydrocarbon exploitation, which can be an economic burden and risk for freshwater resources, can become an important freshwater source after suitable water-oil separation. For oil-water separation purposes, considerable attention has been paid to the preparation of hydrophobic-oleophilic materials with modified surface roughness. However, due to issues of thermodynamic instability, costly and complex methods as well as lack of ecofriendly compounds, most of hydrophobic surface modified particles are of limited practical application. The study presents a facile procedure, to synthesize crystalline particles of calcite, which is the most stable polymorph of CaCO 3 from industrial CaCO 3 using oleic acid as an additive in a one-pot synthesis method. The XRD results show that the synthesized particles were a well-crystallized form of calcite. The FTIR results reflect the appearance of the alkyl groups from the oleic acid in synthesized particles which promotes the production of calcite with 'rice shape' (1.64 μm) (aggregated by spherical nanoparticle of 19.56 nm) morphology with concomitant changes in its surface wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The synthesized particles exhibited near to super hydrophobicity with ∼99% active ratio and a contact angle of 143.8°. The synthesized hydrophobic calcite particles had an oleophilic nature where waste diesel oil adsorption capacity of synthesized calcium carbonate (HCF) showed a very high (>99%) and fast (7 s) oil removal from oil-water mixture. The functional group of long alkyl chain including of CO bounds may play critical roles for adsorption of diesel oils. Moreover, the thermodynamically stable crystalline polymorph calcite (compared to vaterite) exhibited excellent recyclability. The isothermal study

The effect of oil and gas content on the controllability and separation in a de-oiling hydrocyclone

OpenAIRE

Belaidi, Hafid

2003-01-01

The effect of free gas on cyclonic oil-water separation was examined using a geometry which sought to minimise problems with gas. Tests were carried out using the purpose built oil-water separation facility at Bradford University where pre-choke conditions could be partially simulated. Firstly, tests were carried out with water and gas-water to look at flow behaviour and control parameters, then comparative tests carried out with gas-oil-water. Comparisons were also made with tests data from ...

An Underwater Superoleophobic Sepiolite Fibrous Membrane (SFM) for Oil­‐in­‐water Emulsion Separation

KAUST Repository

Yao, Pinjiang

2014-12-01

Separating oil/water emulsions is significant for the ecosystem and the petroleum and processing industry. To this end, we prepared an underwater superoleophobic membrane inspired by unique wettability of the fish scales. This membrane was fabricated by a facile vacuum filtration process of sepiolite nanofibers and chitosan, and after the cross-linking via glutaraldehyde, a self-standing membrane was obtained. The as-prepared membrane exhibited excellent capability of separating both the surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high efficiency. This sepiolite fibrous membrane offers a convenient, reliable and efficient way for the large-scale de-emulsification process.

Separating cresote from tars, mineral oils, etc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdmann, E

1921-01-07

Phenolic bodies are extracted from tars such as lignite, shale, peat, coal, producer and low temperature tars, and from tar distillates and residues and from mineral oils and distillates by washing with a mixture of acetone and water. Acetone extracts of the tars etc., may be mixed with water or aqueous acetone to cause the separation of the oils, while the creosote remains in solution.

Novel fabrication of a robust superhydrophobic PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge and its application in oil-water separations.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Viet-Ha Thi; Lee, Byeong-Kyu

2017-12-13

We report a novel superhydrophobic material based on commercially available polyurethane (PU) sponge with high porosity, low density and good elasticity. The fabrication of a superhydrophobic sponge capable of efficiently separating oil from water was achieved by imitating or mimicking nature's designs. The original PU sponge was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO), stearic acid (SA) and iron oxide particles (Fe 3 O 4 ) via a facile and environmentally friendly method. After each treatment, the properties of the modified sponge were characterized, and the changes in wettability were examined. Water contact angle (WCA) measurements confirmed the excellent superhydrophobicity of the material withhigh static WCA of 161° andlow dynamic WCA (sliding WCA of 7° and shedding WCA of 8°). The fabricated sponge showed high efficiency in separation (over 99%) of different oils from water. Additionally, the fabricated PU@ZnO@Fe 3 O 4 @SA sponge could be magnetically guided to quickly absorb oil floating on the water surface. Moreover, the fabricated sponge showed excellent stability and reusability in terms of superhydrophobicity and oil absorption capacity. The durable, magnetic and superhydrophobic properties of the fabricated sponge render it applicable to the cleanup of marine oil spills and other oil-water separation issues, with eco-friendly recovery of the oil by simple squeezing process.

An in situ polymerization approach for the synthesis of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes for oil-water separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Yanwei; Si, Yang; Raza, Aikifa; Yang, Liping; Mao, Xue; Ding, Bin; Yu, Jianyong

2012-12-21

Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes exhibiting robust oil-water separation performance were prepared by a facile combination of electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers and a novel in situ polymerized fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F-PBZ) functional layer that incorporated silica nanoparticles (SiO(2) NPs). By employing the F-PBZ/SiO(2) NPs modification, the pristine hydrophilic CA nanofibrous membranes were endowed with a superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 161° and a superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 3°. Surface morphological studies have indicated that the wettability of resultant membranes could be manipulated by tuning the surface composition as well as the hierarchical structures. The quantitative hierarchical roughness analysis using the N(2) adsorption method has confirmed the major contribution of SiO(2) NPs on enhancing the porous structure, and a detailed correlation between roughness and solid-liquid interface pinning is proposed. Furthermore, the as-prepared membranes exhibited fast and efficient separation for oil-water mixtures and excellent stability over a wide range of pH conditions, which would make them a good candidate in industrial oil-polluted water treatments and oil spill cleanup, and also provided a new insight into the design and development of functional nanofibrous membranes through F-PBZ modification.

Giant jem wing skimmer and separator for oil and other floating materials, liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, D.G.

1991-01-01

A skimmer and separation process are provided for cleaning oil spills, in which both water and oil can be handled in large amounts. One version of the skimmer is designed for attachment to a ship and includes a floating winglike body for skimming oil comprising flotation tanks, a water passage for minimizing buildup of water in front of the skimmer, vacuum chambers and screens for receiving overflowing oil and water, vacuum pipes for oil and water transfer to a distribution tank, a deflector shield to keep oil and water in front of the skimmer, automatic control valves for flooding, emptying, and depth-setting of the skimmer, an operating platform and control center for observation and operation of the skimmer, a curved oilguiding plate to direct oil to the front of the skimmer, and a swivel attachment for providing free movement of the skimmer when attaching it to the ship's hull. A variant of this skimmer, without the oil-guiding plate and water passage, is provided for stationary operation in the case where oil must be skimmed from a water surface adjacent to a stationary leaking oil source. An associated overflow and separation system consists of pumps, transfer pipes, flotation vessels, separation equipment, and collector tanks. 13 figs

One-step fabrication of robust fabrics with both-faced superhydrophobicity for the separation and capture of oil from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian; Yan, Long; Zhao, Yuzhu; Zha, Fei; Wang, Qingtao; Lei, Ziqiang

2015-03-07

In this work, a facile and inexpensive one-step sonochemistry irradiation method was developed for the fabrication of SiO2 nanoparticles functionalized with octadecyltrimethoxysilane and their in situ incorporation into cotton fabrics. The double sides of as-prepared fabrics show both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties simultaneously with a high water contact angle of 159 ± 1° and an oil contact angle of 0°. Thus, it can be used to separate and capture a series of oils from water, like kerosene, toluene and chloroform, etc. In addition, the as-prepared fabrics still have superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of above 150° after 40 separation cycles with the separation efficiency for the kerosene-water mixture always above 94.6%. More importantly, the as-prepared fabrics showed robust and stable superhydrophobic properties towards hot water, many corrosive solutions (acidic, basic, salt liquids) and mechanical abrasion. Therefore, this reported fabric has the advantages of scalable fabrication, high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and excellent durability, exhibiting the strong potential for industrial production.

Highly efficient separation of surfactant stabilized water-in-oil emulsion based on surface energy gradient and flame retardancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Mengying; Peng, Shan; Deng, Wanshun; Miao, Xinrui; Wen, Ni; Zhou, Qiannan; Deng, Wenli

2018-06-15

Surface energy gradient would generate an imbalance force to drive tiny water droplets in dry air from the hydrophilic bumps to superhydrophobic domains, which has found on the Stenocara beetle's back. Inspired by this phenomenon, we introduced a pristine superhydrophilic filter paper on the lower surface energy superhydrophobic filter paper. ZnSn(OH) 6 particles and polydimethylsiloxane were mixed to prepare the superhydrophobic coating, and the coating was spray-coated on the poly(dialkyldimethylammonium chloride) covered filter paper to separate the span 80 stabilized water-in-isooctane emulsion. A pristine filter paper was added on the superhydrophobic filter paper to fabricate another membrane for separation. The results revealed that with a pristine filter paper, the membrane performed higher efficiency and more recyclability, and it could separate the emulsions with higher surfactant concentrations. The stabilized water droplets passed the superamphiphilic surface, and hindered by the superhydrophobic surface, generating a surface energy gradient for better separation. In addition, the superhydrophobic membrane could be protected from fire to some degree due to the introduced ZnSn(OH) 6 particles with excellent flame retardancy. This easy and efficient approach via simply bringing in pristine superhydrophilic membrane has great potential applications for water-in-oil emulsion separation or oil purification. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of Geometric Parameters of the Hydrocyclone and Sand Concentration on the Water/Sand/Heavy-Oil Separation Process: Modeling and Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F Farias

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the oil exploitation, produced fluids are composed of oil, gas, water and sand (depending on the reservoir location. The presence of sand in flow oil leads to several industrial problems for example: erosion and accumulation in valves and pipeline. Thus, it is necessary to stop production for manual cleaning of equipments and pipes. These facts have attracted attention of academic and industrial areas, enabling the appearing of new technologies or improvement of the water/oil/sand separation process. One equipment that has been used to promote phase separation is the hydrocyclone due to high performance of separation and required low cost to installation and maintenance. In this sense, the purpose of this work is to study numerically the effect of geometric parameters (vortex finder diameter of the hydrocyclone and sand concentration on the inlet fluid separation process. A numerical solution of the governing equations was obtained by the ANSYS CFX-11 commercial code. Results of the streamlines, pressure drop and separation efficiency on the hydrocyclone are presented and analyzed. It was observed that the particles concentration and geometry affect the separation efficiency of the hydrocyclone.

A flexible, robust and antifouling asymmetric membrane based on ultra-long ceramic/polymeric fibers for high-efficiency separation of oil/water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kui; Yiming, Wubulikasimu; Saththasivam, Jayaprakash; Liu, Zhaoyang

2017-07-06

Polymeric and ceramic asymmetric membranes have dominated commercial membranes for water treatment. However, polymeric membranes are prone to becoming fouled, while ceramic membranes are mechanically fragile. Here, we report a novel concept to develop asymmetric membranes based on ultra-long ceramic/polymeric fibers, with the combined merits of good mechanical stability, excellent fouling resistance and high oil/water selectivity, in order to meet the stringent requirements for practical oil/water separation. The ultra-long dimensions of ceramic nanofibers/polymeric microfibers endow this novel membrane with mechanical flexibility and robustness, due to the integrated and intertwined structure. This membrane is capable of separating oil/water emulsions with high oil-separation efficiency (99.9%), thanks to its nanoporous selective layer made of ceramic nanofibers. Further, this membrane also displays superior antifouling properties due to its underwater superoleophobicity and ultra-low oil adhesion of the ceramic-based selective layer. This membrane exhibits high water permeation flux (6.8 × 10 4 L m -2 h -1 bar -1 ) at low operation pressures, which is attributed to its 3-dimensional (3D) interconnected fiber-based structure throughout the membrane. In addition, the facile fabrication process and inexpensive materials required for this membrane suggest its significant potential for industrial applications.

Cellulose acetate-based SiO2/TiO2 hybrid microsphere composite aerogel films for water-in-oil emulsion separation

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xue; Ma, Jianjun; Ling, Jing; Li, Na; Wang, Di; Yue, Fan; Xu, Shimei

2018-03-01

The cellulose acetate (CA)/SiO2-TiO2 hybrid microsphere composite aerogel films were successfully fabricated via water vapor-induced phase inversion of CA solution and simultaneous hydrolysis/condensation of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) and tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) at room temperature. Micro-nano hierarchical structure was constructed on the surface of the film. The film could separate nano-sized surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions only under gravity. The flux of the film for the emulsion separation was up to 667 L m-2 h-1, while the separation efficiency was up to 99.99 wt%. Meanwhile, the film exhibited excellent stability during multiple cycles. Moreover, the film performed excellent photo-degradation performance under UV light due to the photocatalytic ability of TiO2. Facile preparation, good separation and potential biodegradation maked the CA/SiO2-TiO2 hybrid microsphere composite aerogel films a candidate in oil/water separation application.

Switchable nanoskin: separates the good oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middelberg, Anton; Dexter, Annette

2006-01-01

Most of us are familiar with detergents - or surfactants -from their uses around the home. However, these ubiquitous ''single-use'' chemicals have hardly changed in decades, and offer little control once added to a solution. We still cannot easily separate oil or fat from our domestic grey water because the same properties that make chemical surfactants so good at cleaning also make them extremely stable. In the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, we have developed a new class of bio-inspired surfactants that is challenging conventional thinking around surfactant-stabilised systems. Inspired by observing the properties of proteins that bind DNA, we have developed peptides that form a skin, only nanometres thick, at oil-water and air-water interfaces. The strength of this nano-material can be designed for a given h application, and also switched to zero through the addition of simple chemicals. Switching the skin off allows oil s and water to demix in seconds, offering y unprecedented control over surfactante based products and processes

Floated oil is separated and is recovered; Fujoyu wo bunri{center_dot}kaishu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

The Nisseki MITSUBISHI developed the separation of the oil of the oiliness cutting oil which arose by machine tools, etc. in Kowa Mtech and cooperation jointly with recovery equipment. The same equipment is made to be sales promotion tool of the lubricating oil in the name of [YUNI-CLEAN] and the sole agent sells the Nisseki MITSUBISHI. The price is opened. The result of using the same equipment for besides the recovery of contamination oil which accumulates in tanks such as the machine tool using water-soluble lubricating oil recovery of floated oil of oil separating tank of the waste water treatment process, etc.. (translated by NEDO)

Inorganic-Organic Thiol-ene Coated Mesh for Oil/Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qiyi; de Leon, Al; Advincula, Rigoberto C

2015-08-26

A highly efficient mesh for oil/water separation was fabricated by using a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic coating of thiol-ene hybrid, consisting of pentaerythritol tetra(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP), 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMTVSi), and hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles, via a simple two-step fabrication process. Spray deposition and UV curing photopolymerization were sequentially performed, during which solvent evaporation provides microscale roughness while nanoparticle aggregation forms nanoscale roughness. The hierarchical morphologies were stabilized after UV curing photopolymerization. High contact angle (>150°) and low roll-off angle (<5°) were achieved due to the multiscale roughness structure of the hierarchical morphologies. These coatings also have excellent chemical resistance, as well as temperature and pH stability, after curing.

Mild separation system for olive oil: quality evaluation and pilot plant design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Genovese

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The entire process of olive oil extraction involves the breakage of olive fruits to obtain a paste, the kneading of the paste, a centrifugation, and a further cleaning, performed by a disc stack centrifuge, to separate the residual water. In this research, in order to evaluate the effect of final centrifugal separation on olive oil quality and to both define and design the settings of a innovative separation system, olive oil was separated off from water using an accelerated separation process, tested in comparison with a disc centrifuge. The laboratory plant used for the trials was constituted by a twin cylindrical separator equipped with 4 variable frequency inverters, in order to regulate the fluid flow rates in the plant. Oil samples were collected during the trials to evaluate the influence of the proposed innovative process on oil quality; measuring some parameters as free acidity, peroxides (PV, specific extinction coefficients K232 and K270, chlorophylls , carotenoids, total polyphenols (POL and turbidity. Results showed statistically significant differences (p-values<0.05 in some parameters as POL, PV, and ultraviolet absorption K232 and K270.

Design of three-phase gravity separators for heavy oils; Projeto de separadores trifasicos para oleos pesados

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Rosivania P.; Bannwart, Antonio C. [Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP (Brazil); Carvalho, Carlos H.M. de [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2004-07-01

The primary processing of crude oil consists in the separation of oil, gas, water (and solids suspensions, if present), the conditioning of the hydrocarbons for transportation to the refinery, and the water treatment for re-use. With the discovery of significant fields of heavy oil in Brazil, whose densities are close to the density of water and viscosities are about hundreds to thousand times higher than the viscosity of water, the production and primary processing of this fluid with usual technology is not attractive and often unfeasible. It is well known that the demand from the majority of the refineries is that the quantity of water dispersion in the oil (BSW) is below 1%, so this work investigates the behavior of the water dispersion in heavy oil, causing an increase in viscosity and density. Therefore, this work intends to define strategies to efficiently separate these liquids, emphasizing the physical aspects of separation. Mathematica software was used for the equation modeling, which governs the horizontal separation vases dimensioning, allowing the observation of the influence of many variables on the separator dimensions. (author)

Modification of the process for separating and recovering oil from oil-sands, etc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preller, H

1922-08-30

A method of carrying out the process according to Patent 400,122 especially for washing oil or bitumen-bearing mineral materials contaminated with more or less clay, marl, and so forth is characterized in that the oil-bearing raw material is first washed in an opposing stream of warm water for separating the larger part of the oil and settling the larger part of the rock. At the same time the fine clay suspended during the washing operation to a large extent and the remaining rock particles, which are unbound from the oil, by means of a regulatable water stream for further washing are carried into a receptacle of greater cross section, where by the very slow rise of the liquid the finer oil particles find an opportunity to ascend.

Development of nanocomposites polyamide66/ bentonite clay membranes obtained by solution for water-oil separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medeiros, Keila Machado de

2010-01-01

Microporous membranes were obtained from nanocomposites polyamide66 and regional bentonite clay, through the technique of immersion precipitation. The nanocomposites were obtained by solution with a pre-established reaction time. The clay was treated with quaternary ammonium salt (Cetremide®) in order to make it organophilic. Untreated and treated clay were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry (TG), which confirmed the insertion of the Cetremide® salt in the layers of clay and their thermal stability. While the membranes were characterized by XRD, TG, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow measurements. The results of XRD, TG and DSC confirmed the thermal stability and morphological structure with intercalated/partially exfoliated lamellae of clay in the polymer matrix. By SEM, it was revealed an asymmetric morphology consisting of a skin layer and a porous sublayer. The higher clay content in the membrane give the lower film thickness. This influencing directly the flow measurements of the membranes produced from the nanocomposites. In general, the initial flow with distilled water through the membranes decrease and stabilise after 60 min, this due to a compression or swelling occurred in the membranes. In tests of water-oil separation it was found that the relationship J/J0 tends to be greater when using emulsions with lower concentration. The water-oil separation tests at concentrations of 300 and 500 ppm for all membranes showed a significant reduction in oil concentration in the permeate, thus showing that these membranes have potential for this application. (author)

Computational Flow Dynamic Simulation of Micro Flow Field Characteristics Drainage Device Used in the Process of Oil-Water Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangya Jin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aqueous crude oil often contains large amounts of produced water and heavy sediment, which seriously threats the safety of crude oil storage and transportation. Therefore, the proper design of crude oil tank drainage device is prerequisite for efficient purification of aqueous crude oil. In this work, the composition and physicochemical properties of crude oil samples were tested under the actual conditions encountered. Based on these data, an appropriate crude oil tank drainage device was developed using the principle of floating ball and multiphase flow. In addition, the flow field characteristics in the device were simulated and the contours and streamtraces of velocity magnitude at different nine moments were obtained. Meanwhile, the improvement of flow field characteristics after the addition of grids in crude oil tank drainage device was validated. These findings provide insights into the development of effective selection methods and serve as important references for oil-water separation process.

Mechanically durable underwater superoleophobic surfaces based on hydrophilic bulk metals for oil/water separation

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Huadong; Lian, Zhongxu; Xu, Jinkai; Wan, Yanling; Wang, Zuobin; Li, Yiquan; Yu, Zhanjiang; Weng, Zhankun

2018-04-01

Despite the success of previous methods for fabricating underwater superoleophobic surfaces, most of the surfaces based on soft materials are prone to collapse and deformation due to their mechanically fragile nature, and they fail to perform their designed functions after the surface materials are damaged in water. In this work, the nanosecond laser-induced oxide coatings on hydrophilic bulk metals are reported which overcomes the limitation and shows the robust underwater superoleophobicity to a mechanical challenge encountered by surfaces deployed in water environment. The results show that the surface materials have the advantage that the underwater superoleophobicity is still preserved after the surfaces are scratched by knife or sandpaper and even completely destroyed because of the hydrophilic property of damaged materials in water. It is important that the results provide a guide for the design of durable underwater superoleophobic surfaces, and the development of superoleophobic materials in many potential applications such as the oil-repellent and the oil/water separation. Additionally, the nanosecond laser technology is simple, cost-effective and suitable for the large-area and mass fabrication of mechanically durable underwater superoleophobic metal materials.

Dual-Functional Superhydrophobic Textiles with Asymmetric Roll-Down/Pinned States for Water Droplet Transportation and Oil-Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiaojing; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun; Zhang, Lin; Liao, Xiaofeng; Wang, Jing; Chen, Zhonghua; He, Jie; Zeng, Xingrong

2018-01-31

Superhydrophobic surfaces with tunable adhesion from lotus-leaf to rose-petal states have generated much attention for their potential applications in self-cleaning, anti-icing, oil-water separation, microdroplet transportation, and microfluidic devices. Herein we report a facile magnetic-field-manipulation strategy to fabricate dual-functional superhydrophobic textiles with asymmetric roll-down/pinned states on the two surfaces of the textile simultaneously. Upon exposure to a static magnetic field, fluoroalkylsilane-modified iron oxide (F-Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) moved along the magnetic field to construct discrepant hierarchical structures and roughnesses on the two sides of the textile. The positive surface (closer to the magnet, or P-surface) showed a water contact angle up to 165°, and the opposite surface (or O-surface) had a water contact angle of 152.5°. The P-surface where water droplets easily slid off with a sliding angle of 7.5° appeared in the "roll-down" state as Cassie mode, while the O-surface was in the "pinned" state as Wenzel mode, where water droplets firmly adhered even at vertical (90°) and inverted (180°) angles. The surface morphology and wetting mode were adjustable by varying the ratios of F-Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and PDMS. By taking advantage of the asymmetric adhesion behaviors, the as-fabricated superhydrophobic textile was successfully applied in no-loss microdroplet transportation and oil-water separation. Our method is simple and cost-effective. The fabricated textile has the characteristics of superhydrophobicity, magnetic responsiveness, excellent chemical stability, adjustable surface morphology, and controllable adhesion. Our findings conceivably stand out as a new tool to fabricate functional superhydrophobic materials with asymmetric surface properties for various potential applications.

Microfluidic acoustophoretic force based low-concentration oil separation and detection from the environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Han; Liu, Zhongzheng; Kim, Sungman; Koo, Chiwan; Cho, Younghak; Jang, Dong-Young; Kim, Yong-Joe; Han, Arum

2014-03-07

Detecting and quantifying extremely low concentrations of oil from the environment have broad applications in oil spill monitoring in ocean and coastal areas as well as in oil leakage monitoring on land. Currently available methods for low-concentration oil detection are bulky or costly with limited sensitivities. Thus they are difficult to be used as portable and field-deployable detectors in the case of oil spills or for monitoring the long-term effects of dispersed oil on marine and coastal ecosystems. Here, we present a low-concentration oil droplet trapping and detection microfluidic system based on the acoustophoresis phenomenon where oil droplets in water having a negative acoustic contrast factor move towards acoustic pressure anti-nodes. By trapping oil droplets from water samples flowing through a microfluidic channel, even very low concentrations of oil droplets can be concentrated to a detectable level for further analyses, which is a significant improvement over currently available oil detection systems. Oil droplets in water were successfully trapped and accumulated in a circular acoustophoretic trapping chamber of the microfluidic device and detected using a custom-built compact fluorescent detector based on the natural fluorescence of the trapped crude oil droplets. After the on-line detection, crude oil droplets released from the trapping chamber were successfully separated into a collection outlet by acoustophoretic force for further off-chip analyses. The developed microfluidic system provides a new way of trapping, detecting, and separating low-concentration crude oil from environmental water samples and holds promise as a low-cost field-deployable oil detector with extremely high sensitivity. The microfluidic system and operation principle are expected to be utilized in a wide range of applications where separating, concentrating, and detecting small particles having a negative acoustic contrast factor are required.

The influence of chemicals on water quality in a high pressure separation rig

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnsen, Einar E.; Hemmingsen, Paal V.; Mediaas, Heidi; Svarstad, May Britt E.; Westvik, Arild

2006-03-15

In the research laboratory of Statoil at Rotvoll, Trondheim, a high pressure experimental rig used for separation and foaming studies has been developed. There have been several studies to ensure that the high pressure separation rig produces reliable and consistent results with regard to the water-in-oil and oil-in-water contents. The results are consistent with available field data and, just as important, consistent when changing variables like temperature, pressure drop and water cut. The results are also consistent when changing hydrodynamic variables like flow velocity and mixing point (using different choke valves) and when using oil with and without gas saturation. At equal experimental conditions, the high pressure separation rig is able to differentiate between separation characteristics of oil and water from different fields and from different wells at the same field. The high pressure separation and foam rig can be used from -10 deg C to 175 deg C and at pressures up to 200 bar. Crude oil and water are studied under relevant process conditions with respect to temperature, pressure, shear, water cut and separation time. In the present work the influence of chemicals on the oil and water quality has been studied. Chemicals have been mixed into the oil and/or water beforehand or added in situ (on-stream; simulated well stream). The amount of oil in the water after a given residence time in the separation cell has been measured. The results from the high pressure rig show that some demulsifiers, with their primary purpose of giving less water in oil, also have influence on the water quality. Improvement of water quality has been observed as well as no effect or aggravation. The experimental results have been compared to results from bottle tests at the field. The results from the bottle tests and from the laboratory are not corresponding, and only a full-scale field test can tell which of them are the correct results, if any. (Experience from corresponding

Smart surfaces with switchable superoleophilicity and superoleophobicity in aqueous media: Toward controllable oil/water separation

KAUST Repository

Zhang, L.

2012-02-01

Advanced materials with surfaces that have controllable oil wettability when submerged in aqueous media have great potential for various underwater applications. Here we have developed smart surfaces on commonly used materials, including non-woven textiles and polyurethane sponges, which are able to switch between superoleophilicity and superoleophobicity in aqueous media. The smart surfaces are obtained by grafting a block copolymer, comprising blocks of pH-responsive poly(2-vinylpyridine) and oleophilic/hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (i.e., P2VP-b-PDMS) on these materials. The P2VP block can alter its wettability and its conformation via protonation and deprotonation in response to the pH of the aqueous media, which provides controllable and switchable access of oil by the PDMS block, resulting in the switchable surface oil wettability in the aqueous media. On the other hand, the high flexibility of the PDMS block facilitates the reversible switching of the surface oil wettability. As a proof of concept, we also demonstrate that materials functionalized with our smart surfaces can be used for highly controllable oil/water separation processes.

Preparation and characterization of underwater superoleophobic chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) coatings for self-cleaning and oil/water separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Qian; Fu, Youjia; Yan, Xiaoxia; Chang, Yanjiao; Ren, Lili; Zhou, Jiang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Underwater superoleophobic CS/PVA coatings were prepared using a facile method. • Immersion in NaOH solution was crucial to enhance roughness of the coating surface. • Effects of coating composition on wettability of coating surface were investigated. • The CS/PVA coatings possess self-cleaning property. • The CS/PVA coatings can be used for oil/water separation with high efficiency. - Abstract: In this paper, chitosan (CS)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GA) were prepared. Effects of the coating composition and NaOH solution treatment on surface morphology and topography were investigated by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. It was found that the process of immersing the CS/PVA coatings into NaOH solution was crucial to enhance rough structure on the coating surface. The rough surface structure and the hydrophilic groups of CS and PVA made the CS/PVA coatings possess underwater superoleophobicity and low adhesion to oil. Oil contact angle of the prepared CS/PVA coatings was up to 161° and slide angle was only 3°. Moreover, the CS/PVA coatings showed stable superoleophobicity in high salt, strong acidic, and alkaline environments as well as underwater self-cleaning property and excellent transparency. The CS/PVA coatings could be used for gravity driven oil/water separation with high efficiency.

Preparation and characterization of underwater superoleophobic chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) coatings for self-cleaning and oil/water separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Qian; Fu, Youjia; Yan, Xiaoxia; Chang, Yanjiao; Ren, Lili; Zhou, Jiang

2017-08-01

Highlights: • Underwater superoleophobic CS/PVA coatings were prepared using a facile method. • Immersion in NaOH solution was crucial to enhance roughness of the coating surface. • Effects of coating composition on wettability of coating surface were investigated. • The CS/PVA coatings possess self-cleaning property. • The CS/PVA coatings can be used for oil/water separation with high efficiency. - Abstract: In this paper, chitosan (CS)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GA) were prepared. Effects of the coating composition and NaOH solution treatment on surface morphology and topography were investigated by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. It was found that the process of immersing the CS/PVA coatings into NaOH solution was crucial to enhance rough structure on the coating surface. The rough surface structure and the hydrophilic groups of CS and PVA made the CS/PVA coatings possess underwater superoleophobicity and low adhesion to oil. Oil contact angle of the prepared CS/PVA coatings was up to 161° and slide angle was only 3°. Moreover, the CS/PVA coatings showed stable superoleophobicity in high salt, strong acidic, and alkaline environments as well as underwater self-cleaning property and excellent transparency. The CS/PVA coatings could be used for gravity driven oil/water separation with high efficiency.

On the use of ultrafiltration membranes in oily water separators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tremblay, A.Y.; Nottegar, M. [Ottawa Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Veinot, D.E. [Defence Research Establishment Atlantic, Halifax, NS (Canada)

2000-07-01

Laboratory studies were conducted on the use of ultrafiltration membranes for oil water purification from ships bilges. Bilge water is a complex and highly variable mixture of several components such as seawater, lubricating oil, greases, marine diesel fuel, hydraulic oil, detergents, metal oxides, corrosion inhibitors, asbestos and other wastes. This laboratory study examined the performance of ultrafiltration membranes when separating oily waste water of similar composition to that of bilge water. Ultrafiltration membranes are nanoporous materials produced from ceramic, polymeric or metallic substrates. The ability of the membrane to retain macromolecules, colloids, sub-micron particles and oil emulsions depends on the size of the nanopores. The best results in this study occurred when upper and lower bounds on the membrane pore size were found to exist. It was determined that ultrafiltration is a viable separation process for the treatment of bilge water for compliance with overboard discharge regulations. 7 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs.

Separation of water through gas hydrate formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boch Andersen, Torben; Thomsen, Kaj

2009-01-01

Gas hydrate is normally recognized as a troublemaker in the oil and gas industry. However, gas hydrate has some interesting possibilities when used in connection with separation of water. Nordic Sugar has investigated the possibility of using gas hydrates for concentration of sugar juice. The goal...... of the project was to formulate an alternative separation concept, which can replace the traditional water evaporation process in the sugar production. Work with the separation concept showed that gas hydrates can be used for water separation. The process is not suitable for sugar production because of large...... volumes and the needs for high pressure. The process could be interesting for concentration of heat sensitive, high value products...

Dynamic Oil-in-Water Concentration Acquisition on a Pilot-Scaled Offshore Water-Oil Separation Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Raju, Chitra Sangaraju; Bram, Mads Valentin

2017-01-01

This article is a feasibility study on using fluorescence-based oil-in-water (OiW) monitors for on-line dynamic efficiency measurement of a deoiling hydrocyclone. Dynamic measurements are crucial in the design and validation of dynamic models of the hydrocyclones, and to our knowledge, no dynamic...

Numerical investigation of coalescing plate system to understand the separation of water and oil in water treatment plant of petroleum industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedat Yayla

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The most widely utilized process of produced water treatment is considered to be use of coalescing or corrugated plate systems in the oil industry because these systems have promising results in the acceleration of the separation process. Even use of corrugated plate systems seem to be effective in separation processes, the geometrical parameters of the plate system could greatly influence the performance of separation process. In this study, a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model for coalescing plates was developed to investigate Reynolds number and plate hole shape on separation efficiency. Spacing between plates was set to 12 mm while fluid mixture’s Reynolds number varied between 5 and 45 for the computational model. Hole profile and dimensions were determined to be cylindrical, rectangular and ellipse shapes as 10, 15 and 20 mm based on hydraulic diameter definition, respectively. Furthermore, when hole profiles of coalescing plates were chosen to be ellipse and rectangular shapes, separation efficiency nearly stayed constant regardless of hole dimension. The study also reported that change of oil fraction from 5% to 15% caused approximately 30% increase in the separation efficiency. The investigation also revealed Reynolds number of the mixture was inversely proportional to the separation efficiency. It was also found that the highest separation efficiency was obtained for a cylindrical shape with a hole diameter of 15 mm when distance between plates was 12 mm and Reynolds number was 18.

Application of porous materials in oil substances separation from water

Science.gov (United States)

Gołub, Adam; Piekutin, Janina

2017-11-01

The aim of the study was to determine the ability of the four porous materials: birch bark, cork, glass wool, and polyurethane foam to reduce the mineral oil index and the concentration of n-alkanes C7H16-C38H78 as well as to select the most efficient materials. Model solutions of gasoline, diesel oil, and distilled water with the following values of mineral oil index were prepared to tests: 52 μg/dm3, 68 μg/dm3 and 73 μg/dm3. Then, studies were carried out using a dynamic method, wherein the columns were filled with adsorbents tested, and in each of three testing series, 500 mL of the model solution at constant bed load of 1,0551 m3/m2h was filtered through the column. After filtration, the collected sample had volume of 250 mL. The collected samples were subject to determination of mineral oil index and concentrations of n-alkanes from C7H16 to C38H78. Studies have shown that the most effective materials to lower the mineral oil index and the concentrations of n-alkanes in water are birch bark and glass wool.

Porous ceramic membrane with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface for reclaiming oil from oily water

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Changhong; Xu, Youqian; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Yang; Li, Jun

2012-01-01

A porous ceramic tube with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface was fabricated by sol-gel and then surface modification with polyurethane-polydimethysiloxane, and an oil-water separator based on the porous ceramic tube was erected to characterize superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface's separation efficiency and velocity when being used to reclaim oil from oily water and complex oily water containing clay particle. The separator is fit for reclaiming oil from oily water.

Method and apparatus for recovering oil from an oil spill on the surface of a body of water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schweizer, R.W.; Patel, K.P.; Lau, P.Y.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a method of recovering a hydrophobic hydrocarbon oil from the surface of a body of water, the body of water having a water temperature, the oil having a specific gravity which is less than the specific gravity of the water in the body of water and a viscosity which is greater than approximately 80 centipoise at the water temperature. It comprises continuously withdrawing a feed oil-water mixture from the surface of the body of water; continuously adjusting the viscosity of the oil in the feed oil-water mixture to a level below approximately 80 centipoise to form an adjusted oil-water mixture; and continuously passing the adjusted oil-water mixture through an oil-water coalescer to separate the oil in the adjusted oil-water mixture from the water in the adjusted oil-water mixture

Facile Synthesis of Flexible Methylsilsesquioxane Aerogels with Surface Modifications for Sound- Absorbance, Fast Dye Adsorption and Oil/Water Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingzhong Guo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available New flexible methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ aerogels have been facilely prepared by a sol–gel process with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS as co-precursors, followed by surface modification and ambient pressure drying. The microstructure, mechanical properties and hydrophobicity of these MSQ aerogels after surface modifications of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO and/or hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS were investigated in detail, and the applications of surface-modified MSQ aerogels in sound-absorbance, fast dye adsorption and oil/water separation were evaluated, respectively. The MSQ aerogels surface-modified by HMDS possess flexibility, elasticity and superhydrophobicity, and demonstrate good performance in the mentioned applications. The resultant MSQ aerogel used in sound-absorbance has high frequency (about 6 kHz acoustic absorptivity of up to 80%, benefiting from its macroporous structure and porosity of 94%, and it also possesses intermediate frequency acoustic absorptivity (about 1 kHz up to 80% owing to its elasticity. This MSQ aerogel can selectively separate oil from oil/water mixtures with high efficiency due to its superhydrophobicity and superlipophilicity, resulting from a lot of methyl groups, density as low as 0.12 cm3·g−1 and a water contact angle as high as 157°. This MSQ aerogel can be assembled to be a monolithic column applied for fast dye adsorption, and shows selective adsorption for anionic dyes and removal efficiency of methyl orange of up to 95%.

Highly permeable double-skinned forward osmosis membranes for anti-fouling in the emulsified oil-water separation process

KAUST Repository

Duong, Hoang Hanh Phuoc; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung; Wei, Shawn; Irish, Lana

2014-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) has attracted wide attention in recent years. However, the FO performance may be restricted due to internal concentration polarization (ICP) and fast fouling propensity that occurs in the membrane sublayer. Particularly, these problems significantly affect the membrane performance when treating highly contaminated oily wastewater. Recently, double-skinned flat sheet cellulose acetate (CA) membranes consisting of two selective skins via the phase inversion method have demonstrated less ICP and fouling propensity over typical single-skinned membranes. However, these membranes exhibit low water fluxes of <12 LMH under 2 M NaCl draw solution. Therefore, a novel double-skinned FO membrane with a high water flux has been aimed for in this study for emulsified oil-water treatment. The double-skinned FO membrane comprises a fully porous sublayer sandwiched between (i) a truly dense skin for salt rejection and (ii) a fairly loose dense skin for emulsified oil particle rejection. The former dense skin is a polyamide synthesized via interfacial polymerization, while the latter one is a self-assembled sulfonated pentablock copolymer (Nexar copolymer) layer. The resultant double-skinned membrane exhibits a high water flux of 17.2 LMH and a low reverse salt transport of 4.85 gMH using 0.5 M NaCl as the draw solution and DI water as the feed. The double-skinned membrane outperforms the single-skinned membrane with much lower fouling propensity for emulsified oil-water separation. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Highly permeable double-skinned forward osmosis membranes for anti-fouling in the emulsified oil-water separation process

KAUST Repository

Duong, Hoang Hanh Phuoc

2014-04-15

Forward osmosis (FO) has attracted wide attention in recent years. However, the FO performance may be restricted due to internal concentration polarization (ICP) and fast fouling propensity that occurs in the membrane sublayer. Particularly, these problems significantly affect the membrane performance when treating highly contaminated oily wastewater. Recently, double-skinned flat sheet cellulose acetate (CA) membranes consisting of two selective skins via the phase inversion method have demonstrated less ICP and fouling propensity over typical single-skinned membranes. However, these membranes exhibit low water fluxes of <12 LMH under 2 M NaCl draw solution. Therefore, a novel double-skinned FO membrane with a high water flux has been aimed for in this study for emulsified oil-water treatment. The double-skinned FO membrane comprises a fully porous sublayer sandwiched between (i) a truly dense skin for salt rejection and (ii) a fairly loose dense skin for emulsified oil particle rejection. The former dense skin is a polyamide synthesized via interfacial polymerization, while the latter one is a self-assembled sulfonated pentablock copolymer (Nexar copolymer) layer. The resultant double-skinned membrane exhibits a high water flux of 17.2 LMH and a low reverse salt transport of 4.85 gMH using 0.5 M NaCl as the draw solution and DI water as the feed. The double-skinned membrane outperforms the single-skinned membrane with much lower fouling propensity for emulsified oil-water separation. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

On the use of magnetic separation for purification of aqueous radioactive solutions from oils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shchebetkovskij, V.N.; Vyatkin, V.E.; Gurevich, D.M.; Bochkov, A.A.

1984-01-01

Using model systems, simulating oiled condensate that is formed during evaporation of water radioactive wastes, a possibility is shown to use the method of magnetic separation for waste purification from oil. Introduction of a dispersed ferromagnetic powder in the system to stabilize oil drops and to impart ''quasiferromagnetic'' properties to them, is a necessary condition for the efficient oil separation. Using as an example 137 Cs absorption, the adsorbability of ferromagnetic powders relative to radionuclides in the system investigated is assessed

Vapor-Liquid Sol-Gel Approach to Fabricating Highly Durable and Robust Superhydrophobic Polydimethylsiloxane@Silica Surface on Polyester Textile for Oil-Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiaojing; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun; Zhang, Lin; Wang, Jing; Liao, Xiaofeng; Zeng, Xingrong

2017-08-23

Large-scale fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces with excellent durability by simple techniques has been of considerable interest for its urgent practical application in oil-water separation in recent years. Herein, we proposed a facile vapor-liquid sol-gel approach to fabricating highly durable and robust superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane@silica surfaces on the cross-structure polyester textiles. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that the silica generated from the hydrolysis-condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) gradually aggregated at microscale driven by the extreme nonpolar dihydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS(OH)). This led to construction of hierarchical roughness and micronano structures of the superhydrophobic textile surface. The as-fabricated superhydrophobic textile possessed outstanding durability in deionized water, various solvents, strong acid/base solutions, and boiling/ice water. Remarkably, the polyester textile still retained great water repellency and even after ultrasonic treatment for 18 h, 96 laundering cycles, and 600 abrasion cycles, exhibiting excellent mechanical robustness. Importantly, the superhydrophobic polyester textile was further applied for oil-water separation as absorption materials and/or filter pipes, presenting high separation efficiency and great reusability. Our method to construct superhydrophobic textiles is simple but highly efficient; no special equipment, chemicals, or atmosphere is required. Additionally, no fluorinated slianes and organic solvents are involved, which is very beneficial for environment safety and protection. Our findings conceivably stand out as a new tool to fabricate organic-inorganic superhydrophobic surfaces with strong durability and robustness for practical applications in oil spill accidents and industrial sewage emission.

Produced water management - clean and safe oil and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The conference contains 22 presentations on topics within pollution sources and abatement, discharge reductions, water analysis and monitoring, water production, treatment and injection, enhanced recovery, condensate water, produced water markets, separation technologies for oil/gas/condensate and water, oil removal from solids, environmental risks of oil and gas production and environmental impacts on ecosystems and fisheries. Some oil field case histories are presented. The main focus is on the northern areas such as the North Sea, the north Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, and technological aspects (tk)

Produced water management - clean and safe oil and gas production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

The conference contains 22 presentations on topics within pollution sources and abatement, discharge reductions, water analysis and monitoring, water production, treatment and injection, enhanced recovery, condensate water, produced water markets, separation technologies for oil/gas/condensate and water, oil removal from solids, environmental risks of oil and gas production and environmental impacts on ecosystems and fisheries. Some oil field case histories are presented. The main focus is on the northern areas such as the North Sea, the north Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, and technological aspects (tk)

Multifunctional hollow superhydrophobic SiO2 microspheres with robust and self-cleaning and separation of oil/water emulsions properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Fei; Wen, Qiuying; Peng, Yubing; Guo, Zhiguang

2017-05-15

Superhydrophobic materials have drawn great attention due to its' remarkable non-wetting properties and applications in many fields. In this paper, we synthesize a hollow superhydrophobic SiO 2 powder by typical template method and self-assembly functionalization. Robustness of many superhydrophobic surfaces has become the development bottleneck for industrial applications. Aiming at this problem, the adhesive epoxy resin is specially taken to use as the binding layer between superhydrophobic SiO 2 powder and substrates to create robust superhydrophobic coating. The mechanical durability of the obtained superhydrophobic coating is evaluated by a cyclic sandpaper abrasion. Also, the chemical stability of this superhydrophobic coating is assessed by exposuring it to different pH conditions and UV irradiation, respectively. Significantly, because of the special structure and superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity of the hollow microspheres, these hollow superhydrophobic SiO 2 powders manifest great oil-adsorbing capacity, which thus can be used to separate oil/water mixtures and remove oil from oil-in-water emulsions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tightening water quality regulations produces an innovative separation technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welther, P.B.; Broussard, P.C.

1994-01-01

The impact of the recent proposed changes in the water quality standards for offshore producing platforms is having a far reaching effect on the oil and gas industry. At a time when oil companies are cutting back their work forces and reducing capital outlays in order to stay competitive in the market, water treatment equipment manufacturing companies are aggressively seeking innovative and cost effective solutions to meet the environmental requirements. Necessity drives advancements in technology, so Monosep Corporation has accepted the challenge to improve induced gas flotation technology and to develop enhanced gravity separation. This system of improved gas flotation and enhanced gravity separation can be used to consistently meet the proposed new guideline of an ''oil and grease'' maximum monthly average of 29 mg/l (milligrams per liter) in the discharged water from offshore platforms. The results demonstrated in the field suggest that adding enhanced gravity separation upstream of existing gas flotation units can improve performance sufficient to meet the Proposed stricter discharge limits. For platforms that do not have efficient gas flotation units, the old units can be replaced or modified to include the new features improved gas flotation technology like the Veirsep. For those few platforms are having difficulty meeting the current discharge requirements, both a new improved gas flotation unit, as well as a more sophisticated upstream gravity separator like the Cyclosep, may need to be installed. Chemical additives are sometimes a required necessity, but must be used sparingly due to the potential for creating soluble oil problems

Ship for the cleaning of water from oil, fuel oil, and other floating objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nentvih, V

1969-12-31

The newly designed ship for the cleaning of water surface from floating pollution has its bow section built much lower than its main hull. A slanted platform leads to a channel guiding the water into a centrifuge which separates oil from water. Oil proceeds to a reservoir for reprocessing while water is discharged from the ship. A variable ballast controls the depth of submersion of the platform. The ship is equilibrated by means of a built-in air float.

Oil/gas collector/separator for underwater oil leaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henning, C.D.

1993-01-01

An oil/gas collector/separator for underwater oil leaks is described comprising: a cylindrical tank; a hollow float member for supporting said tank in a substantially upright position; a skirt assembly secured to said hollow float member and extending in a direction away from said float member opposite said tank; means for removing oil from said tank; and means for removing gas from said tank

Bio-Oil Separation and Stabilization by Near-Critical Propane Fractionation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ginosar, Daniel M.; Petkovic, Lucia M.; Agblevor, Foster A.

2016-08-01

Bio-oils produced by thermal process are promising sources of sustainable, low greenhouse gas alternative fuels. These thermal processes are also well suited to decentralized energy production due to low capital and operating costs. Algae feedstocks for bio-oil production are of particular interest, due in part to their high-energy growth yields. Further, algae can be grown in non-arable areas in fresh, brackish, salt water, or even waste water. Unfortunately, bio-oils produced by thermal processes present significant stability challenges. These oils have complex chemical compositions, are viscous, reactive, and thermally unstable. Further, the components within the oils are difficult to separate by fractional distillation. By far, the most effective separation and stabilization method has been solvent extraction. However, liquid phase extraction processes pose two main obstacles to commercialization; they require a significant amount of energy to remove and recover the solvent from the product, and they have a propensity for the solvent to become contaminated with minerals from the char and ash present in the original bio-oil. Separation and fractionation of thermally produced bio-oils using supercritical fluids (SCF) offers the advantages of liquid solvent extraction while drastically reducing energy demands and the predisposition to carry over solids into the extracted phase. SCFs are dense fluids with liquid-like solvent properties and gas-like transport properties. Further, SCF density and solvent strength can be tuned with minor adjustments in pressure, co-solvent addition, or gas anti-solvent addition. Catalytic pyrolysis oils were produced from Scenedesmus dimorphus algae using a fluid catalytic cracking catalyst. Bio-oil produced from catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) was separated using critical fluids. Propane extraction was performed at 65 °C at a fluid reduced pressure of 2.0 (85 bar) using an eight to one solvent to feed ratio by weight. Extraction of

Simple and Green Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic Surface by One-Step Immersion for Continuous Oil/Water Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jingfang; Liu, Bin; Li, Longyang; Zeng, Zhixiang; Zhao, Wenjie; Wang, Gang; Guan, Xiaoyan

2016-07-21

In this paper, stainless steel meshes with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surfaces were fabricated by rapid and simple one-step immersion in a solution containing hydrochloric acid and stearic acid. The apparent contact angles were tested by a video contact angle measurement system (CA). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to characterize the surface topographies and chemical compositions. The SEM results showed that mesh surfaces were covered by ferric stearate (Fe[CH3(CH2)16COO]2) with low surface energy. The CA test results showed that the mesh had a maximum apparent contact angle of 160 ± 1.0° and a sliding angle of less than 5.0° for the water droplet, whereas the apparent contact angle for the oil droplet was zero. Ultrasound oscillation and exposure tests at atmospheric conditions and immersion tests in 3.5 wt % NaCl aqueous solution were conducted to confirm the mesh with excellent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. On the basis of the superhydrophobic mesh, a miniature separation device pump was designed to collect pure oil from the oil/water mixture. It showed that the device was easier and convenient. The techniques and materials presented in this work are promising for application to wastewater and oil spill treatment.

Investigation of a separation process involving liquid-water-coal systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, Jr, D V; Burry, W

1987-01-01

A liquid-liquid-solid separation procedure wherein a water-oil-coal-mineral matter slurry is allowed to come to equilibrium through mechanical agitation has for many years been applied to the separation of coal from mineral matter. The product is a black cottage cheese-like mass of agglomerated coal particles and oil suspended in the excess water which supports the dispersed mineral matter particles. A liquid bridge model which was proposed by earlier investigators is reviewed critically and used to estimate the free energy per unit area of the separation of coals of different ranks. Observations of the kinetics of the process suggest that the simple liquid bridge model is insufficient, probably due to the heterogeneous surfaces of the coal. An alternative model is proposed. 14 references.

Selective separation of oil and water with special wettability mesh membranes

KAUST Repository

Liu, Defei; Yu, Yuanlie; Chen, Xin; Zheng, Yuying

2017-01-01

that these superhydrophobic/superoleophilic or oleophobic/superhydrophilic mesh membranes are durable, stable and reusable, making them encouraging candidates for practical oil-polluted water treatment.

Tweens demulsification effects on heavy crude oil/water emulsion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nastaran Hayati Roodbari

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The demulsification role of Tweens (nonionic polymers was determined in the separation of water from heavy crude oil emulsion. According to the previous researches, these nonionic polymers, having hydrophilic and lipophilic groups, are appropriate for making oil in water emulsion. In this research their effects in certain concentrations on demulsifying of water in crude oil emulsion were proved. High molecular weight, alkenes’ chains and groups of ketone and ester in these polymers can improve their performance for the demulsification of water in crude oil emulsion. Their efficiencies are improved with electronegative groups such as oxygen. They leave no corrosion effect because they are neutral and do not leave counter ions.

A robust and stretchable superhydrophobic PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane for oil/water separation and flame retardancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Deke; Gou, Xuelian; Wu, Daheng; Guo, Zhiguang

2018-04-05

The wide application of superhydrophobic membranes has been limited due to their complicated preparation technology and weak durability. Inspired by the mechanical flexibility of nanofibrous biomaterials, nanofibrils have been successfully generated from Kevlar, which is one of the strongest synthetic fibers, by appropriate hydrothermal treatment. In this study, a robust superhydrophobic PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane is prepared via a simple one-step process and subsequent curing without combination with inorganic fillers. The as-prepared PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane not only shows efficient oil/water separation ability and oil absorption capacity but also has excellent superhydrophobicity stability after deformation. The resultant membrane shows stretchability, flexibility and flame retardance because of the reinforcing effect and the excellent flame retardancy of Kevlar. We believe that this simple fabrication of PDMS/PVDF@KNFs has promising applications in filtering membranes and wearable devices.

Development of a new separator oil/water: adaptation of a laboratory prototype envisage an industrial application; Desenvolvimento de um novo separador oleo/agua: adaptacao do prototipo de laboratorio visando aplicacao industrial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medeiros, Gustavo de S.; Paulo, Joao B. de A.; Costa Junior, Jose A. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Fernandes Junior, Wilaci E. [PETROBRAS, Natal/Fortaleza, RN/CE (Brazil). Unidade RN/CE

2008-07-01

The present work deals with the adaptation of a new separator oil/water called Mixer Settler based on Phase Inversion of (MDIF) in scale of laboratory for future application in industrial scale. The adaptations were carried out by changing of the materials of construction and the substitution of the original system of mechanical mixing by a static or on-line mixer. The equipment works through the unit operation of liquid-liquid extraction associated with the innovative method of phase inversion to separate the fine oil droplets which appear emulsified into produced waters. The extractant solvent was QAV (aviation kerosene). A composed central design was used to evaluate the performance of the equipment, considering the separation efficiency (%) as the response variable in function of the TOG (total oil and greases). Envisaging an industrial application we plotted contour curves to determine the regions which it is possible to operate the equipment on optimized conditions in view of separate oil at low concentrations, minimizing the quantity of extractant solvent. (author)

Applying CFD in the Analysis of Heavy Oil/Water Separation Process via Hydrocyclone

OpenAIRE

K Angelim; A De Lima; J Souza; S Neto; V Oliveira; G Moreira

2017-01-01

In recent years most of the oil reserves discovered has been related to heavy oil reservoirs whose reserves are abundant but still show operational difficulties. This fact provoked great interest of the petroleum companies in developing new technologies for increasing the heavy oil production. Produced water generation, effluent recovered from the production wells together with oil and natural gas, is among the greatest potential factors for environmental degradation. Thus, a new scenario of ...

Influence of ethanol as bore fluid component on the morphological structure and performance of PES hollow fiber membrane for oil in water separation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otitoju, Tunmise Ayode; Ahmad, Abdul Latif; Ooi, Boon Seng [Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang (Malaysia)

2017-10-15

The relationships among varying bore fluid compositions containing ethanol/water were studied. The ethanol composition was varied in the ratio of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The membrane dope solutions were prepared from 17.25 wt% polyethersulfone (PES), 0.75 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG), 3 wt% silicon dioxide sol and 78.25 wt% of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via dry-jet spinning process. The membranes’ morphology as a result of varying ethanol ratio in the bore fluid composition was characterized and their effects on crude oil/water emulsion separation were evaluated. Results show that the membrane pore size and porosity decreased with increasing ethanol content in the bore fluid mixture, whereas the inner wall thickness of fibers increased. Furthermore, an increase in ethanol concentration also resulted in a slight increase in water contact angle. The use of 100/0 of ethanol/water resulted in UF membranes with the lowest performance. On the other hand, bore fluid mixture containing 25/75 ethanol/water produced membrane with the best performance for crude oil/water separation. Overall, the use of bore fluid mixture containing 25/75 ethanol/water mixture was found to be a powerful way to tune the morphological properties and performance of HF membrane.

Influence of ethanol as bore fluid component on the morphological structure and performance of PES hollow fiber membrane for oil in water separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otitoju, Tunmise Ayode; Ahmad, Abdul Latif; Ooi, Boon Seng

2017-01-01

The relationships among varying bore fluid compositions containing ethanol/water were studied. The ethanol composition was varied in the ratio of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The membrane dope solutions were prepared from 17.25 wt% polyethersulfone (PES), 0.75 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG), 3 wt% silicon dioxide sol and 78.25 wt% of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via dry-jet spinning process. The membranes’ morphology as a result of varying ethanol ratio in the bore fluid composition was characterized and their effects on crude oil/water emulsion separation were evaluated. Results show that the membrane pore size and porosity decreased with increasing ethanol content in the bore fluid mixture, whereas the inner wall thickness of fibers increased. Furthermore, an increase in ethanol concentration also resulted in a slight increase in water contact angle. The use of 100/0 of ethanol/water resulted in UF membranes with the lowest performance. On the other hand, bore fluid mixture containing 25/75 ethanol/water produced membrane with the best performance for crude oil/water separation. Overall, the use of bore fluid mixture containing 25/75 ethanol/water mixture was found to be a powerful way to tune the morphological properties and performance of HF membrane.

Multi-interface Level Sensors and New Development in Monitoring and Control of Oil Separators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wuqiang Yang

2006-04-01

Full Text Available In the oil industry, huge saving may be made if suitable multi-interface levelmeasurement systems are employed for effectively monitoring crude oil separators andefficient control of their operation. A number of techniques, e.g. externally mounteddisplacers, differential pressure transmitters and capacitance rod devices, have beendeveloped to measure the separation process with gas, oil, water and other components.Because of the unavailability of suitable multi-interface level measurement systems, oilseparators are currently operated by the trial-and-error approach. In this paper someconventional techniques, which have been used for level measurement in industry, and newdevelopment are discussed.

The removal of fatty acids from edible oil : removal of the dispersed phase of a water-in-oil dispersion by a hydrophilic membrane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keurentjes, J.T.F.; Doornbusch, G.I.; Riet, van 't K.

1991-01-01

Fatty acids can be extracted from an oil phase by forming a dispersed phase of saponified fatty acids/water/isopropanol in oil. This dispersion can be separated in the two phases by two membranes of opposite polarity in series. In this study the separation of the water phase from the dispersion by a

Fabrication of stable and durable superhydrophobic surface on copper substrates for oil-water separation and ice-over delay.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jie; Yang, Fuchao; Guo, Zhiguang

2016-03-15

We report a simple and rapid method to fabricate superhydrophobic films on copper substrates via Fe(3+) etching and octadecanethiol (ODT) modification. The etching process can be as short as 5 min and the ODT treatment only takes several seconds. In addition, the whole process is quite flexible in reaction time. The superhydrophobicity of as-prepared surfaces is mechanically durable and chemically stable, which have great performance in oil-water separation and ice-over resistance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reception and treatment facilities for waste oils and oil-polluted waters from marine and industrial activities in Gothenburg, Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, K.; Lexen, S.I.; Hell, M.

1992-01-01

At the beginning of the 1980s, comprehensive solutions were found to problems associated with the handling of oil-polluted water from marine and industrial sources in the Gothenburg area. The treatment plant in the oil harbour has permission to treat 700,000 m 3 /yr of sludge, ballast, slops and other oil-contaminated waters. Following treatment by chemical flocculation, flotation and dual-media filtration, the treated water must not contain more than 5 ppm of oil. Work to improve treatment results has been carried out from the start, in close co-operation with environmental authorities and with the waste generators themselves. Through increased consciousness, improvements in control, and greater source separation, it will be possible to bring about a significantly lower concentration of pollutants in the incoming waste streams. Recent plans include separate treatment of waste streams containing aromatic compounds and heavily polluted waters. Complementary treatment methods, such as activated carbon and air stripping, are under evaluation. (author). 10 figs

Ultrasonic splitting of oil-in-water emulsions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Jens; König, Ralf; Benes, Ewald

1999-01-01

Standing resonant ultrasonic wave fields can be utilized for liquid–liquid separation of the dispersed particles and the fluid caused by the acoustic radiation pressure and the induced particle agglomeration or coagulation/coalescence process. For the splitting of oil-in-water emulsions, the avai......Standing resonant ultrasonic wave fields can be utilized for liquid–liquid separation of the dispersed particles and the fluid caused by the acoustic radiation pressure and the induced particle agglomeration or coagulation/coalescence process. For the splitting of oil-in-water emulsions......, the available piezoelectric composite transducer technology was improved and a dedicated resonator with crossed plane wave sonication geometry has been developed. The resonator chamber is entirely made of aluminium or tempax glass and the PZT piezoceramic transducer delivers an acoustic energy flow density...... of up to 24 W/cm2 into the sonication volume. The chosen resonance frequency is kept stable by automatic frequency control utilizing the maximum true power criterion. Physically and chemically well-defined low and high density pure laboratory and also industrially used cooling-lubricating oil...

Toxicity of effluents from gasoline stations oil-water separators to early life stages of zebrafish Danio rerio.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Romulo Nepomuceno; Mariz, Célio Freire; Paulo, Driele Ventura de; Carvalho, Paulo S M

2017-07-01

Used petroleum hydrocarbons and gasoline stations runoff are significant sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to aquatic ecosystems. Samples of the final effluent of oil-water-separators were collected at gasoline stations in the metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil, before release to sewage or rainwater systems. Effluent soluble fractions (ESF) were prepared and bioassays were performed according to the Fish Embryo Toxicity Test. The test involved exposing zebrafish Danio rerio embryos to dilutions of the ESFs for 96 h, with daily examination of lethality and sublethal morphological effects integrated through the General Morphology Score (GMS), based on the achievement of developmental hallmarks. Frequencies of abnormalities were recorded after exposures. ESF LC50-96h (lethal concentration to 50% of exposed embryos) in the most toxic effluent achieved 8.9% (v/v), equivalent to 11 μg phenanthrene equivalents L -1 . GMS scores indicated significantly delayed embryo-larval development at ESF dilutions of 10% and 20% from effluents of all gas stations. Major abnormalities detected after the 96 h exposure included the presence of a yolk sac not fully absorbed coupled with the lack of an inflated swim bladder, lack of both pectoral fins, and the failure to develop a protruding mouth. Effective equivalent PAH concentrations that induce a 50% frequency of larvae without an inflated swim bladder (EC50) were 4.9 μg phenanthrene L -1 , 21.8 μg naphthalene L -1 , and 34.1 μg chrysene L -1 . This study shows that PAHs in ESFs from gas stations oil water separators are toxic to zebrafish, contributing to the toxicity of urban storm waters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy Demodulation Algorithm for Flow Velocity Measurement of Oil-Gas-Water Three-Phase Flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingwei Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Flow velocity measurement was an important research of oil-gas-water three-phase flow parameter measurements. In order to satisfy the increasing demands for flow detection technology, the paper presented a gas-liquid phase flow velocity measurement method which was based on energy demodulation algorithm combing with time delay estimation technology. First, a gas-liquid phase separation method of oil-gas-water three-phase flow based on energy demodulation algorithm and blind signal separation technology was proposed. The separation of oil-gas-water three-phase signals which were sampled by conductance sensor performed well, so the gas-phase signal and the liquid-phase signal were obtained. Second, we used the time delay estimation technology to get the delay time of gas-phase signals and liquid-phase signals, respectively, and the gas-phase velocity and the liquid-phase velocity were derived. At last, the experiment was performed at oil-gas-water three-phase flow loop, and the results indicated that the measurement errors met the need of velocity measurement. So it provided a feasible method for gas-liquid phase velocity measurement of the oil-gas-water three-phase flow.

Microphase Separation in Oil-Water Mixtures Containing Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Ions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tasios, Nikos; Samin, Sela; van Roij, Rene; Dijkstra, Marjolein

2017-01-01

We develop a lattice-based Monte Carlo simulation method for charged mixtures capable of treating dielectric heterogeneities. Using this method, we study oil-water mixtures containing an antagonistic salt, with hydrophilic cations and hydrophobic anions. Our simulations reveal several phases with a

Characteristics and possibilities of some techniques for de-oiling of production water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van den Broek, W.M.G.T.; Plat, R.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses briefly a number of separation techniques for the treatment of water produced during oil production and gives some advantages and drawbacks. Plate separation and centrifugation are subject to investigation in our laboratory; these techniques are treated in more detail. The characteristic parameters critical oil droplet diameter and separator capacity are defined, and for both plate separation and centrifugation on example of a calculation with these parameters is given. Furthermore some results of laboratory experiments are presented. Finally, ideas for improving both the plate separation technique and the centrifugation technique are discussed. it is expected that critical oil droplet diameters of about 10 μm (plate separation) and less than 1 μm (centrifugation) are achievable

Electrocoagulation with polarity switch for fast oil removal from oil in water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobbi, Lorena C A; Nascimento, Izabela L; Muniz, Eduardo P; Rocha, Sandra M S; Porto, Paulo S S

2018-05-01

An electrocoagulation technique using a 3.5 L reactor, with aluminum electrodes in a monopolar arrangement with polarity switch at each 10 s was used to separate oil from synthetic oily water similar in oil concentration to produced water from offshore platforms. Up to 98% of oil removal was achieved after 20 min of processing. Processing time dependence of the oil removal and pH was measured and successfully adjusted to exponential models, indicating a pseudo first order behavior. Statistical analysis was used to prove that electrical conductivity and total solids depend significantly on the concentration of electrolyte (NaCl) in the medium. Oil removal depends mostly on the distance between the electrodes but is proportional to electrolyte concentration when initial pH is 8. Electrocoagulation with polarity switch maximizes the lifetime of the electrodes. The process reduced oil concentration to a value below that stipulated by law, proving it can be an efficient technology to minimize the offshore drilling impact in the environment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acoustic separation of oil droplets, colloidal particles and their mixtures in a microfluidic cell

KAUST Repository

Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev; Li, Erqiang; Abdel-Fattah, Amr I.; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T

2016-01-01

Here we report direct macroscopic and microscopic observations of acoustic driven separation of dodecane oil droplets in water in the presence and absence of colloidal silica particles suspended in the water phase. The experiments were conducted in a simple rectangular channel glass microfluidic cell in which an ultrasound standing wave pattern was generated at 300 KHz frequency. The separation process of both oil droplets and colloidal particles inside the cell was recorded using a high-speed video camera equipped with a macro-objective lens for macroscopic observation or with a high-speed camera attached to an inverted optical microscope for a higher resolution microscopic observation. We characterize the clustering process in the case of emulsion droplets or solid colloidal particles and ultimately demonstrate the emulsion droplets separation from the solid particles in the mixtures based on their different acoustic contrast factors. Finally, we conduct proof of concept experiment to show that the same approach can be used in a continuous fluid flow process.

Acoustic separation of oil droplets, colloidal particles and their mixtures in a microfluidic cell

KAUST Repository

Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev

2016-06-15

Here we report direct macroscopic and microscopic observations of acoustic driven separation of dodecane oil droplets in water in the presence and absence of colloidal silica particles suspended in the water phase. The experiments were conducted in a simple rectangular channel glass microfluidic cell in which an ultrasound standing wave pattern was generated at 300 KHz frequency. The separation process of both oil droplets and colloidal particles inside the cell was recorded using a high-speed video camera equipped with a macro-objective lens for macroscopic observation or with a high-speed camera attached to an inverted optical microscope for a higher resolution microscopic observation. We characterize the clustering process in the case of emulsion droplets or solid colloidal particles and ultimately demonstrate the emulsion droplets separation from the solid particles in the mixtures based on their different acoustic contrast factors. Finally, we conduct proof of concept experiment to show that the same approach can be used in a continuous fluid flow process.

Evaluation of the permeability of microporous membranes polyamide 6 / clay bentonite for water-oil separation; Avaliacao da permeabilidade de membranas microporosas de poliamida 6/argila bentonitica para separacao agua-oleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medeiros, P.S.S.; Medeiros, K.M.; Araujo, E.M.; Lira, H.L., E-mail: keilamm@ig.com.br [Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), PB (Brazil). Unidade Academica de Engenharia de Materiais

2014-07-01

The petroleum refining industries have faced major problems in relation to the treatment of their effluents before disposal into the environment. Among the conventional technologies treatment of these effluents, the process of oil-water separation by means of membranes has been extensively used, for having enormous potentiality. Therefore, in this study, hybrid membranes of polyamide 6/ bentonite clay were produced by the technique of phase inversion and by precipitation of the solution from the nanocomposites obtained by melt intercalation. The clay was organically modified with the quaternary ammonium salt (Cetremide®). The nanocomposites were obtained from (PA6) with untreated (AST) and treated clay (ACT), which were subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Already membranes were characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow measurements. From the XRD results, it was observed an exfoliated and/or partially exfoliated structure for the nanocomposites and for the membranes. From SEM images it was observed that the presence of AST and ACT clays in the polymeric matrix caused changes in membrane morphology and pore formation. The flow with distilled water in the membranes showed a decrease initially and then followed by stability. All membranes tested in the process of separating emulsions of oil in water, particularly those of nanocomposites obtained a significant reduction of oil concentration in the permeate, thus showing that these membranes have a great potential to be applied to the water-oil separation. (author)

Super-hydrophilicity of hydroxy modified poly(m-phenylenediamine) aerogel for separation of oil/water and biocompatibility

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gang; Liu, Zhiduo; Zhang, Nan; Li, Jiurong; Xu, Anli; Xiang, Pengcheng; Hu, Xurui; Guo, Qinglei; Chen, Da

2018-04-01

We demonstrate the ultra-light weight and super-hydrophilic hydroxyl modified poly (m-phenylenediamine) (Hy-PmPD) aerogel by utilizing simple oxygen plasma treatment. The average pore size and specific surface area are obtained as 5.21 nm and 671 m2 g‑1, respectively. Due to the large amount of oxygen-containing groups (e.g., C–OH and N–OH), the contact angle of Hy-PmPD for water is about 7.2°, which indicates the super-hydrophilic ability of Hy-PmPD. The large surface area and super-hydrophilic nature of ultra- light weight Hy-PmPD aerogel conclusively certify that high absorption capacities and ultrafast absorption rate for water. As a result, the Hy-PmPD aerogel enables to separate crude oil and water. Additionally, the Hy-PmPD aerogel indicates good biocompatibility that can be implanted as the bio-platform for monitoring the cell culture behavior. This work may provide a facile and effective strategy for the applications in the absorption or removal of organics, particularly in environmental protection, pollution control, as well as noninvasive to the microflora.

A case history of heavy oil separation in northern Alberta : a singular challenge of demulsifier optimization and application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wylde, J.J.; Coscio, S.; Barbu, V. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Canadian Section, Calgary, AB (Canada)]|[Clariant Oil Services, Montreal, PQ (Canada)

2008-10-15

Water-in-oil emulsions are commonly encountered in the oil industry. The type of emulsion formed are determined by the abundance of the two phases. Emulsions can be stabilized by emulsifiers which concentrate themselves at the oil-water interface and form interfacial films that reduce the interfacial tension and promote emulsification and dispersion of droplets. This paper described the continual improvement cycle for the fluid separation process of a heavy oil/oil sands production facility in northern Alberta over a 3 year period. The operator was faced with the challenge of moving away from injection of 2 separate demulsifier formulations to a single product. The different conditions that existed at the two injection locations were described. A newly developed and unique bottle testing method was used to simulate the field conditions. The dilution of the final product blend made a significant difference to the final performance in the field. The field testing and demulsifier optimization exercise showed that the injection of 2 separate demulsifier products before 2007 resulted in trouble free operation. The bottle test procedure required redesign in order to accurately simulate the field use of a single demulsifier product. The general increase in basic sediment and water (BS and W) seen at the Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) site may be due to the increase in gross fluid throughput, mostly water. Residence times were significantly reduced, and plant operability was continually changing allowing the emulsion to pass through its inversion point. 18 refs., 4 figs.

Separation of motor oils, oily wastes and hydrocarbons from contaminated water by sorption on chrome shavings.

Science.gov (United States)

Gammoun, A; Tahiri, S; Albizane, A; Azzi, M; Moros, J; Garrigues, S; de la Guardia, M

2007-06-25

In this paper, the ability of chrome shavings to remove motor oils, oily wastes and hydrocarbons from water has been studied. To determine amount of hydrocarbons sorbed on tanned wastes, a FT-NIR methodology was used and a multivariate calibration based on partial least squares (PLS) was employed for data treatment. The light density, porous tanned waste granules float on the surface of water and remove hydrocarbons and oil films. Wastes fibers from tannery industry have high sorption capacity. These tanned solid wastes are capable of absorbing many times their weight in oil or hydrocarbons (6.5-7.6g of oil and 6.3g of hydrocarbons per gram of chrome shavings). The removal efficiency of the pollutants from water is complete. The sorption of pollutants is a quasi-instantaneous process.

Solubilization of tea seed oil in a food-grade water-dilutable microemulsion.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingli Deng

Full Text Available Food-grade microemulsions containing oleic acid, ethanol, Tween 20, and water were formulated as a carrier system for tea seed oil (Camellia oleifera Abel.. The effect of ethanol on the phase behavior of the microemulsion system was clearly reflected in pseudo-ternary diagrams. The solubilization capacity and solubilization efficiency of tea seed oil dispersions were measured along the dilution line at a 70/30 surfactant/oil mass ratio with Tween 20 as the surfactant and oleic acid and ethanol (1:3, w/w as the oil phase. The dispersed phase of the microemulsion (1.5% weight ratio of tea seed oil to the total amount of oil, surfactant, and tea seed oil could be fully diluted with water without phase separation. Differential scanning calorimetry and viscosity measurements indicated that both the carrier and solubilized systems underwent a similar microstructure transition upon dilution. The dispersion phases gradually inverted from the water-in-oil phase ( 45% water along the dilution line.

Development of a subsea system for water separation; Desenvolvimento de sistema submarino de separacao de agua produzida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Figueiredo, Mauricio W. de; Ramalho, Joao Batista V.S.; Souza, Antonio Luiz S. de; Gomes, Jose Adilson T.; Burmann, Clovis P. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2004-07-01

Oil production is normally followed by water production in increasing rates, mostly when waterflooding is used as oil recovery mechanism. In order to minimize the impact that high rates of produced water causes to the topside facilities , PETROBRAS is working on the development of a subsea system for oil-water separation, so that most of the produced water on the mud line can be removed and reinjected in the reservoir or in a bearing formation. The article shows how this development has been carried, the scenario definition for the pilot, the problems associated to an installation in a system already operating and the oil characteristics determination. These data constitute the base for the survey to define the technologies with potential application on the separation system to be developed. The special characteristic of the oil, with high tendency to form stable emulsions with water, are also analyzed, as well as the difficulties it brings to the process in the subsea environment, where there are vessel size and fluid heating limitations. (author)

Magnetically driven floating foams for the removal of oil contaminants from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Calcagnile, Paola; Fragouli, Despina; Bayer, Ilker S; Anyfantis, George C; Martiradonna, Luigi; Cozzoli, P Davide; Cingolani, Roberto; Athanassiou, Athanassia

2012-06-26

In this study, we present a novel composite material based on commercially available polyurethane foams functionalized with colloidal superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and submicrometer polytetrafluoroethylene particles, which can efficiently separate oil from water. Untreated foam surfaces are inherently hydrophobic and oleophobic, but they can be rendered water-repellent and oil-absorbing by a solvent-free, electrostatic polytetrafluoroethylene particle deposition technique. It was found that combined functionalization of the polytetrafluoroethylene-treated foam surfaces with colloidal iron oxide nanoparticles significantly increases the speed of oil absorption. Detailed microscopic and wettability studies reveal that the combined effects of the surface morphology and of the chemistry of the functionalized foams greatly affect the oil-absorption dynamics. In particular, nanoparticle capping molecules are found to play a major role in this mechanism. In addition to the water-repellent and oil-absorbing capabilities, the functionalized foams exhibit also magnetic responsivity. Finally, due to their light weight, they float easily on water. Hence, by simply moving them around oil-polluted waters using a magnet, they can absorb the floating oil from the polluted regions, thereby purifying the water underneath. This low-cost process can easily be scaled up to clean large-area oil spills in water.

Dynamic Oil-in-Water Concentration Acquisition on a Pilot-Scaled Offshore Water-Oil Separation Facility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petar Durdevic

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article is a feasibility study on using fluorescence-based oil-in-water (OiW monitors for on-line dynamic efficiency measurement of a deoiling hydrocyclone. Dynamic measurements are crucial in the design and validation of dynamic models of the hydrocyclones, and to our knowledge, no dynamic OiW analysis of hydrocyclones has been carried out. Previous studies have extensively studied the steady state efficiency perspective of hydrocyclones, and have related them to different key parameters, such as the pressure drop ratio (PDR, inlet flow rate, and the flow-spilt. Through our study, we were able to measure the dynamics of the hydrocyclone’s efficiency ( ϵ response to step changes in the inlet flow rate with high accuracy. This is a breakthrough in the modelling, control, and monitoring of hydrocyclones.

Steam-water separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Modrak, T.M.; Curtis, R.W.

1978-01-01

The steam-water separator connected downstream of a steam generator consists of a vertical centrifugal separator with swirl blades between two concentric pipes and a cyclone separator located above. The water separated in the cyclone separator is collected in the inner tube of the centrifugal separator which is closed at the bottom. This design allows the overall height of the separator to be reduced. (DG) [de

Separation of oils from solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Slyke, D.C.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a method for cleaning oil-contaminated particulate solids. It comprises: contacting contaminated solids with a non-aqueous liquid composition comprising a carboxylic acid; then contacting the solids with an aqueous wash containing a reagent for converting the carboxylic acid to a water-soluble carboxylate salt; and removing an aqueous phase containing carboxylate salt and entrained oil

Topology and stability of a water-soybean-oil swirling flow

Science.gov (United States)

Carrión, Luis; Herrada, Miguel A.; Shtern, Vladimir N.

2017-02-01

This paper reveals and explains the flow topology and instability hidden in an experimental study by Tsai et al. [Tsai et al., Phys. Rev. E 92, 031002(R) (2015)], 10.1103/PhysRevE.92.031002. Water and soybean oil fill a sealed vertical cylindrical container. The rotating top disk induces the meridional circulation and swirl of both fluids. The experiment shows a flattop interface shape and vortex breakdown in the oil flow developing as the rotation strength R eo increases. Our numerical study shows that vortex breakdown occurs in the water flow at R eo=300 and in the oil flow at R eo=941 . As R eo increases, the vortex breakdown cell occupies most of the water domain and approaches the interface at R eo around 600. The rest of the (countercirculating) water separates from the axis as the vortex breakdown cells in the oil and water meet at the interface-axis intersection. This topological transformation of water flow significantly contributes to the development of the flattop shape. It is also shown that the steady axisymmetric flow suffers from shear-layer instability, which emerges in the water domain at R eo=810 .

Presentations of the CONRAD Research Symposium : oil sands water usage workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This symposium provided a forum to exchange ideas regarding water use by the oil sands industry in Canada. The topics of discussion addressed timely issues such as corrosion control in pipelines, cumulative discharge modelling in the oil sands area, waste management schemes, the effects of potential limits on water withdrawal for thermal recovery operations and plant operations, the feasibility of geological sequestration of salts, and the impact of process-affected water on bitumen recovery. Other topics of discussion included tailings ponds management, deoxygenation of water, nanofiltration for water management, water quality for wetlands, water reuse, and water supply security. The conference featured 25 presentations, of which 17 have been indexed separately for inclusion in this database. tabs., figs

Produced water treatment for beneficial use : emulsified oil removal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waisi, Basma

2016-01-01

The development of novel carbon material, high accessible surface area, interconnected porosity, and stable nanofiber nonwoven media for emulsified oil droplets separation from oily wastewater, in particular for oilfields produced water treatment, is discussed in this thesis. Firstly, the quantity

Novel fabrication of a robust superhydrophobic PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge and its application in oil-water separations

OpenAIRE

Tran, Viet-Ha Thi; Lee, Byeong-Kyu

2017-01-01

We report a novel superhydrophobic material based on commercially available polyurethane (PU) sponge with high porosity, low density and good elasticity. The fabrication of a superhydrophobic sponge capable of efficiently separating oil from water was achieved by imitating or mimicking nature’s designs. The original PU sponge was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO), stearic acid (SA) and iron oxide particles (Fe3O4) via a facile and environmentally friendly method. After each treatment, the properti...

Steam-water separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Modrak, T.M.; Curtis, R.W.

1978-01-01

A two-stage steam-water separating device is introduced, where the second stage is made as a cyclone separator. The water separated here is collected in the first stage of the inner tube and is returned to the steam raising unit. (TK) [de

Effects of Microwave Radiation on Oil Recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Esmaeili, Abdollah

2011-12-01

A variety of oil recovery methods have been developed and applied to mature and depleted reservoirs in order to improve the efficiency. Microwave radiation oil recovery method is a relatively new method and has been of great interest in the recent years. Crude oil is typically co-mingled with suspended solids and water. To increase oil recovery, it is necessary to remove these components. The separation of oil from water and solids using gravitational settling methods is typically incomplete. Oil-in-water and oil-water-solid emulsions can be demulsified and separated into their individual layers by microwave radiation. The data also show that microwave separation is faster than gravity separation and can be faster than conventional heating at many conditions. After separation of emulsion into water and oil layers, water can be discharged and oil is collected. High-frequency microwave recycling process can recover oil and gases from oil shale, residual oil, drill cuttings, tar sands oil, contaminated dredge/sediments, tires and plastics with significantly greater yields and lower costs than are available utilizing existing known technologies. This process is environmentally friendly, fuel-generating recycler to reduce waste, cut emissions, and save energy. This paper presents a critical review of Microwave radiation method for oil recovery.

Highly porous oil sorbent based on hollow fibers as the interceptor for oil on static and running water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Ting [College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Cao, Shengbin [College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306 (China); Xu, Guangbiao, E-mail: guangbiao_xu@dhu.edu.cn [College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Key Laboratory of Textile Science and Technology Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China)

2016-03-15

Highlights: • Highly porous sorbent was made up of kapok and PET fibers. • The sorbent was prepared by air-laying-bonding method. • The sorbent showed much higher oil sorption capacity than 100% loose kapok fibers. • The sorbent showed high intercepting efficiency to oils on water. • The runing of water significantly accelerated the oil leakage. - Abstract: Highly porous fibrous assembly made by kapok and hollow PET fibers was prepared by the air-laying-bonding method, and used as the interceptor for oils on static and running water. SEM showed that the vast majority of kapok and PET fibers in the assembly was intact and retained their hollow lumens, with the assembly's porosity high to 98.03%. Oil sorption tests exhibited that kapok/PET assembly could absorb 63.00 g/g of vegetable oil and 58.50 g/g of used motor oil, with high oil retention after 24 h dripping. In static condition of oil interception, the two oils started to leak at around 20 min for 10-mm thick kapok/PET wall. The time for that was prolonged with increasing the thickness of kapok/PET wall. After oil breakthrough, continuous oil leaking took place. The typical leakage was divided into three stages in which oils leaked separately in sharply increased rate, reduced rate and finally gently. In running condition, oils leaked in markedly quicker way than that in static condition, with initial leakage of oils shortened to less 6 min when the water ran at 60.35 ml/s. The leakage of oils was considerably accelerated with increasing running rates.

Highly porous oil sorbent based on hollow fibers as the interceptor for oil on static and running water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, Ting; Cao, Shengbin; Xu, Guangbiao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Highly porous sorbent was made up of kapok and PET fibers. • The sorbent was prepared by air-laying-bonding method. • The sorbent showed much higher oil sorption capacity than 100% loose kapok fibers. • The sorbent showed high intercepting efficiency to oils on water. • The runing of water significantly accelerated the oil leakage. - Abstract: Highly porous fibrous assembly made by kapok and hollow PET fibers was prepared by the air-laying-bonding method, and used as the interceptor for oils on static and running water. SEM showed that the vast majority of kapok and PET fibers in the assembly was intact and retained their hollow lumens, with the assembly's porosity high to 98.03%. Oil sorption tests exhibited that kapok/PET assembly could absorb 63.00 g/g of vegetable oil and 58.50 g/g of used motor oil, with high oil retention after 24 h dripping. In static condition of oil interception, the two oils started to leak at around 20 min for 10-mm thick kapok/PET wall. The time for that was prolonged with increasing the thickness of kapok/PET wall. After oil breakthrough, continuous oil leaking took place. The typical leakage was divided into three stages in which oils leaked separately in sharply increased rate, reduced rate and finally gently. In running condition, oils leaked in markedly quicker way than that in static condition, with initial leakage of oils shortened to less 6 min when the water ran at 60.35 ml/s. The leakage of oils was considerably accelerated with increasing running rates.

Synthesis of ceramics membranes using ZrO{sub 2} obtained by Pechini method aiming it application in oil/water separation; Sintese de membranas ceramicas utilizando ZrO{sub 2} obtido pelo metodo Pechini visando sua aplicacao na separacao oleo/agua

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maia, D.F.; Lira, H.L.; Vilar, M.A.; Costa, A.C.F.M.; Oliveira, J.B.L.; Kiminami, R.H.G.A.; Gama, L.

2004-07-01

The water produced in the oil production presents emulsified oil drops of difficult separation causing problems in the reinjection and the discarding. The conventional methods used in the separation oil/water don't clean all the water with efficiency and low cost. Thus, the ceramic membranes appear as a new option for being material very resistant chemistry and thermal, of high perm selective and high efficiency in use in processes of micro filtration and ultrafiltration separation. The zirconia is considered an adequate material to obtain of such membranes and the Pechini method is one promising technique in the attainment of after ultrafine with controlled characteristics. Thus the objective of this work was to prepare ceramic membranes from after synthesized by the Pechini method. The results had shown that the Pechini method was efficient in the attainment of ZrO{sub 2} powder, nanometric, with size of crystal of 7,2 nm and with average diameter of agglomerated 4,94{mu}, indicating that this material can be used in the attainment of membranes of micro filtration and ultrafiltration, adjusted to the separation oil/water The micrographs of the obtained membranes show a homogeneous surface where if it can visualize pores uniformly distributed. (author)

Water Pollution and Treatments Part II: Utilization of Agricultural Wastes to Remove Petroleum Oils From Refineries Pollutants Present in Waste Water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, N.A.; El-Emary, M.M.

2011-01-01

Several natural agricultural wastes, of lignocellulose nature, such as Nile flower plant (ward El-Nil), milled green leaves, sugar cane wastes, palm tree leaves (carina), milled cotton stems, milled linseed stems, fine sawdust, coarse sawdust and palm tree cover were dried and then crushed to suitable size to be evaluated and utilized as adsorbents to remove oils floating or suspended in the waste water effluents from refineries and petroleum installations. The parameters investigated include effect of adsorbent type (adsorptive efficiency), adsorbate (type and concentration), mixing time, salinity of the water, adsorbent ratio to treated water, temperature, ph and stirring. Two different Egyptian crude oils varying in their properties and several refined products such as gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, diesel oil, fuel oil and lubricating oil were employed in this work in addition to the skimmed oil from the skim basin separator. Most of the agricultural wastes proved to be very effective in adsorbing oils from waste water effluents.

The development of membrane based high purity oily water separators for use in Arctic waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, H.; Tremblay, A.Y. [Ottawa Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Industrial Membrane Centre; Veinot, D.E. [Defence Research and Development Canada, Halifax, NS (Canada)

2005-07-01

With increased exploration and industrial activity in the Canadian Arctic, interest in the Northwest Passage as a shipping route has also increased. The oily wastewater produced by ships must be treated prior to discharge, particularly in the sensitive Arctic environment where biodegradation of organics is very slow due to cold climatic conditions and low sunlight. As such, safe techniques are needed for the treatment of oily wastewater released from ships. However, bilge water is difficult to treat because it contains seawater, particulates, used oils and detergents. Membrane based oily water separators (OWS) are considered to be a key technology for the treatment of bilge water onboard ships. The issues that must be taken into account in the ship-born use of membrane based OWS include the proper treatment of the oily brine before discharge; the substantial reduction in volume that is required; the complexity of the technology; labour associated with the operation of the system due to filter changes and cleaning; and, system automation to simplify its operation. In this study, a membrane-based process for treating bilge water was developed to meet stringent discharge regulations for discharge in Arctic waters. Currently, this discharge limit is set at 0 ppm. A pilot scale membrane cascade system was designed and evaluated. Multilumen ceramic membranes were used in the first stage and Sepa{sup R} test cells were used in the second stage. Optimal membrane pore size was determined. The study investigated the separation of oil and grease using different molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membranes. The study revealed that through proper membrane design, it is possible to remove oil and grease from bilge water to a level permitting its discharge to Arctic waters. However, it was recommended that low level aromatic diesel fuels be used in ships operating in Arctic waters since the presence of soluble aromatics in diesel fuel increases the technical difficulty of reaching

SWINE MANURE SOLIDS SEPARATION AND THERMOCHEMICAL CONVERSION TO HEAVY OIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuangning Xiu

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Separation of solids from liquid swine manure and subsequent thermo-chemical conversion (TCC of the solids fraction into oil is one way of reducing the waste strength and odor emission. Such processing also provides a potential means of producing renewable energy from animal wastes. Gravity settling and mechanical separation techniques, by means of a centrifuge and belt press, were used to remove the solids from liquid swine manure. The solid fractions from the above separation processes were used as the feedstock for the TCC process for oil production. Experiments were conducted in a batch reactor with a steady temperature 305 oC, and the corresponding pressure was 10.34 Mpa. Gravity settling was demonstrated to be capable of increasing the total solids content of manure from 1% to 9%. Both of the mechanical separation systems were able to produce solids with dry matter around 18% for manure, with 1% to 2% initial total solids. A significant amount of volatile solid (75.7% was also obtained from the liquid fraction using the belt press process. The oil yields of shallow pit manure solids and deep pit manure solids with belt press separation were 28.72% and 29.8% of the total volatile solids, respectively. There was no visible oil product obtained from the deep pit manure solids with centrifuge separation. It is believed that it is the volatile solid content and the other components in the manure chemical composition which mainly deter-mine the oil production.

Monitoring, characterization and comparison. Operation-project of oil and oil water systems in platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

P Junior, Oswaldo A.; Louvisse, Ana M.T.; Ramalho, Joao B.V.S.; Miragaya, Jose C.G.

2000-01-01

During the process of petroleum production, water are also commonly produced. Usually, a standard oil-water separation process will not lead to water phase ready to be discharged - the present legislation requires oily contents (oil and/or greases) bellow 20 mg/L concentration level value. Thus, secondary treatment is required to bring such oily concentration to the allowed level or lower, prior to the water discard in the environment. This paper describes the adopted systematic work in the Campos Basin Petroleum Production Platforms, which has allowed to evaluate and optimize the water treatment performed in there. Such description includes the typical water treatment systems installed, the typical physical-chemistry of the effluents and also presents comparisons between the basic designs that guided such systems construction and their present operational conditions and set-ups. The analysis of such results has allowed the introduction of minor modifications leading to the process optimization. The common use of Pilot Plants in such optimization process is also described and their contribution reported. (author)

System to take up oil suspended in water. System zur Aufnahme von Wasser schwimmendem Oel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skowronek, A; Hahnefeld, J

1981-03-19

This sytem for taking up oil suspended in water has the advantage that the material required can be jettisoned by aircraft in areas affected by an oil catastrophy. Two hoses about 100 metres distant from one another pull a plastic cover made of Perlon through the water. The upper edge of the cover widens into hose-like air containers, in order to keep the cover sufficiently above the water. The lower edge is loaded with quartz sand, in order to keep the cover vertical in the water. A connecting piece guides the oil into a connected plastic pontoon. There are two ships engines mounted in the front third of the connecting piece, which pump the oil into the first pontoon, which acts as storage container. Two dewatering valves are situated in it, which will separate the oil from the water. After passing through this pontoon, the oil reaches a second, much larger plastic pontoon, which acts as the collector for pure oil.

Vehicle for removing pollutants, especially oil, from the surface of waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cornelissen, J

1968-11-28

A vessel for removing pollutants from the surface of water consists of wings extending transversally from the axis of the vessel. The wings are partially immersed in the water and are arranged at an angle, so that when the vessel is in motion, the oil is driven over the upper edge of the wing into a separation chamber. The chamber has a circular cross section and ends in an opening in the hull of the ship, where the polluting oil is collected. The opening and the channel have such a shape that the mixture of water and pollutant enters the opening in a turbulent stream. (8 claims)

Crab As A Coconut Oil Separating Agent

OpenAIRE

Margino, Sebastian

2017-01-01

The role of sterilized and nonsterilized crab extract on the separation of coconut oil was examined using grated coconut meat as substrate. Sterilized crab extract was prepared by suspension and centrifugation of crushed crab and then filtrated using Millipore Utter. Sterilized crab extract has proteolytic activity but not lipolytic one. It was found that the sterilized crab extract supported the growth of proteolytic microbes, isolated from fermentation process of coconut oil. Both sterilize...

Purification of trona ores by conditioning with an oil-in-water emulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J. D.; Wang, Xuming; Li, Minhua

2009-04-14

The present invention is a trona concentrate and a process for floating gangue material from trona ore that comprises forming an emulsion, conditioning the trona ore at a high solids content in a saturated trona suspension, and then floating and removing the gangue material. The process for separating trona from gangue materials in trona ore can include emulsifying an oil in an aqueous solution to form an oil-in-water emulsion. A saturated trona suspension having a high solids content can also be formed having trona of a desired particle size. The undissolved trona in the saturated suspension can be conditioned by mixing the saturated suspension and the oil-in-water emulsion to form a conditioning solid suspension of trona and gangue material. A gas can be injected through the conditioning solid suspension to float the gangue material. Thus, the floated gangue material can be readily separated from the trona to form a purified trona concentrate without requirements of additional heat or other expensive processing steps.

Water issues associated with heavy oil production.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veil, J. A.; Quinn, J. J.; Environmental Science Division

2008-11-28

Crude oil occurs in many different forms throughout the world. An important characteristic of crude oil that affects the ease with which it can be produced is its density and viscosity. Lighter crude oil typically can be produced more easily and at lower cost than heavier crude oil. Historically, much of the nation's oil supply came from domestic or international light or medium crude oil sources. California's extensive heavy oil production for more than a century is a notable exception. Oil and gas companies are actively looking toward heavier crude oil sources to help meet demands and to take advantage of large heavy oil reserves located in North and South America. Heavy oil includes very viscous oil resources like those found in some fields in California and Venezuela, oil shale, and tar sands (called oil sands in Canada). These are described in more detail in the next chapter. Water is integrally associated with conventional oil production. Produced water is the largest byproduct associated with oil production. The cost of managing large volumes of produced water is an important component of the overall cost of producing oil. Most mature oil fields rely on injected water to maintain formation pressure during production. The processes involved with heavy oil production often require external water supplies for steam generation, washing, and other steps. While some heavy oil processes generate produced water, others generate different types of industrial wastewater. Management and disposition of the wastewater presents challenges and costs for the operators. This report describes water requirements relating to heavy oil production and potential sources for that water. The report also describes how water is used and the resulting water quality impacts associated with heavy oil production.

Effect of Alcohols on the Phase Behavior and Emulsification of a Sucrose Fatty Acid Ester/Water/Edible Oil System.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuura, Tsutashi; Ogawa, Akihiro; Ohara, Yukari; Nishina, Shogo; Nakanishi, Maho; Gohtani, Shoichi

2018-02-01

The effect of alcohols (ethanol, 1-propanol, propylene glycol, glycerin, sucrose) on the phase behavior and emulsification of sucrose stearic acid ester (SSE)/water/edible vegetable oil (EVO) systems was investigated. Adding sucrose, propylene glycol, and glycerin narrowed the oil-separated two-phase region in the phase diagram of the SSE/water/EVO systems, whereas adding ethanol and 1-propanol expanded the oil-separated two-phase region. Changing the course of emulsification in the phase diagram showed that the size of the oil-droplet particle typically decreased in a system with a narrowed oil-separated region. The emulsification properties of the systems varied with respect to changes in the phase diagram. The microstructure of the systems was examined using small-angle X-ray scattering, and the ability to retain the oil in the lamellar structure of the SSEs was suggested as an important role in emulsification, because the mechanism of the systems was the same as that for the liquid crystal emulsification method.

Enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil in a packed-bed reactor: an engineering approach to separation of hydrophilic impurities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hama, Shinji; Yoshida, Ayumi; Tamadani, Naoki; Noda, Hideo; Kondo, Akihiko

2013-05-01

An engineering approach was applied to an efficient biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. In this work, an enzymatic packed-bed reactor (PBR) was integrated with a glycerol-separating system and used successfully for methanolysis, yielding a methyl ester content of 94.3% and glycerol removal of 99.7%. In the glycerol-separating system with enhanced retention time, the effluent contained lesser amounts of glycerol and methanol than those in the unmodified system, suggesting its promising ability to remove hydrophilic impurities from the oil layer. The PBR system was also applied to oils with high acid values, in which fatty acids could be esterified and the large amount of water was extracted using the glycerol-separating system. The long-term operation demonstrated the high lipase stability affording less than 0.2% residual triglyceride in 22 batches. Therefore, the PBR system, which facilitates the separation of hydrophilic impurities, is applicable to the enzymatic biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ceramic pore channels with inducted carbon nanotubes for removing oil from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xinwei; Hong, Liang; Xu, Yanfang; Ong, Zheng Wei

2012-04-01

Water contaminated with tiny oil emulsions is costly and difficult to treat because of the colloidal stability and deformable nature of emulsified oil. This work utilizes carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in macro/mesopore channels of ceramic membrane to remove tiny oil droplets from water. The CNTs were implanted into the porous ceramic channels by means of chemical vapor deposition. Being hydrophobic in nature and possessing an interfacial curvature at nanoscale, CNTs enabled tiny oil emulsion in submicrometer and nano scales to be entrapped while permeating through the CNTs implanted pore channels. Optimizing the growth condition of the CNTs resulted in a uniform distribution of CNT grids, which allowed the development of lipophilic layers during filtration. These lipo-layers drastically enhanced the separation performance. The filtration capability of CNT-ceramic membrane was assessed by the purification of a dilute oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion containing ca. 210 ppm mineral oil 1600 ppm emulsifier, and a trace amount of dye, a proxy polluted water source. The best CNT-tailored ceramic membrane, prepared under the optimized CNT growth condition, claimed 100% oil rejection rate and a permeation flux of 0.6 L m(-2) min(-1), driven by a pressure drop of ca. 1 bar for 3 days on the basis of UV measurement. The CNT-sustained adsorption complements the size-exclusion mechanism in removing soluble oil.

Study of content of oil phase in the nanoemulsion oil/water during the oil demulsification; Aplicacao de nanoemulsoes com diferentes teores de fase oleosa no processo de desemulsificacao de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souza, Veronica B.; Almeida, Sarah M. de; Mansur, Claudia R.E. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IMA/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Macromoleculas Professora Eloisa Mano. Lab. de Macromoleculas e Coloides na Industria de Petroleo], e-mails: veronicabs@ima.ufrj.br, celias@ima.ufrj.br

2011-07-01

Oil-in-water nano emulsions are being developed to break up crude oil emulsions. In this initial study, the nanoemulsions were prepared the nonionic ethoxylated polymeric surfactants lauryl ether (Ultrol L100) - and the solvent xylene as the oil phase. The nanoemulsions obtained with 5,7 and 10%wt of the oil phase were evaluated for their efficiency in demulsifying oil emulsions by means of gravitational separation tests (bottle tests). For purposes of comparison, the efficiency was evaluated of aqueous solution of the pure surfactant and solvent xylene in the same concentrations used to prepare the nanoemulsions. The results show that the nanoemulsions are an alternative to demulsify water-in-oil emulsions with efficiency values of 90-95%. Moreover, was observed the influence the concentration oil phase in the nanoemulsion: the higher the concentration of oil phase, the higher the rate of break up crude oil emulsion. (author)

Removal of oil from water by bentonite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moazed, H.; Viraraghavan, T.

1999-01-01

Many materials, included activated carbon, peat, coal, fiberglass, polypropylene, organoclay and bentonite have been used for removing oils and grease from water. However, bentonite has been used only rarely for this purpose. In this study Na-bentonite was used to remove oil from oil-in-water emulsions of various kinds such as standard mineral oil, cutting oils, refinery effluent and produced water from production wells at Estevan, Saskatchewan. Removal efficiencies obtained were 85 to 96 per cent for cutting oils, 84 to 86 per cent for produced water and 54 to 87 per cent for refinery effluent. Bentonite proved to be more effective in the removal of oil from oil-in-water emulsions than from actual waste waters; up to 96 percent from oil-in-water emulsions to only 87 per cent from actual waste water. The percentage of oil removed was found to be a function of the amount of bentonite added and the adsorption time up to the equilibrium time. Result also showed that the Langmuir, Freundlich and BET isotherms are well suited to describe the adsorption of oil by bentonite from the various oily waters employed in this study. 15 refs

Fabrication of Hydrophobic Membrane for the Separation of n-Hexane/Water Mixture Using Novel Oleophilic Nanoparticle and Kevlar Fabric, as a Superior Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanieh Karimnezhad

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of functionalized membranes with hydrophobic/oleophilic surfaces for the elimination of n-hexane from water using para-aminobenzoate alumoxane, boehmite-epoxide and a novel nanoparticle, i.e., Stearate Alumoxane by a simple coating technique, is reported here. FTIR was used to characterize nanoparticles. SEM and contact angle measurement analyses were used to identify the nanocomposite membranes. The concentrations of oil in permeate and retentate were measured by UV/vis spectrophotometer. The morphology of Stearate alumoxane nanoparticles was investigated by means of SEM images. The composed film of nanoparticles on the Kevlar fabric was hydrophobic with water contact angle of ~ 145° and oleophilic with oil contact angle of ~ 0º. In addition, the membranes retained stable hydrophobicity and high separation efficiency even after employing for 6 times. Applying these properties, a setup was considered using the functionalized Kevlar fabric to separate oil through down to a collector and leave water drops. Our batch filtration system was exclusively gravity-driven. The achieved separation system can separate the oily water mixture (with the concentration of 20 % (v/v n-hexane in water, effectively with a separation efficiency of 84%.

Development and application of YSJ-1 type oil-water interface level gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Punan

2003-01-01

A new type nuclear device for measuring the oil-water interface level as well as the total liquid level was presented. A series of new methods, such as non-linear fitting of the level, automatic compensations for the deviation caused by the decay of radioactive source, the medium's temperature, etc., were employed. Comparing with other non-nuclear techniques, this device has the following advantages: non-contact surveying, anti-interference of paraffin wax coagulating and a little of repairing. The measuring range is 0-200cm for total liquid level and 0-100cm for oil-water interface level respectively. The measurement precision is 1% for total liquid level and 2% for the interface level respectively. The respond time is ≤10s, the long time stability ≤0.5% FS/48h and the temperature influence ≤0.01% FS /degree C. The gauge can be used in surveying oil-water interface level and total liquid level in oil-water separation tanks on oil fields. It is also suitable to measure the interface level of two kinds of liquids as well as the total liquid level in various storage tanks

Microbial enhanced separation of oil from a petroleum refinery sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, P J; Joseph, Ammini

2009-01-15

Petroleum refineries around the world have adopted different technological options to manage the solid wastes generated during the refining process and stocking of crude oil. These include physical, chemical and biological treatment methods. In this investigation bacterial mediated oil separation is effected. Two strains of Bacillus were isolated from petroleum-contaminated soils, and inoculated into slurry of sludge, and sludge-sand combinations. The bacteria could effect the separation of oil so as to form a floating scum within 48h with an efficiency of 97% at < or =5% level of sludge in the sludge-sand mixture. The activity was traced to the production of biosurfactants by bacteria.

Oil spillage recovery by vacuum trawl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birkett, H.

1992-01-01

In this invention, floating oil is sucked from the surface of the sea under a skirt and into a tubular floating boom, along whose interior it is carried to water-oil separation means. The suction is produced by one or more ejectors which are supplied with sea water under pressure and may be located inside the boom, or immediately below it and connected into a separate pipe. The boom is used to enclose an oil slick and drawn tighter to increase the thickness of the oil layer. The oil enters the boom through holes in its upper half and then flows to the ejector(s) along separate internal tubes or between buoyancy balls. A fraction of the oil-water mixture withdrawn from the boom is pressurised and returned to ejector(s) and the rest is diverted to the separation means. (author)

Waste water purification by magnetic separation technique using HTS bulk magnet system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oka, T.; Kanayama, H.; Tanaka, K.; Fukui, S.; Ogawa, J.; Sato, T.; Ooizumi, M.; Terasawa, T.; Itoh, Y.; Yabuno, R.

2009-01-01

We have investigated the feasibility of strong magnetic field generators composed of the high temperature superconducting (HTS) bulk magnet systems to the magnetic separation techniques for the waste water including thin emulsion bearing the cutting oil. Two types of the strong field generators were prepared by the face-to-face HTS bulk magnet systems, which emit the magnetic field density of 1 and 2 T in the open spaces between the magnetic poles activated by the pulsed field magnetization and the field cooling methods, respectively. A couple of water channels containing iron balls were settled in the strong field to trap the magnetized flocks in the waste water. The separation ratios of flocks containing 200 ppm magnetite powder were evaluated with respect to the flow rates of the waste water. The performances of bulk magnet system have kept showing values of around 100% until the flowing rate reached up to 18 l/min. This suggests that the magnetic separation by using bulk magnets is effective for the practical water purification systems.

Treating oil in a maritime environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seebacher, G.

2002-01-01

Some details of the International Maritime Organisation's marine pollution regulations are discussed. In simple terms, under IMO regulations oily water must be processed through approved equipment and can be legally discharged if the oil content in the treated effluent is less than 15 ppm. These regulations also make it clear that it is not permitted to use emulsifiers to hide the oil in the effluent. To separate the free oil from water, gravity enhanced separators can be used effectively. With conventional means it is possible to remove free oil from an oily water mixture, to the less than 15 part per million oil content. Conventional IMO certified oil content meters accurately read free oil content in the 0-30 ppm region, to prevent formation of an oil film from treated oily water discharges. Some additional basic rules of thumb worthy of consideration when separating oil from oily water: in general, it is cheaper to prevent oil discharge of oil into the effluent stream than to remove it; emulsifier-enriched lubricating oils emulsify readily and are difficult to remove when present in suspended droplets; the larger the amount of contamination, the greater the difficulty of removing the oil; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic textiles for oil–water separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Chao-Hua; Ji, Peng-Ting; Zhang, Ping; Li, Ya-Ru; Jia, Shun-Tian

2013-01-01

Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic textiles were fabricated by a simple sol–gel coating using tetraethoxysilane and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyl disilazane as precursors. After coating, the fibers were decorated with -Si(CH 3 ) 3 functionalized SiO 2 nanoparticles, complimenting the microscale roughness inherent in the textile weave and lowering the surface energy. The textiles indicated superhydrophobic and superoleophilic property simultaneously. Utilizing these properties, a setup was designed using the textile as a screen mesh to filter oil through down to a collector and leave water drops rolling over, realizing continuous oil–water mixture separation.

Removal of oil, grease, and suspended solids from produced water with ceramic crossflow microfiltration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, A.S.C.; Flynn, J.T.; Cook, R.G.; Casaday, A.L.

1991-01-01

In this paper results of studies of two onshore and two offshore pilot plants that use ceramic crossflow microfiltration (CCFM) to separate oil, grease, and suspended solids from produced water are discussed. The method is capable of producing permeate quality with < =5 mg/L (detection limit) of dispersed oil and grease and <1 mg/L of suspended solids

Separation of oily materials in radioactive waste waters by flotation. Flotation kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores E, R.M.; Ortiz O, H.B.

2003-01-01

The rate of separation of oil and total cobalt in the oleaginous residual water previously treated by coagulation/flocculation with a quaternary ammonium amine (25 mgL -1 ) and with modified anionic polyacrylamide (1.5 mgL -1 ) (pH = 7, G 1 = 300 s -1 and G 2 = 30 s -1 ) was determined. The experimental essays to determine the flotation kinetics, its were carried out using as operation and control parameters the air/solids relationship (G/S 0.35), pressure (P =620 kPa) and volume of air-water mixture (V = 37% of V f ), obtained in previous essays, at two different pressure levels and volume of discharged mixture. The kinetic studies of flotation obtained for the flotation system with conventional air dissolved (DAF) its suggest a first order kinetics that it can be represented by the SCC model. At the same time its show that the separation of the present pollutants in the residual water is governed by the removal velocity of the oil. Meanwhile, the concentration of total Co below 1 mgL -1 , on the other hand, the concentration of the 60 Co at the end of the flotation process resulted smaller than 0.008 Bq/ml, as long as the one 54 Mn were not detectable. (Author)

Methane recovery from coal mine gas using hydrate formation in water-in-oil emulsions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, Dong-Liang; Ding, Kun; Lu, Yi-Yu; Yan, Jin; Zhao, Wei-Long

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A water-in-oil emulsion was developed for CH_4 separation from coal mine methane gas. • Stable W/O emulsions were obtained with water cut in the range of (10–70%). • Gas hydrates nucleated faster with the reduction of water–oil volume ratio. • Gas uptake increased with the decrease of water–oil volume ratio. • CH_4 recovery was greatly enhanced by hydrate formation in W/O emulsions. - Abstract: In this work, a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion was developed using liquid water, mineral oil, Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80), and cyclopentane. It was employed to enhance gas hydrate formation for CH_4 separation from a simulated coal mine methane (CMM) gas (30 mol% CH_4, 60 mol% N_2, and 10 mol% O_2). The stability test at atmospheric pressure and at a high pressure of 3.5 MPa showed that stable W/O emulsions were obtained when the water–oil volume ratio (WOR) was below 80%. The emulsified droplets size was measured with WOR ranging from 10% to 70%. Then kinetic experiments of CH_4 separation by hydrate formation in W/O emulsions were carried out at 273.6 K and (3.5–5.0) MPa in batch operation. The results indicated that water–oil volume ratio is a key factor that affects the kinetics of gas hydrate formation from the CMM gas mixture. Hydrate nucleation was observed to occur faster while WOR was decreased, and gas uptake increased significantly with the decrease of WOR. CH_4 concentration in the recovered gas mixture was increased to 52 mol% as compared to 30 mol% in the original gas mixture through one-stage hydrate formation in the W/O emulsions. It was found that the experimental conditions of 273.6 K, 3.5 MPa and WOR = 30% were favorable for CH_4 recovery from the CMM gas. The CH_4 recovery obtained under these conditions was 43%. It was higher than those obtained at WOR = 10% and 70%, and was greatly increased as compared with those obtained in the same reactor with the presence of TBAB (26%) and CP (33%).

Durable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic filter paper for oil–water separation prepared by a colloidal deposition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Chuan; Wang, Jiadao; Chen, Zhifu; Chen, Darong

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A method for fabricating durable superhydrophobic filter paper was developed. • Oil–water separation efficiency exceeds 99% using the as-prepared filter paper. • The as-prepared filter paper has good recyclability and durability. • The method is easy, low cost and can be industrialized. - Abstract: A method for manufacturing durable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic filter paper for oil–water separation was developed via colloidal deposition. A porous film composed of PTFE nanoparticles was formed on filter paper, which was superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 155.5° and superoleophilic with an oil contact angle of 0°. The obtained filter paper could separate a series of oil–water mixtures effectively with high separation efficiencies over 99%. Besides, the as-prepared filter paper kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency even after 30 cycle times and could also work well under harsh environmental conditions like strong acidic or alkaline solutions, high temperature and ultraviolet irradiation. Compared with other approaches for fabricating oil–water materials, this approach is able to fabricate full-scale durable and practical oil–water materials easily and economically. The as-prepared filter paper is a promising candidate for oil–water separation

Determining the water cut and water salinity in an oil-water flowstream by measuring the sulfur content of the produced oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, H.D.; Arnold, D.M.

1980-01-01

A technique for detecting water cut and water salinity in an oil/water flowstream in petroleum refining and producing operations is described. The fluid is bombarded with fast neutrons which are slowed down and then captured producing gamma spectra characteristic of the fluid material. Analysis of the spectra indicates the relative presence of the elements sulfur, hydrogen and chlorine and from the sulfur measurement, the oil cut (fractional oil content) of the fluid is determined, enabling the water cut to be found. From the water cut, water salinity can also be determined. (U.K.)

Use of reverse osmosis membranes for the separation of lemongrass essential oil and supercritical CO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.A.V. Sarmento

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Although it is still used very little by industry, the process of essential oil extraction from vegetable matrices with supercritical CO2 is regarded as a potentially viable technique. The operation of separating the extract from the solvent is carried out by reducing the pressure in the system. Separation by membranes is an alternative that offers lower energy consumption and easier operation than traditional methods of separation. Combining the processes essential oil extraction with supercritical CO2 and separation by membranes permits the separation of solvent and oil without the need for large variations in extraction conditions. This results in a large energy savings in the case of solvent repressurisation and reuse. In this study, the effectiveness of reverse osmosis membranes in separating lemongrass essential oil from mixtures with supercritical CO2 was tested. The effects of feed oil concentration and transmembrane pressure on CO2 permeate flux and oil retention were studied for three membrane models.

Nanoscale characteristics of triacylglycerol oils: phase separation and binding energies of two-component oils to crystalline nanoplatelets.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDougall, Colin J; Razul, M Shajahan; Papp-Szabo, Erzsebet; Peyronel, Fernanda; Hanna, Charles B; Marangoni, Alejandro G; Pink, David A

2012-01-01

Fats are elastoplastic materials with a defined yield stress and flow behavior and the plasticity of a fat is central to its functionality. This plasticity is given by a complex tribological interplay between a crystalline phase structured as crystalline nanoplatelets (CNPs) and nanoplatelet aggregates and the liquid oil phase. Oil can be trapped within microscopic pores within the fat crystal network by capillary action, but it is believed that a significant amount of oil can be trapped by adsorption onto crystalline surfaces. This, however, remains to be proven. Further, the structural basis for the solid-liquid interaction remains a mystery. In this work, we demonstrate that the triglyceride liquid structure plays a key role in oil binding and that this binding could potentially be modulated by judicious engineering of liquid triglyceride structure. The enhancement of oil binding is central to many current developments in this area since an improvement in the health characteristics of fat and fat-structured food products entails a reduction in the amount of crystalline triacylglycerols (TAGs) and a relative increase in the amount of liquid TAGs. Excessive amounts of unbound, free oil, will lead to losses in functionality of this important food component. Engineering fats for enhanced oil binding capacity is thus central to the design of more healthy food products. To begin to address this, we modelled the interaction of triacylglycerol oils, triolein (OOO), 1,2-olein elaidin (OOE) and 1,2-elaidin olein (EEO) with a model crystalline nanoplatelet composed of tristearin in an undefined polymorphic form. The surface of the CNP in contact with the oil was assumed to be planar. We considered pure OOO and mixtures of OOO + OOE and OOO + EEO with 80% OOO. The last two cases were taken as approximations to high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO). The intent was to investigate whether phase separation on a nanoscale took place. We defined an "oil binding capacity" parameter, B

Oil adsorbing package, also procedure to remove oil from a water surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1971-05-01

A method is given to remove oil from water to prevent water pollution. Use is made of an oil-adsorbing packet having a specific gravity which is lower than the specific gravity of water. The hull is manufactured from any material which is not a water-insoluble nonpolar material. The hull is partly permeable to water and encloses a solid oil-adsorbing compound having a large adsorbing surface. (10 claims)

Procedure to remove a dirt and/or oil film from water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jager, T; Jager, G P.A.; Jager, K L.E.

1970-12-11

A procedure is described to remove dirt and/or oil films from a water surface. A number of rotating wiper scoops moves through the water. The top of the polluted water is brought into motion by the scoops and directed to a gutter system where it is removed. The advantage of the system is that the wiper scoops can be lowered selectively to the depth of the pollutant, thereby avoiding moving large quantities of unnecessary unpolluted liquid which later has to be separated. (12 claims)

Oil spill research : salt water and fresh water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodman, R.

2006-01-01

The difference in oil spill response activities between marine and freshwater environments were reviewed. Although containment, recovery and in-situ burning remain the same in both environments, the fate of oil is different due to water density and salinity considerations. The lower energy of lakes and the lack of major currents changes the advection of the oil. Rivers have high currents, and wind speed and direction are highly influenced by topographic effects. Tidal action is not a consideration for the inland situation, but water levels in rivers can change due to sudden rain events or the action of control devices upstream from the spill. Typically, the volume of oil released in freshwater environments is lower than in marine tanker situations, but spills from pipelines or a major train derailment can exceed 1000 m 3 . Since the use of water for human consumption and irrigation is another important factor in inland spills, it is important to have a means of obtaining information on the dynamics of spills and a system for archiving the response activities, such as the shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT)and resulting cleanup. It was suggested that research studies must be undertaken to improve response strategies for freshwater spills. These include the dynamics of oil in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes and sloughs; the role of oil-fine interactions in freshwater situations; the process involved in the formation of tar balls; and, the dynamics of oil in a freshwater situation. The response techniques that must be developed to improve the response to freshwater spills include techniques to remove oil from the bottom; techniques to filter and remove oil from the water column; and, development and testing of dispersants for freshwater environments

Distribution coefficients for chemical components of a coal-oil/water system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Picel, K C; Stamoudis, V C; Simmons, M S

1988-09-01

Distribution coefficients (K/sub D/) were measured by equilibrating a coal oil comparative reference material (CRM-1) with water and then separating the oil and water phases. Aqueous phase concentrations were determined by direct analysis of this phase, while organic phase concentrations were determined from the original oil composition by difference. The log K/sub D/ values obtained for acidic and basic components were generally <3, while those for the neutral components ranged from 3 to 6. For aromatic hydrocarbons, strong correlations were observed between log K/sub D/ and log S/sub w/ (water solubility), and between log K/sub D/ and log K/sub o//sub w/ (octanol/water partition coefficient). Alkylated benzenes had significantly higher K/sub D/s than did unsubstituted aromatics of similar molecular weight. Examination of homologs revealed an increase of 0.307 log K/sub D/ units per additional carbon atom for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons having from 10 to 16 carbons. Alkyl substituent effects determined for various sets of homologs ranged from 0.391 to 0.466 log K/sub d/ units per -CH/sub 2/- group added. 38 refs., 5 figs., 7 tabs.

Heavy Water - Industrial Separation Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peculea, M.

1984-01-01

This monograph devoted to the heavy water production mainly presents the Romanian experience in the field which started in early sixties from the laboratory scale production and reached now the level of large scale industrial production at ROMAG-Drobeta, Romania. The book is structured in eleven chapters entitled: Overview, The main physical properties, Sources, Uses, Separation factor and equilibrium constant, Mathematical modelling of the separation process, Thermodynamical considerations on the isotope separation, Selection criteria for heavy water separation processes, Industrial installations for heavy water production, Prospects, Acknowledgements. 200 Figs., 90 Tabs., 135 Refs

Remote oil spill detector for oil terminals and API separators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitch, R.

1993-01-01

Oil leaks from moored tankers, ruptured pipes, and other sources often go unnoticed until significant quantities have polluted the waters. Technology is available to detect oil on water, and a number of methods have been tried with varying success. Floating detection/alarm devices, while potentially offering accurate analysis of samples, have drawbacks. These systems need to be tethered and serviced with new batteries, and they sample only the immediate areas where they are situated. One potential answer to these problems is a remote-sensing system that has one master base station and a number of slave detectors. An inexpensive remote-sensing device has been developed using mostly off-the-shelf hardware. The unit consists of low-light sensors mounted on a mast or rail, each having a 20-degree field of view. The sensors are contained in explosion-proof housings to Zone 1 standard and provide video data to the host computer station via land line or radio link. The computer, on recognizing the oil, calculates the area with respect to time and decides if the spill is significant enough to warrant an alarm. The system operates day or night; in the daytime using the sun's rays and at night using artificial light

Oil water laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

P Junior, Oswaldo A.; Verli, Fernando; Lopes, Humberto E.

2000-01-01

Usually, the oily water effluent from petroleum processes needs to be treated prior to its environment discard and/or reuse. The synthesis of such water effluent residues in an Oily Water Laboratory - equipped with Water Treatment Pilot Scale Units - is fundamental to the study and effectiveness comparison among the typical industrial water treatment processes. The Oily Water Laboratory will allow the reproduction - in a small scale - of any oily water effluent produced in the industrial PETROBRAS units - such reproduction can be obtained by using the same fluids, oily concentration, salinity, process temperature, particle size distribution etc. Such Laboratory also allows the performance analysis of typical industrial equipment used throughout the water treatment schemes (e.g., hydro-cyclones), resulting in design and/or operational guidelines for these industrial scale schemes. In the particular niche of very small diameter oil droplet removal, more efficient and non-conventional schemes - such as centrifuges and/or membrane filtration - will be also studied in the Laboratory. In addition, the Laboratory shall be used in the certification of in-line oily water analyzers (e.g., TOC - Total Organic Carbon and OWC - Oil Wax Content). This paper describes the characteristics of such Laboratory and its main operational philosophy. (author)

A multiphase flow meter for the on-line determination of the flow rates of oil, water and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roach, G.J.; Watt, J.S.

1997-01-01

Multiphase mixtures of crude oil, formation water and gas are carried in pipelines from oil wells to production facilities. Multiphase flow meters (MFMs) are being developed to determine the flow rates of each component of the heterogeneous mixture in the pipeline. CSIRO Minerals has developed and field tested a gamma-ray MFM for the on-line determination of the flow rates of heterogeneous mixtures of oil, water and gas in pipelines. It consists of two specialised gamma-ray transmission gauges, and pressure and temperature sensors, mounted on the pipeline carrying the full flow of the production stream. The MFM separately measures liquids and gas flow rates, and the volume ratio of water and liquids (water cut). The MFM has been trialled at three offshore production facilities in Australia. In each, the MFM was mounted on the pipeline between the test manifold and the test separator. The multiphase streams from the various wells feeding to the platform were sequentially routed past the MFM. The MFM and test separator outputs were compared using regression analysis. The flow rates of oil, water and gas were each determined to relative errors in the range of 5-10% . The MFM has been in routine use on the West Kingfish platform in the Bass Strait since November 1994. The MFM was recently tested over a wide range of flow conditions at a Texaco flow facility near Houston. Water cut, based on pre-trial calibration, was determined to 2% rms over the range 0-100% water cut. The liquids and gas flow results were interpreted based on slip correlations obtained from comparison of the MFM and Texaco flows. Using these, the relative errors were respectively 6.6% for liquid flow, 6.2% for gas, 8% for oil and 8% for water. The MFM is licensed to Kvaerner FSSL of Aberdeen. Kvaerner will supply the gamma-ray MFM for both platform and subsea use. Technology transfer commenced in December 1996, and Kvaerner completed the manufacture of the first MFM in August 1997

Phase separation of bio-oil produced by co-pyrolysis of corn cobs and polypropylene

Science.gov (United States)

Supramono, D.; Julianto; Haqqyana; Setiadi, H.; Nasikin, M.

2017-11-01

In co-pyrolysis of biomass-plastics, bio-oil produced contains both oxygenated and non-oxygenated compounds. High oxygen composition is responsible for instability and low heating value of bio-oil and high acid content for corrosiveness. Aims of the present work are to evaluate possibilities of achieving phase separation between oxygenated and non-oxygenated compounds in bio-oil using a proposed stirred tank reactor and to achieve synergistic effects on bio-oil yield and non-oxygenated compound layer yield. Separation of bio-oil into two layers, i.e. that containing oxygenated compounds (polar phase) and non-oxygenated compounds (non-polar phase) is important to obtain pure non-polar phase ready for the next processing of hydrogenation and used directly as bio-fuel. There has been no research work on co-pyrolysis of biomass-plastic considering possibility of phase separation of bio-oil. The present work is proposing a stirred tank reactor for co-pyrolysis with nitrogen injection, which is capable of tailoring co-pyrolysis conditions leading to low viscosity and viscosity asymmetry, which induce phase separation between polar phase and non-polar phase. The proposed reactor is capable of generating synergistic effect on bio-oil and non-polar yields as the composition of PP in feed is more than 25% weight in which non-polar layers contain only alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes and cycloalkenes.

Integration or segregation: how do molecules behave at oil/water interfaces?

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, F G; Richmond, G L

2008-06-01

It has been over 250 years since Benjamin Franklin, fascinated with the wave-stilling effect of oil on water, performed his famous oil-drop experiments; nevertheless, the behavior of water molecules adjacent to hydrophobic surfaces continues to fascinate today. In the 18th century, the calming of the seas seemed the most pertinent application of such knowledge; today, we understand that oil-on-water phenomena underlie a range of important chemical, physical, and biological processes, including micelle and membrane formation, protein folding, chemical separation, oil extraction, nanoparticle formation, and interfacial polymerization. Beyond classical experiments of the oil-water interface, recent interest has focused on deriving a molecular-level picture of this interface or, more generally, of water molecules positioned next to any hydrophobic surface. This Account summarizes more than a decade's work from our laboratories aimed at understanding the nature of the hydrogen bonding occurring between water and a series of organic liquids in contact. Although the common perception is that water molecules and oil molecules positioned at the interface between the immiscible liquids want nothing to do with one another, we have found that weak interactions between these hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules lead to interesting interfacial behavior, including highly oriented water molecules and layering of the organic medium that extends several molecular layers deep into the bulk organic liquid. For some organic liquids, penetration of oriented water into the organic layer is also apparent, facilitated by molecular interactions established at the molecularly thin region of first contact between the two liquids. The studies involve a combined experimental and computational approach. The primary experimental tool that we have used is vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS), a powerful surface-specific vibrational spectroscopic method for measuring the molecular

Demulsification of crude oil-in-water emulsions by means of fungal spores.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alba Adriana Vallejo-Cardona

Full Text Available The present feature describes for the first time the application of spores from Aspergillus sp. IMPMS7 to break out crude oil-in-water emulsions (O/W. The fungal spores were isolated from marine sediments polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons. The spores exhibited the ability to destabilize different O/W emulsions prepared with medium, heavy or extra-heavy Mexican crude oils with specific gravities between 10.1 and 21.2°API. The isolated fungal spores showed a high hydrophobic power of 89.3 ± 1.9% and with 2 g of spores per liter of emulsion, the half-life for emulsion destabilization was roughly 3.5 and 0.7 h for extra-heavy and medium crude oil, respectively. Then, the kinetics of water separation and the breaking of the O/W emulsion prepared with heavy oil through a spectrofluorometric technique were studied. A decrease in the fluorescence ratio at 339 and 326 nm (I339/I326 was observed in emulsions treated with spores, which is similar to previously reported results using chemical demulsifiers.

Sustainable water management in Alberta's oil sands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byers, Bill; Usher, Robyn; Roach, Andrea [CH2M HILL, Englewood, CO (United States); Lambert, Gord; Kotecha, Prit [Suncor Energy Inc., Calgary (Canada)

2012-07-01

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers forecast published in 2011 predicts that oil production from oil sands will increase by 50% in the next 3 years and double by 2020. This rate of growth will result in significant pressure on water resources; water use per barrel of oil sands production is comparable to other energy resources - about 2.5 barrels of fresh water per barrel of oil produced are used by mining operations and 0.5 barrels by in-situ operations. Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor) was the first company to develop the oil sands in northern Alberta and holds one of the largest oil sands positions in Canada. In 2010, Suncor announced plans to increase production to more than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020, which it plans to achieve through oil sands production growth of approximately 10% per year. Because water supply and potential impacts to water quality are critical to its future growth, in 2010-2011 Suncor conducted a risk assessment to identify water-related business risks related to its northern Alberta operations. The assessment identified more than 20 high level business risks in strategic water risk areas including water supply, water reuse, storm water management, groundwater, waste management and river water return. The risk assessment results prompted development of a strategic roadmap to guide water stewardship across Suncor's regional operations. The roadmap describes goals, objectives, and specific activities for each of six key water risk areas, and informs prioritization and selection of prospective water management activities. Suncor is not only exploring water within its own boundaries, but is also collaborating with other oil sands producers to explore ways of integrating its water systems through industry consortia; Suncor is a member of the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative and of the recently formed Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, among others. (author)

Application of H∞ Robust Control on a Scaled Offshore Oil and Gas De-Oiling Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Yang, Zhenyu

2018-01-01

The offshore de-oiling process is a vital part of current oil recovery, as it separates the profitable oil from water and ensures that the discharged water contains as little of the polluting oil as possible. With the passage of time, there is an increase in the water fraction in reservoirs...... are inefficient in handling fluctuating inflows or complicated operating conditions. This work introduces a model-based robust H ∞ control solution that handles the entire de-oiling system and improves the system’s robustness towards fluctuating flow thereby improving the oil recovery and reducing...

Modeling and detection of oil in sea water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xenaki, Angeliki; Gerstoft, Peter; Mosegaard, Klaus

2013-01-01

The challenge of a deep-water oil leak is that a significant quantity of oil remains in the water column and possibly changes properties. There is a need to quantify the oil settled within the water column and determine its physical properties to assist in the oil recovery. There are currently...... for inference of spatial covariance parameters is proposed to describe the scattering field in terms of its second-order statistics from the backscattered returns. The results indicate that high-frequency acoustic methods not only are suitable for large-scale detection of oil contamination in the water column...

Study notes separability of oil company profitability, efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, R.G.

1993-01-01

In recent years, the large publicly traded oil companies have been restructuring and downsizing to improve efficiency. Newly developed decision theory forces one to question the widely held singular focus on efficiency because improving efficiency will not necessarily improve profits. This is especially likely in the oil industry, where price volatility is the norm. Because its products are so basic, its price volatility typically ripples widely throughout the economy. In light of this, efficiency and profitability in the oil industry require separate treatment. More specifically, the efficient are not necessarily the most profitable; conversely, the most profitable are not necessarily the most efficient. Such a decoupling of efficiency and profitability requires a totally new look at business strategy. In the face of highly variable prices, firms can no longer depend on the long-accepted duality norm between profits and efficiency

Process for treating oil shale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1920-08-22

A process for treating oil shale is characterized in that the shale is first finely ground, then heated in the presence of steam in a high-pressure retort at 1 to 50 atmospheres pressure at a temperature of 200/sup 0/ to 450/sup 0/C and then with large amounts of water with or without materials forming emulsions with water or with oil. Solution medium suitable for bitumen or paraffin is beaten up in a rapid hammer mill until all or most all of the oil or bitumen is emulsified. The emulsion is separated by filter-pressing and centrifuging from the solid shale residue and the oil or bitumen is again separated from the emulsion medium by heating, acidulating, standing, or centrifuging, and then in known ways is further separated, refined, and worked up.

Measurement of oil on water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cordemann, A.; Damaske, O.; Schlaak, M.

1994-01-01

In the measurement of oil on water in the cooling water outflow, in the outfall and intaked of effluent treatment plants, in waterways and in process plants, many methods of measurement available in the market have duration problems or basic difficulties as a result of associated conditions. A series of methods of measurement and equipment has been investigated for the measurement of oil on water. It was been established that the fluorescence method of measurement which operates without contact is especially suitable for this task. (orig.) [de

Water-in-oil emulsions results of formation studies and applicability to oil spill modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingas, Merv; Fieldhouse, Ben; Mullin, Joe

1999-01-01

This paper summarises studies of water-in-oil emulsions, their stability, and modelling of their formation. Studies show that water-in-oil emulsions might be characterised into three categories (stable, mesostable and unstable). These categories were established by visual appearance, elasticity and viscosity difference. It was also shown that water content was not an important factor. A fourth category of water-in-oil exists, that of water entrainment, which is not an emulsion. Water-in-oil emulsions made from crude oils have different classes of stabilities as a result of the asphaltene and resin contents. The differences in the emulsion types are readily distinguished both by their rheological properties, and simply by appearance. The apparent viscosity of a stable emulsion at a shear rate of one reciprocal second, is at least three orders-of-magnitude greater than the starting oil. An unstable emulsion usually has a viscosity no more than one order-of-magnitude greater than that of the starting oil. A stable emulsion has a significant elasticity, whereas an unstable emulsion does not. Stable emulsions have sufficient asphaltenes (>∼7%) to establish films of these compounds around water droplets. Mesostable emulsions have insufficient asphaltenes to render them completely stable. Stability is achieved by visco-elastic retention of water and secondarily by the presence of asphaltene or resin films. Mesostable emulsions display apparent viscosities of about 80-600 times that of the starting oil and true viscosities of 20-200 times that of the starting oil. Mesostable emulsions have an asphaltene and resin content greater than 3%. Entrained water occurs when a viscous oil retains larger water droplets, but conditions are not suitable for the formation of an emulsion. Entrained water may have a viscosity that is similar or slightly greater (∼ 2-10 times) than the starting oil. It was found that emulsion formation occurs at a threshold energy, however this energy

The density behaviour of heavy oils in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingas, M.; Hollebone, B.; Fieldhouse, B.

2006-01-01

The recent concern regarding the difficulty of cleaning up Low API gravity oils (LAPIO) spilled in water was discussed. Sinking and overwashing are 2 phenomena related to the behaviour of these heavy oils in water. Sinking refers to the complete submergence of the oil to the bottom of a waterbody, while over-washing refers to the overflowing of a layer of water over dense oil at sea when the oil is still close to the surface. The latter is important because even a micron-layer of water could render the oil undetectable, particularly at acute viewing angles, such as from a ship. This paper reviewed the properties of heavy oil, the prediction of density changes and the sinking/over-washing of heavy oil. In particular, it discussed a spill which occurred in August 2005 when 11 tank cars from train derailment spilled 800,000 litres of Bunker fuel mixed with high PAH-containing pole-treating oil into Lake Wabamun, Alberta. The behaviour of the oil included submergence, neutral buoyancy, resurfacing and formation of several types of aggregates of oil. This study summarized the behaviours and processes that transformed the particles of oil into small tar balls, larger logs, sheets, and large lumps into a slick. Sediment uptake or loss was found to be the major process that caused the changes in density. The behaviour of the oils was compared with respect to density and uptake of various types of sediment. The paper also reviewed the literature on dense oil behaviour. Weathering experiments performed on dense oils to determine if extensive weathering could render oils heavier than water showed that rarely is weathering the only factor in the bulk sinking of oil. Once an oil is submerged, little weathering occurs, either by dissolution or volatilization. The uptake of particulate matter is the most important process in increasing density. This study reviewed over-washing experiments to develop a mathematical solution of the conditions required for oil to be covered by a

Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Saponified Epoxidized Soybean Oil-Grafted Hydroxyethyl Cellulose.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xujuan; Li, Qiaoguang; Liu, He; Shang, Shibin; Shen, Minggui; Song, Jie

2017-05-03

An oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by saponified epoxidized soybean oil-grafted hydroxyethyl cellulose (H-ESO-HEC) was investigated. By using an ultrasonic method, oil-in-water emulsions were prepared by blending 50 wt % soybean oil and 50 wt % H-ESO-HEC aqueous suspensions. The influence of H-ESO-HEC concentrations on the properties of oil-in-water emulsions was examined. The H-ESO-HEC concentrations in the aqueous phase varied from 0.02 to 0.40 wt %. When the H-ESO-HEC concentration was 0.4 wt %, the emulsion remained stable for >80 days. The mean droplet sizes of the emulsions decreased by increasing the H-ESO-HEC concentration and extending the ultrasonic time. The adsorption amounts of H-ESO-HEC at the oil-water interface increased when the H-ESO-HEC concentrations in the aqueous phase increased. The rheological property revealed that the apparent viscosity of the H-ESO-HEC-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions increased when the H-ESO-HEC concentrations increased. Steady flow curves indicated an interfacial film formation in the emulsions. The evolution of G', G″, and tan η indicated the predominantly elastic behaviors of all the emulsions.

Mass transfer of H2O between petroleum and water: implications for oil field water sample quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCartney, R.A.; Ostvold, T.

2005-01-01

Water mass transfer can occur between water and petroleum during changes in pressure and temperature. This process can result in the dilution or concentration of dissolved ions in the water phase of oil field petroleum-water samples. In this study, PVT simulations were undertaken for 4 petroleum-water systems covering a range of reservoir conditions (80-185 o C; 300-1000 bar) and a range of water-petroleum mixtures (volume ratios of 1:1000-300:1000) to quantify the extent of H 2 O mass transfer as a result of pressure and temperature changes. Conditions were selected to be relevant to different types of oil field water sample (i.e. surface, downhole and core samples). The main variables determining the extent of dilution and concentration were found to be: (a) reservoir pressure and temperature, (b) pressure and temperature of separation of water and petroleum, (c) petroleum composition, and (d) petroleum:water ratio (PWR). The results showed that significant dilution and concentration of water samples could occur, particularly at high PWR. It was not possible to establish simple guidelines for identifying good and poor quality samples due to the interplay of the above variables. Sample quality is best investigated using PVT software of the type used in this study. (author)

Mitigation of Oil in Water Column: Concept Development

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

subsea pipeline leaks , or the leaking of oil from tanks after a damaged vessel has sunk to the bottom. Oil arriving at the surface of the water may...i Classification | CG-926 RDC | author | audience | month year Mitigation of Oil in Water Column: Concept Development Distribution...Center. June 2016 Report No. CG-D-03-16 Mitigation of Oil in Water Column: Concept Development ii UNCLAS//Public | CG-926 RDC

Prevention of oil spill pollution in sea water using locally available materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anisuddin, S.; Al-Hashar, Naseer A.; Tahseen, S.

2005-01-01

Oil spill pollution, a severe environmental problem, which persists in marine environment or in inland water across the world, has grown to an alarming magnitude with increased levels of oil production and transport. The causes oil pollution are categorized as either accidental or operational, wherever oil is produced, transported, stored and used on the surface of sea or land. Hence, it is almost impossible for marine life to be freed from the adverse affects of oil spill, through the discharge of oil is controlled by an international convention. Prime concern for the health of marine life has created an instinct for undertaking this study by authors. Objectives of the present work include testing of four different local materials in separating oil from having different oil concentrations, and their efficiency of removal. The work also focuses on effect of time of contact and dosage of materials used for oil removal. Corchorus depressus locally available has proved to be more effective when compared to other materials utilized in addressing oil-spill related problems. At the same time its byproducts do not give rise to unwanted hazards to marine life. (author)

Transient Simulations of Gas-Oil-Water Separation Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tor S. Schei

1991-01-01

Full Text Available A set of mathematical models for the dynamic simulation of offshore processing plants is developed. Each process unit is modeled separately, and the various models are integrated into a system for the simulation of an entire plant. The purpose of the simulation system is to study the effects of various disturbances and investigate appropriate control strategies. Important variables subject to control are pressure, flow rate, temperature, vessel liquid level and compressor speed. In separators the rate of interfacial mass transfer between the liquid and vapour phases at non-equilibrium is modeled as a first order time lag. The vapour liquid equilibrium ratio is linearized with respect to variations in pressure and temperature for each separator stage. A realistic scenario is chosen in order to demonstrate the capabilities of the simulation system.

Oil-in-water lipid emulsions: implications for parenteral and ocular delivering systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamilvanan, S

2004-11-01

Lipid emulsions (LEs) are heterogenous dispersions of two immiscible liquids (oil-in-water or water-in-oil) and they are subjected to various instability processes like aggregation, flocculation, coalescence and hence eventual phase separation according to the second law of thermodynamics. However, the physical stability of the LE can substantially be improved with help of suitable emulsifiers that are capable of forming a mono- or multi-layer coating film around the dispersed liquid droplets in such a way to reduce interfacial tension or to increase droplet-droplet repulsion. Depending on the concentrations of these three components (oil-water-emulsifier) and the efficiency of the emulsification equipments used to reduce droplet size, the final LE may be in the form of oil-in-water (o/w), water-in-oil (w/o), micron, submicron and double or multiple emulsions (o/w/o and w/o/w). The o/w type LEs (LE) are colloidal drug carriers, which have various therapeutic applications. As an intravenous delivery system it incorporates lipophilic water non-soluble drugs, stabilize drugs that tend to undergo hydrolysis and reduce side effects of various potent drugs. When the LE is used as an ocular delivery systems they increase local bioavailability, sustain the pharmacological effect of drugs and decrease systemic side effects of the drugs. Thus, the rationale of using LE as an integral part of effective treatment is clear. Following administration of LE through these routes, the biofate of LE associated bioactive molecules are somehow related to the vehicles disposition kinetics inside blood or eyeball. However, the LE is not devoid from undergoing various bio-process while exerting their efficacious actions. The purpose of this review is therefore to give an implication of LE for parenteral and ocular delivering systems.

Membranes obtained from alumina from separation water/oil; Membranas obtidas a partir do residuo de alumina para separacao de agua/oleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosas Neto, M.I.; Lira, H.L; Guimaraes, I.O; Franca, K.B., E-mail: moisesnetu@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), PB, (Brazil)

2016-07-01

This study aims to evaluate by flow test emulsion water/oil a membrane obtained from a crude residue of the alumina industry and see if this membrane is able to filter this emulsion within the limits specified by CONAMA. In this work, tubular membranes composed of the alumina and the residue bentonite clay were produced by extrusion and were sintered at 900, 1000 and 1100 ° C. tangential flow tests were conducted with deionized water and subsequently with an emulsion of water / oil, all done with a pressure of 1.5 bar. The results showed that membranes produced from the crude residue the alumina industry were quite efficient the emulsion's oil removal, reducing the concentration of about 100 ppm in the feed, to below 5ppm and flow rates of around 30L/h.m{sup 2}. (author)

Influence of infiltrated water on the change of formation water and oil permeability of crude oil bearing rocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cubric, S

1970-09-01

A brief desription is given of the causes of permeability reduction of oil-bearing rocks, due to well damage during the drilling and well completion or when working over wells. The physical properties of 2-phase flow (crude oil-water) and the possibility of increasing the existing permeability of the formation, because of the water infiltrated from the well into the crude oil layer, are described in detail. Field examples show that there are such cases, and that the artificially increased existing permeability of water-bearing rocks can be reduced and even brought to normal, if the adjacent formation zone layer is treated with surfactants (e.g., Hyflo dissolved in crude oil).

Nano-and microstructure of air/oil/water interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGillivray, D.; Mata, J.; White, J.; Zank, J.

2009-01-01

Full text: We report the creation of air/oil/water interfaces with variable thickness oil films, using polyisobutylen based (PIB) surfactants co-spread with long-chain paraffinic alkanes on clean water surfaces. The resultant stable oil layers are readily measurable with simple surface techniques, exhibit physical densities the same as expected for bulk oils, and are up to - 1 00 A thick above the water surface as determined using x-ray reflectometry. This provides a ready system for studying the competition of surfactants at the oil/water interface. Results from the competition of a non-ionic polyamide surfactant or an anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate with the PIB surfactant are reported. However, this smooth oil layer does not account for the total volume of spread oil, nor is the increase in thickness proportional to the film compression. Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) reveals surfactant and oil structures on the scale of 1 to 10μm at the interface. At low surface pressure (π m Nm-1) large, -10μm inhomogeneities are observed. Beyond a phase transition observed at ∼ 24 m Nm-1 a structure with a spongy appearance and a micron-scale texture develops. These structures have implications for understanding the microstructure at the oil/water interface in emulsions.

Aquatek introduces new oily water technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

Many conventional oily water separators cause clogged filters on marine vessels, which has led some operators to illegally discharge oily wastes into lakes and oceans. This article presented details of a simple and reliable technology to separate chemically emulsified and mechanically suspended oil particles from water. Designed by Newfoundland entrepreneurs and commercialized by Aquatek Environmental Inc., the Aquatek separator does not require membranes or chemicals and can be configured to function without moving parts or external energy. The small size of the separator has made it the subject of considerable interest at marine technology shows. The technology is able to treat highly variable concentrations of oily water without clogging, and works on low oil concentrations as well as fluids consisting of all-free oil. The Aquatek has the ability to separate oil from water as well as water from oil. Tests have indicated that the technology can also be used to treat produced water at oilfields. It was concluded that the separator is a major improvement over other available products. 2 figs

Effect of liquid oil additive on lithium-ion battery ceramic composite separator prepared with an aqueous coating solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sang Woo [Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223–24, Cheonan-daero, Cheonan, Chungnam, 31080 (Korea, Republic of); Ryou, Myung-Hyun [Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Hanbat National University, 125, Dongseodaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yong Min, E-mail: yongmin.lee@hanbat.ac.kr [Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Hanbat National University, 125, Dongseodaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Kuk Young, E-mail: kycho@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 55, Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangrok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-05

Ceramic composite separators (CCSs) play a critical role in ensuring safety for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), especially for mid- and large-sized devices. However, production of CCSs using organic solvents has some cost and environmental concerns. An aqueous process for fabricating CCSs is attractive because of its cost-effectiveness and environmental-friendliness because organic solvents are not used. The success of an aqueous coating system for LIBs is dependent upon minimizing moisture content, as moisture has a negatively impact on LIB performance. In this study, CCSs were fabricated using an aqueous coating solution containing Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and an acrylic binder. Compared with polyethylene (PE) separators, CCSs coated with an aqueous coating solution showed improved thermal stability, electrolyte uptake, puncture strength, ionic conductivity, and rate capability. In addition, our new approach of introducing a small amount of an oily liquid to the aqueous coating solution reduced the water adsorption by 11.7% compared with coatings that do not contain the oily liquid additive. - Highlights: • Ceramic composite separator is fabricated using aqueous coating process. • Coated separator showed enhanced mechanical and thermal stability. • Liquid oil additive in coating solution reduce moisture reabsorption of separator. • Oil additive in aqueous coating solution does not deteriorate LIB performance.

Estimation Of Height Of Oil -Water Contact Above Free Water Level ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An estimate of oil-water contact (OWC) and the understanding of the capillary behaviour of hydrocarbon reservoirs are vital for optimum reservoir characterization, hydrocarbon exploration and production. Hence, the height of oil-water contact above free water level for different rock types from some Niger Delta reservoirs ...

Facility to separate water and steam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loesel, G.

1977-01-01

The water/steam mixture from the pressure vessel e.g. of a BWR is separated by means of centrifugal separators untilizing the natural separation of steam. The steam is supplied to a steam drying vessel and the water to a water collecting tank. These vessels may be combined to a common vessel or connected through additional pipes. From the water collecting tank, arranged below the steam dryer, a feedwater pipe runs back to the pressure vessel. By construction out of individual components cleaning, decontamination, and operating control are essentially simplified. (RW) 891 RW [de

Exploratory study on prevaporation membranes for removal of water from water-crude oil emulsions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-01-11

The main objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of removing water from oil/water and water/oil emulsions by means of prevaporation. Simulated oil/water and water/oil emulsions were prepared by mixing water and kerosene of various concentrations and stabilized by adding sodium lauryl sulfate. Preliminary experiments were conducted on 12 membranes fabricated from two different materials. One membrane of each type of material was chosen for further work based on the results of preliminary tests, in which two different kinds of membranes, cellulose and polyvinylalcohol, were used. All experiments were carried out under two different down-stream pressures and various temperatures. The tests showed clearly that permeation rate increases at increasing temperatures. It was demonstrated that over 97% of water can be recovered from synthetic oil emulsions. The results also proved that both cellulose and polyvinylalcohol membranes produced permeates relatively free of oil even when the synthetic or crude oil emulsions had oil content higher than 90%. The study concluded that prevaporation was effective, but more extensive studies on various field oil emulsions with improved membrane material and systems were necessary due to the complex and site-specific characteristics of the actual field emulsions. 3 figs., 8 tabs.

Terminal separation plant for collecting petroleum and by-product gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marinin, N S; Shcherbina, V E; Burma, A I

1966-06-08

A separation plant at a transportation terminal, for collecting petroleum and by-product gas, consists of 1 or 2 vessels with gas separating device, automatic control devices, demulsifier distributors, a mixer for mixing hot water with the demulsified residue and raw crude oil stream, an apparatus for supplying oil-in-water emulsion under a water cushion, and 2 separating partitions which are located at the end of the vessel. In order to fully use the volume of the vessel, one partition does not touch the bottom, while the other does not touch the top of the tank.

In-Situ Burning of Crude Oil on Water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Gelderen, Laurens

in the small scale water basin. Boilovers were also observed during the burning of a heavy crude oil with a substantial light fraction without a water layer, however, which suggests that water is not essential for boilover occurrence. Further studies are required to determine the conditions under which......The fire dynamics and fire chemistry of in-situ burning of crude oil on water was studied in order to improve predictions on the suitability of this oil spill response method. For this purpose, several operational parameters were studied to determine the factors that control the burning efficiency...... of in-situ burning, i.e. the amount of oil (in wt%) removed from the water surface by the burning process. The burning efficiency is the main parameter for expressing the oil removal effectiveness of in-situ burning as response method and is thus relevant for suitability predictions of in-situ burning...

Oil production and water management in Oman

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, D.H.; Kuijvenhoven, C.A.T.; Waterland, R.D.; Smies, M.

1991-01-01

This paper describes the development of integrated (production) water management in Petroleum Development Oman. In its existing oil fields the water cut is rising rapidly and water production is expected to increase two to three times in the next 15 years. Re-injection of production water will continue to account for less than half of the volume of co-produced water. Current subsurface disposal of production water to shallow Tertiary formations is based on thorough knowledge of the local hydrogeology and does not affect potable water resources. However, in view of the expected increase in production water volume, utilization and disposal options have been re-evaluated. This review has been facilitated by recently acquired data on production water quality and by the results of research in dehydration and de-oiling technologies and of tests with production chemicals. The combined knowledge base is used to arrive at water management strategies for individual oil fields that are sound both in principle and in practice

A new Experimental Rig for Oil Burning on Water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brogaard, Nicholas L.; Sørensen, Martin X.; Fritt-Rasmussen, Janne

2014-01-01

A new experimental apparatus, the Crude Oil Flammability Apparatus (COFA), has been developed to study in-situ burning of crude and pure oils spilled on water in a controlled laboratory environment with large water-to-oil ratios. The parameters and phenomena studied for an asphaltic crude oil...... is superheated. When the initial crude oil layer thickness exceeded 20 mm the oil became solid and no boilover occurred. The heat-loss to the water sub-layer also had an effect on the burning efficiency and the regression rate was found to reach a constant value after increasing continuously as the oil...... (Grane) and two pure oils (n-Octane and dodecane) with different initial oil layer thicknesses include burning efficiency, burning rate, regression rate, flame height and boilover. Pyrex glass cylinders (157 and 260 mm ID) placed on top of a steel foot in a water basin (1m x 1m x 0.5m) enabled free...

Absorption of water and lubricating oils into porous nylon

Science.gov (United States)

Bertrand, P. A.

1995-01-01

Oil and water absorption from air into sintered porous nylon can be described by infiltration into the pores of the material. This process can be modeled by a diffusion-like mechanism. For water absorption, we find a formal diffusion coefficient of 1.5 x 10(exp -4)sq cm/min when the nylon is initially dry. The diffusion coefficient is 4 x 10(exp -6)sq cm/min when the nylon is oil-impregnated prior to air exposure. In a 52% RH atmosphere, dry nylon absorbs 3% w/w water, and oil-impregnated nylon absorbs 0.6% w/w water. For oil absorption there are three steps: (1) surface absorption and infiltration into (2) larger and (3) smaller pores. Surface absorption is too fast to be measured in these experiments. The diffusion coefficient for the second step is 6 x 10(exp -4)sq cm/min for SRG-60 oil into dry nylon and 4 x 10(exp -4)sq cm/min for air-equilibrated nylon. The diffusion coefficient for the third step is about 1 x 10(exp -6)sq cm/min for both cases. The total amount of oil absorbed is 31% w/w. The interaction between water and nylon is not as strong as that between water and cotton-phenolic: oil can replace water, and only a small amount of water can enter previously oil-impregnated nylon.

Influence of fat crystals in the oil phase on stability of oil-in-water emulsions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boekel, van M.A.J.S.

1980-01-01

Coalescence at rest and during flow was studied in emulsions of paraffin oil in water with several surfactants and with crystals of solid paraffin or tristearate in the oil phase. Solid fat in the oil phase was estimated by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. Without crystals, oil-in-water emulsions

Water footprints of products of oil palm plantations and palm oil mills in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Suttayakul, Phetrada; H-Kittikun, Aran; Suksaroj, Chaisri; Mungkalasiri, Jitti; Wisansuwannakorn, Ruthairat; Musikavong, Charongpun

2016-01-15

The water footprint (WF) of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) from oil palm plantations and crude palm oil (CPO) from palm oil mills in southern and eastern Thailand were determined over 25 years. Climatic conditions, soil characteristics, and the characteristics of oil palm growth were considered. The WF of FFBs was 1063 m(3)/ton (t) on average. Green, blue, and grey waters comprised of 68, 18, and 14% of total WF, respectively. The oil palm plantations in Thailand required smaller amounts of indirect blue water. The average WF for producing a ton of CPO of seven mills was 5083 m(3). Most of the waters used in the mills originated from indirect green, blue and grey waters from the plantations. The direct blue water used in the mills had less impact on the total WF, lower than 1% of the total WF. Average percentages of green, blue, and grey waters of 69, 16, and 15% of total WF were determined for the mills, respectively. The water deprivation of the FFBs and CPO ranged from 0.73-12.9 and 3.44-58.3 m(3)H2Oeq/t, respectively. In 2013, the CPO production in Thailand including green, blue, and grey waters from plantation and blue water from mills required 11,343 million m(3) water. If the oil palm variety Suratthani 7 is used in the plantation, it would increase the yield from 15.2 to 22.8 t FFBs/ha-year and decrease the WF to 888 m(3)/t FFBs. The average value of the oil extraction rate (OER) of mills was 18.1%. With an increase in the OER of 1%, a reduction of the WF of 250 m(3)/t CPO or 5.1% of total WF could be obtained. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combination of novel coalescing oil water separator and electrocoagulation technique for treatment of petroleum compound contaminated groundwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Oladzad, Sepideh; Fallah, Narges; Nasernejad, Bahram

2017-07-01

In the present study a combination of a novel coalescing oil water separator (COWS) and electrocoagulation (EC) technique was used for treatment of petroleum product contaminated groundwater. In the first phase, COWS was used as the primary treatment. Two different types of coalescing media and two levels of flow rates were examined in order to find the optimum conditions. The effluent of COWS was collected in optimum conditions and was treated using an EC process in the second phase of the research. In this phase, preliminary experiments were conducted in order to investigate the effect of EC reaction time and sedimentation time on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency. Best conditions for EC reaction time and sedimentation time were obtained to be 5 min and 30 min, respectively. Response surface methodology was applied to evaluate the effect of initial pH, current density and aeration rate on settling velocity (V s ) and effluent COD. The optimum conditions, for achieving maximum values of V s as well as the values of effluent COD, in the range of results were obtained at conditions of 7, 34 mA·cm -2 and 1.5 L·min -1 for initial pH, current density and aeration rate, respectively.

Novel Downhole Electromagnetic Flowmeter for Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow in High-Water-Cut Oil-Producing Wells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanjun; Li, Haoyu; Liu, Xingbin; Zhang, Yuhui; Xie, Ronghua; Huang, Chunhui; Hu, Jinhai; Deng, Gang

2016-10-14

First, the measuring principle, the weight function, and the magnetic field of the novel downhole inserted electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) are described. Second, the basic design of the EMF is described. Third, the dynamic experiments of two EMFs in oil-water two-phase flow are carried out. The experimental errors are analyzed in detail. The experimental results show that the maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 5%, the total flowrate is 5-60 m³/d, and the water-cut is higher than 60%. The maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 7%, the total flowrate is 2-60 m³/d, and the water-cut is higher than 70%. Finally, onsite experiments in high-water-cut oil-producing wells are conducted, and the possible reasons for the errors in the onsite experiments are analyzed. It is found that the EMF can provide an effective technology for measuring downhole oil-water two-phase flow.

Novel Downhole Electromagnetic Flowmeter for Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow in High-Water-Cut Oil-Producing Wells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanjun Wang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available First, the measuring principle, the weight function, and the magnetic field of the novel downhole inserted electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF are described. Second, the basic design of the EMF is described. Third, the dynamic experiments of two EMFs in oil-water two-phase flow are carried out. The experimental errors are analyzed in detail. The experimental results show that the maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 5%, the total flowrate is 5–60 m3/d, and the water-cut is higher than 60%. The maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 7%, the total flowrate is 2–60 m3/d, and the water-cut is higher than 70%. Finally, onsite experiments in high-water-cut oil-producing wells are conducted, and the possible reasons for the errors in the onsite experiments are analyzed. It is found that the EMF can provide an effective technology for measuring downhole oil-water two-phase flow.

Water control for enhanced oil recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cole, R.C.; Mody, B.; Pace, J.

1981-11-01

Gains in recovery efficiency in W. Texas oil and gas fields have been realized as a result of applying 4 different chemical processes, either singly or in combination. Each of the 4 chemical processes has been tailored to meet specific reservoir requirements. Complete plugging of high flow capacity channels can be accomplished, and the high water production portion of a producing zone can be sealed by injection of gel-forming chemicals into the matrix. Both floodwater diversion and water-oil mobility ratio improvement can be attained by in situ polymerization of a one-stage polymer bank in the reservoir. In producing wells, the water-oil production ratio can be favorably changed by treating certain formulations with a nonplugging polymer which tends to restrict water flow but not oil. One feature which each of the 4 processes has in common is the ability to invade deeply into matrix which may produce long lasting results. A description of each process is presented with various placement techniques used to obtain optimum results. Data from fields which have benefited from these treatments are presented. The work describes what may be expected with each of these proven processes based on field results.

Produced water: Market and global trends - oil production - water production - choice of technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, Steve

2006-01-01

The presentation discusses various aspects of the world oil production, the energy demand, the future oil supply, the oil prices and the production growth. Some problems with produced water are also discussed as well as aspects of the market for produced water technology (tk)

Recycling of used oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vipulanandan, C.; Ghurye, G.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on used oil which is a valuable resource that should be recycled. Recycling used oil saves energy and natural resources. Used oil can be reprocessed and used as fuel in industrial burners and boilers. Unfortunately, more than 400 million gallons/year of used oil is lost through widespread dumping, partly due to lack of effective recycling procedures. Although used oil is not currently a federally listed hazardous waste, the U.S. EPA has proposed to list it as a hazardous waste, which will make recycling of used oil even more attractive. Laboratory samples, representing used oil, were used for detailed parametric studies and to determine the limitation of extending some of the current physical separation techniques such as sedimentation and centrifuging developed for oil-water and solid-liquid separation

Study on the potential of water/oil of tubular alumina ceramics through flux and turbidity analysis; Estudo do potencial de separacao agua/oleo de membranas ceramicas tubulares de alumina atraves da analise das medidas de fluxo e turbidez

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, A.A; Melo, K.S. [Universidade Federal, Campina Grande, PB (Brazil)]. E-mail: adrianasilva_cg@yahoo.com.br; Maia, J.B.N.; Franca, R.V.; Silva, R.A.V.; Lira, H.L.; Carvalho, L.H. [Universidade Federal, Campina Grande, PB (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia de Materiais]. E-mail: helio@dema.ufpb.br; Franca, K.B.; Rodrigues, M.G.F [Universidade Federal, Campina Grande, PB (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Quimica]. E-mail: kepler@labdes.ufpb.br

2003-07-01

In the last years, a considerable attention was given to the effluents composed by contaminated water with oil and the impact on the environment . The water pollution by oleaginous hydrocarbon is specially harmful to the aquatic life, decreasing the transmission of light and disturb the normal mechanism of oxygen transfer. So, to remove oil from water is an important aspect to control the pollution from several industries. The ceramic membranes act as a barrier for the emulsified oil. It has been studied enough as a medium to separate oil/ water from stable emulsions. The objective of this work is to present an evaluation of the separation potential of a tubular alumina ceramic membrane made in laboratory from Materials Engineering Department, Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG). It was done test of flux and concentration of oil the permeate. The results showed that the membranes can be satisfactorily used in the oil/water separation. (author)

Investigation of produced waters radioactivity of oil and gas deposits in the Dnieper-Donets province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Plyatsuk L. D.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The process of radioactive pollution of produced waters, oilfield equipment, oil-contaminated soils and sludge is widely spread and differs within the various oil and gas regions. Formation waters contained radioactive element isotopes become the significant source and cause of elevated level of equivalent dose power and as a consequence, an increase in the incidence among the population. The author's idea is formulation of specific recommendations on the decontamination of the investigated objects by conducting the necessary appropriate experimental studies. The purpose of the article is to determine the content of radionuclides, γ- and α-emitters in technogenic objects of Bugruvate oil and gas fields, and to reveal the relationship with the features of mineralogical composition, geological structure and technological process. The γ-spectrometric analysis was used to determine the radionuclide composition of the natural radiators of the 238U (226Ra, 214Pо, 214Bi and 232Th (228Ac, 212Pb, 212Вi series in samples of technological sludge, oil, individual soil samples and water. The content of radionuclides of α-emitters was determined using separate radiochemical techniques. It was investigated that the radioactivity of the formation water is mainly determined by 226Ra and 228Ra and the products of their decay.

From oil-based mud to water-based mud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christiansen, C.

1991-01-01

Maersk Olie og Gas AS has used low toxic oil-based muds extensively since 1982 for drilling development wells and later in the development of horizontal well drilling techniques. However, in view of the strong drive towards a reduction in the amount of oil discharged to the North Sea from the oil industry, Maersk Olie og Gas AS initiated trials with new or improved types of water-based mud, first in deviated wells (1989) and then in horizontal wells (1990). The paper reviews Maersk Olie og Gas As experience with oil-based mud since the drilling of the first horizontal well in 1987, specifically with respect to cuttings washing equipment, oil retention on cuttings, and the procedure for monitoring of this parameter. It describes the circumstances leading to the decision to revert to water-based mud systems. Finally, it reviews the experience gained so far with the new improved types of water-based mud systems, mainly glycol and KCl/polymer mud systems. Comparison of operational data, such as rate of penetration, torque and drag, etc., is made between wells drilled with oil-based mud and water-based mud. The trials with the new improved types of water-based mud systems have been positive, i.e. horizontal wells can be drilled successfully with water-based mud. As a result, Maersk Olie og and Gas AS has decided to discontinue the use of low toxic oil-based muds in the Danish sector of the North Sea

Screening of thermotolerant microorganisms and application for oil separation from palm oil mill wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aran H-Kittikun

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The characteristics of palm oil mill wastewater (POMW were brown color, pH 3.8-4.3, temperature 48-55oC, total solids 68.2-82.1 g/l, suspended solids 26.2-65.6 g/l, oil and grease 19.1-25.1 g/l, COD 49.9-160.7g/l and BOD 32.5-75.3 g/l. After centrifugation (3,184 xg of 50 ml POMW for 10 min, the POMW was separated into 3 layers: top (oil, middle (supernatant and bottom layer (sediment. The sediment containeddry weight 1.19 g and oil and grease 1.07 g. In order to release oil and grease trapped in palm fiber debris in the POMW, cellulase- and/or xylanase-enzyme-producing and thermotolerant microorganisms wereisolated. The isolates SO1 and SO2 were isolated from soil near the first anaerobic pond of the palm oil mill. They were aerobic, Gram positive, rod shaped, thermotolerant microorganisms and produced cellulase 12.11 U/ml (3 days and 7.2 U/ml (4 days, and xylanase 50.98 U/ml (4 days and 20.42 U/ml (4 days, respectivelyin synthetic medium containing carboxymethycellulose as a carbon source. When these 2 isolates were added into the steriled POMW under shaking condition for 7 days, after centrifugation at 3,184 xg the isolate SO1gave the better % reduction of dry weight (64.66 % and of oil and grease in the bottom layer (85.32 % of the POMW.

A new generation of models for water-in-oil emulsion formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingas, M.

2009-01-01

Water-in-oil emulsions form after oil or petroleum products are spilled, and can make the cleanup of oil spills difficult. This paper discussed new modelling schemes designed for the formation of water-in-oil emulsions. Density, viscosity, asphaltene and resin contents were used to compute a class index for unstable, entrained water-in-oil states, meso-stable, or stable emulsions. Prediction schemes were used to estimate the water content and viscosity of the water-in-oil states and the time to formation with wave height inputs. A numerical values was used for each type of water-in-oil type. The properties of the starting oil were correlated with the numerical scheme. New regressions were then performed using a Gaussian-style regression expansion technique. Data obtained from the models suggested that water-in-oil types are stabilized by both asphaltenes and resins. The optimized model was then compared with earlier models. The study showed that the new model has the capacity to accurately predict oil-in-water types approximately 90 per cent of the time using only resin, saturate, asphaltene, viscosity, and density data. 17 refs., 8 tabs., 8 figs

The Effect Of Additional Detergent In Crude Palm Oil In The Process Of Separation Stearin

Science.gov (United States)

Rezekyah Hasibuan, Vina; aini, Nur; Febriyanti; Ayubi Pane, Salahudin Al

2018-03-01

This study aims to find out how much stearin is formed from the addition of detergent and to understand the process of separation of crude olein with crude stearin from raw material of crude palm oil (CPO). Using a detergent fractionation system, detergent fractionation is a continuous crystallization of oil with controlled cooling and the separation of fractions by weight or centrifuge after supplementing surfactant.

Application of TIE's in assessing toxicity associated with oil sands process waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKinnon, M.

1998-01-01

The hot water digestion process which separates bitumen from oil sands produces large volumes of process-affected waters which are extremely toxic to aquatic organisms. At Syncrude Canada's northeastern Alberta plant, the toxic waters are contained on the site and none are discharged. Organic acids, hydrocarbons and salts are leached into the tailings waters. A toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) test was used to confirm the main contributors to the acute toxicity in these waters. A battery bioassay approach as well as field and laboratory testing was used to understand the source, pathway and duration of the toxicity. Bioassays helped in developing ways in which to mitigate toxicity issues in both reclamation and operational waters. It was demonstrated that natural bioremediation of process-affected waters can reduce acute and chronic toxicity. The long term reclamation impacts of these waters has yet to be determined

Active oil-water interfaces: buckling and deformation of oil drops by bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Juarez, Gabriel; Stocker, Roman

2014-11-01

Bacteria are unicellular organisms that seek nutrients and energy for growth, division, and self-propulsion. Bacteria are also natural colloidal particles that attach and self-assemble at liquid-liquid interfaces. Here, we present experimental results on active oil-water interfaces that spontaneously form when bacteria accumulate or grow on the interface. Using phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopy, we simultaneously observed the dynamics of adsorbed Alcanivorax bacteria and the oil-water interface within microfluidic devices. We find that, by growing and dividing, adsorbed bacteria form a jammed monolayer of cells that encapsulates the entire oil drop. As bacteria continue to grow at the interface, the drop buckles and the interface undergoes strong deformations. The bacteria act to stabilize non-equilibrium shapes of the oil-phase such wrinkling and tubulation. In addition to presenting a natural example of a living interface, these findings shape our understanding of microbial degradation of oil and may have important repercussions on engineering interventions for oil bioremediation.

Analysis of polyethoxylated surfactants in microemulsion-oil-water systems III. Fractionation and partitioning of polyethoxylated alcohol surfactants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marquez, N.; Bravo, B.; Ysambertt, F.; Chavez, G.; Subero, N.; Salager, J.L.

2002-01-01

Oligomer distribution of polyethoxylated alcohol and polyethoxylated nonylphenol surfactants is studied by normal and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A RP8 column is able to efficiently separate these surfactants according to their alkyl chain (lipophilic) group, while silica and amino columns separate them according to their polyether chain length (hydrophilic group). Polyethoxylated alcohol and polyethoxylated nonylphenol oligomers selectively partition between the microemulsion-oil-water phases of a Winsor III system. Partitioning of these oligomers was analyzed by HPLC with RI detection. The logarithm of the partition coefficient between the water and oil linearly increases with the number of ethylene oxide groups per molecule of oligomer. For a same ethoxylation degree, the partition coefficient of a polyethoxylated tridecanol is found to be higher than the one of the corresponding nonylphenol specie. On the other hand, a polyethoxylated nonylphenol exhibits a higher solubilization than the matching polyethoxylated alcohol

From water-in-oil to oil-in-water emulsions to optimize the production of fatty acids using ionic liquids in micellar systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Luísa D F; Coutinho, João A P; Ventura, Sónia P M

2015-01-01

Biocatalysis is nowadays considered as one of the most important tools in green chemistry. The elimination of multiple steps involved in some of the most complex chemical synthesis, reducing the amounts of wastes and hazards, thus increasing the reaction yields and decreasing the intrinsic costs, are the major advantages of biocatalysis. This work aims at improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of olive oil to produce valuable fatty acids through emulsion systems formed by long alkyl chain ionic liquids (ILs). The optimization of the emulsion and the best conditions to maximize the production of fatty acids were investigated. The stability of the emulsion was characterized considering the effect of several parameters, namely, the IL and its concentration and different water/olive oil volumetric ratios. ILs from the imidazolium and phosphonium families were evaluated. The results suggest that the ILs effect on the hydrolysis performance varies with the water concentration and the emulsion system formed, that is, water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion. Although at low water concentrations, the presence of ILs does not present any advantages for the hydrolysis reaction, at high water contents (in oil-in-water emulsions), the imidazolium-based IL acts as an enhancer of the lipase catalytic capacity, super-activating 1.8 times the enzyme, and consequently promoting the complete hydrolysis of the olive oil for the highest water contents [85% (v/v)]. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Separation and extraction device for mixed radioactive waste water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamachi, Kimio; Takebe, Tsukasa.

1989-01-01

The separation device for radioactive sludges comprises cyclone separators each made of conical vessel and arranged in a plurality of stages in series, in which only oils of low density are extracted at the initial stage and heavy sludges are separated from a mixture of water and sludges in the succeeding stage. When sludges are injected at high velocity to the conical vessel in the tangential direction at the edge thereof. The heavy components in the sewage sludges move from the central portion to the outer circumference of the voltex flow and impinge against the inner wall of the vessel. If the vessel is a cylindrical shape or such a shape having a small slope spproximate to that of a cylinder and has short length, the entire portion is swirled and the heavy components are deposited to the inner circumference of the cylinder of the centrifugal force making it difficult for discharge. However, in a vessel of conical shape, since the inner wall of the vessel is inclined, the stream is directed downward by the vertical component thereof and only the heavy components move selectively downward. Thus the size of the device is reduced as a whole and the consumption of filter is reduced. (N.H.)

Mitigating oil spills in the water column

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barry, Edward; Libera, Joseph A.; Mane, Anil University; Avila, Jason R.; DeVitis, David

2017-01-01

The scale and scope of uncontrolled oil spills can be devastating. Diverse marine environments and fragile ecologies are some of the most susceptible to the many ill effects, while the economic costs can be crippling. A notoriously difficult challenge with no known technological solution is the successful removal of oil dispersed in the water column. Here, we address this problem through cheap and reusable oil sorbents based on the chemical modification of polymer foams. Interfacial chemistry was optimized and subsequently tested in a simulated marine environment at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, Ohmsett. We find favorable performance for surface oil mitigation and, for the first time, demonstrate the advanced sorbent's efficiency and efficacy at pilot scale in extraction of crude oil and refined petroleum products dispersed in the water column. As a result, this is a potentially disruptive technology, opening a new field of environmental science focused on sub-surface pollutant sequestration.

Effect of capillary number on the oil recovery using oil-water emulsion injection in core flooding experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guillen Nunez, Victor Raul; Carvalho, Marcio da Silveira [Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), RJ (Brazil). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering], E-mail: msn@puc-rio.br; Basante, Vladimir Alvarado [University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Chemical/Petroleum Engineering], E-mail: valvard@uwyo.edu

2010-07-01

The Water injection flooding is a common method to improve reservoir sweep and pressure maintenance. The heavy-oil-recovery efficiency is in part limited by the high water-to-oil mobility ratio. Several enhanced oil recovery methods are being developed as more efficient alternatives to water flooding. Dispersion injection, in particular oil-water emulsion injection, has been tried with relative success as an enhanced oil recovery method, but the technique is not fully developed or understood. If emulsion injection proves to be an effective EOR method, its use would bring the added benefit of disposing produced water with small oil content that could be modified to serve as the injected oil-water emulsion. The use of such methods requires a detailed analysis of the different flow regimes of emulsions through the porous space of a reservoir rock. If the drop size of the disperse phase is of the same order of magnitude as the pore size, the drops may agglomerate and partially block water flow through pores. This flow regime may be used to control the mobility of the injected liquid, leading to higher recovery factor. We have shown in recent experiments of oil displacement in a sandstone core that, the oil recovery factor could be raised from approximately 40 %, obtained with water injection only, up to approximately 75 % by alternating water and emulsion injection. Although these results clearly show the improvement in the recovery factor, the mechanisms responsible for the phenomenon have not been clearly elucidated. In this work, two sandstone cores were used to demonstrate the effect of flow rate (capillary number) on the mobility control by emulsion injection. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the experiment set-up. The experiments show that raising the flow rate by a factor of 10 (0.03 ml/min to 0.3 ml/min), the oil recovered factor decreases considerably. (author)

Organically modified clay removes oil from water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alther, G.R.

1995-01-01

When bentonite or other clays and zeolite are modified with quaternary amines, they become organophilic. Such modified bentonites are used to remove mechanically emulsified oil and grease, and other sparingly soluble organics. Types of oil found in water can include fats, lubricants, cutting fluids, heavy hydrocarbons such as tars, grease, crude oil, diesel oils; and light hydrocarbons such as kerosene, jet fuel, and gasoline. If the organoclay is granulated, it is placed into a liquid phase carbon filter vessel to remove FOGs (Free Oil and Grease) and chlorinated hydrocarbons. In this application the clay is mixed with anthrazite to prevent early plugging of the filter by oil or grease droplets. In batch systems a powdered organoclay is employed. Organoclay removes mechanically emulsified oil and grease at 5--7 times the rate of activated carbon, or 50% of its dry weight. Oil and grease and other large sparingly soluble chlorinated hydrocarbons and NOMs (Natural Organic Matter) blind the pores of activated carbon (and ion-exchange resins), reducing its effectiveness significantly. It is therefore economically advantageous for the end user to prepolish the water before it enters carbon vessels. Operating costs can often be reduced by 50% or more

Numerical modeling of oil spills in continental and estuarine waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goeury, C.

2012-10-01

The application of the European Water Framework Directive on water quality for human consumption and industrial activities creates a need for water quality assessment and monitoring systems. The MIGR'HYCAR research project (http://www.migrhycar.com) was initiated to provide decisional tools for risks connected to oil spills in continental waters (rivers, lakes and estuaries), which represent more than 50% of accidental spills in France. Within the framework of this project, a new numerical oil spill model has been developed, as part of the TELEMAC hydro-informatics system (http://www.opentelemac.org), by combining Lagrangian and Eulerian methods. The Lagrangian model describes the transport of an oil spill near the free surface. The oil spill model enables to simulate the main processes driving oil plumes: advection, diffusion, oil beaching, oil re-floating, evaporation, dissolution, spreading and volatilization. Though generally considered as a minor process, dissolution is important from the point of view of toxicity. To model dissolved oil in water, an Eulerian advection-diffusion model is used. The fraction of dissolved oil is represented by a passive tracer. This approach is able to follow dissolved hydrocarbons in the water column. Laboratory experiments were conducted to characterise the numerous kinetics of the processes listed above. In addition, meso-scale dynamic experiments in artificial channels and test cases derived from the literature are used to validate the numerical model. (author)

The containment of heavy oil in flowing water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, H.M.; Goodman, R.H.; Nicholson, P.

1992-01-01

Viscous bitumen from Alberta oil sand deposits is diluted with a gas condensate before pipeline transport. Because of its unique properties, the diluent/bitumen mix (dilbit) may require novel containment and recovery techniques in the case of an accidental spill. Preliminary experiments were conducted in a large flowing water channel to determine whether several conventional containment devices could be utilized to trap weathered and emulsified dilbit and bitumen. These devices included a conventional river boom, a nylon fine-weave net, and a low-pressure bubble barrier. The behavior of the oil samples during boom failure was noted in order to understand more completely the mechanisms of failure. The river boom failed to hold viscous floating oil by vortex shedding at flows of under 0.25 m/s. A fine mesh net successfully trapped both floating and mid-channel neutrally buoyant oil but the retention time depends on the oil viscosity. The bubble barrier was not successful in trapping either floating viscous oil or neutrally buoyant oil. At low water velocities, the barrier was able to divert some oils but in an inconsistent manner. The results indicate that conventional barriers need improvement to be effective at higher water velocities and suggest that new concepts in containment should be considered. 9 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Recovery of Palm Oil and Valuable Material from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch by Sub-critical Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad Kurnin, Nor Azrin; Shah Ismail, Mohd Halim; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Izhar, Shamsul

2016-01-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the solid wastes produced in huge volume by palm oil mill. Whilst it still contains valuable oil, approximately 22.6 million tons is generated annually and treated as solid waste. In this work, sub-critical water (sub-cw) was used to extract oil, sugar and tar from spikelet of EFB. The spikelet was treated with sub-cw between 180-280°C and a reaction time of 2 and 5 minutes. The highest yield of oil was 0.075 g-oil/g-dry EFB, obtained at 240°C and reaction time of 5 minutes. Astonishingly, oil that was extracted through this method was 84.5% of that obtained through Soxhlet method using hexane. Yield of oil extracted was strongly affected by the reaction temperature and time. Higher reaction temperature induces the dielectric constant of water towards the non-polar properties of solvent; thus increases the oil extraction capability. Meanwhile, the highest yield of sugar was 0.20 g-sugar/g-dry EFB obtained at 220°C. At this temperature, the ion product of water is high enough to enable maximum sub-critical water hydrolysis reaction. This study showed that oil and other valuable material can be recovered using water at sub-critical condition, and most attractive without the use of harmful organic solvent.

Exploration of process parameters for continuous hydrolysis of canola oil, camelina oil and algal oil

KAUST Repository

Wang, Weicheng

2012-07-01

Thermal hydrolysis of triglycerides to form free fatty acid (FFA) is a well-established industry practice. Recently, this process has been employed as a first step in the production of biofuels from lipids. To that end, batch and continuous hydrolysis of various feedstocks has been examined at the laboratory scale. Canola, the primary feedstock in this paper, camelina and algal oils were converted to high quality FFA. For the different reaction temperatures, the continuous hydrolysis system was found to provide better yields than the laboratory batch system. In addition, CFD simulation with ANSYS-CFX was used to model the performance and reactant/product separation in the continuous, counter-flow reactor. The effects of reaction temperature, water-to-oil ratio (ratio of water and oil volumetric inflow rate), and preheating of the reactants were examined experimentally. Optimization of these parameters has resulted in an improved, continuous process with high mass yields (89-93%, for reactor temperature of 260°C and water-to-oil ratio of 4:1) and energy efficiency (76%, for reactor temperature of 250°C and water-to-oil ratio of 2:1). Based on the product quality and energy efficiency considerations, the reactor temperature of 260°C and water-to-oil ratio of 4:1 have provided the optimal condition for the lab scale continuous hydrolysis reaction. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Exploration of process parameters for continuous hydrolysis of canola oil, camelina oil and algal oil

KAUST Repository

Wang, Weicheng; Turner, Timothy L.; Stikeleather, Larry F.; Roberts, William L.

2012-01-01

Thermal hydrolysis of triglycerides to form free fatty acid (FFA) is a well-established industry practice. Recently, this process has been employed as a first step in the production of biofuels from lipids. To that end, batch and continuous hydrolysis of various feedstocks has been examined at the laboratory scale. Canola, the primary feedstock in this paper, camelina and algal oils were converted to high quality FFA. For the different reaction temperatures, the continuous hydrolysis system was found to provide better yields than the laboratory batch system. In addition, CFD simulation with ANSYS-CFX was used to model the performance and reactant/product separation in the continuous, counter-flow reactor. The effects of reaction temperature, water-to-oil ratio (ratio of water and oil volumetric inflow rate), and preheating of the reactants were examined experimentally. Optimization of these parameters has resulted in an improved, continuous process with high mass yields (89-93%, for reactor temperature of 260°C and water-to-oil ratio of 4:1) and energy efficiency (76%, for reactor temperature of 250°C and water-to-oil ratio of 2:1). Based on the product quality and energy efficiency considerations, the reactor temperature of 260°C and water-to-oil ratio of 4:1 have provided the optimal condition for the lab scale continuous hydrolysis reaction. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Closed Process of Shale Oil Recovery from Circulating Washing Water by Hydrocyclones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Huang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The conventional oil recovery system in the Fushun oil shale retorting plant has a low oil recovery rate. A large quantity of fresh water is used in the system, thereby consuming a considerable amount of water and energy, as well as polluting the environment. This study aims to develop a closed process of shale oil recovery from the circulating washing water for the Fushun oil shale retorting plant. The process would increase oil yield and result in clean production. In this process, oil/water hydrocyclone groups were applied to decrease the oil content in circulating water and to simultaneously increase oil yield. The oil sludge was removed by the solid/liquid hydrocyclone groups effectively, thereby proving the smooth operation of the devices and pipes. As a result, the oil recovery rate has increased by 5.3 %, which corresponds to 230 tonnes a month.

Radiotracer investigations in oil production and water injection wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eapen, A.C.; Jain, S.K.; Kirti

1977-01-01

Injection of gamma emitting radiotracers into oil wells followed by logging provides information on several aspects such as the identification of zones of seepage of water in the water injection wells and also the location of source of water entering oil producting wells. The experience gained in the application of bromine-82 and rubidium-86 as radiotracers in such studies at the Ankleshwar and Kalol oil fields in Gujarat and Nazira in Assam has been briefly reported. (author)

Infrared Spectroscopy of Bilberry Extract Water-in-Oil Emulsions: Sensing the Water-Oil Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes Kiefer

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Water-in-oil (w/o emulsions are of great interest in many areas of the life sciences, including food technology, bioprocess engineering, and pharmaceuticals. Such emulsions are complex multi-component systems and the molecular mechanisms which lead to a stable emulsion are yet to be fully understood. In this work, attenuated total reflection (ATR infrared (IR spectroscopy is applied to a series of w/o emulsions of an aqueous anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract dispersed in a medium chain triglyceride (MCT oil phase. The content of the emulsifier polyglycerin-polyricinoleat (PGPR has been varied systematically in order to investigate whether or not its concentration has an impact on the molecular stabilization mechanisms. The molecular stabilization is accessed by a careful analysis of the IR spectrum, where changes in the vibrational frequencies and signal strengths indicate alterations of the molecular environment at the water/oil interface. The results suggest that adding emulsifier in excess of 1% by weight does not lead to an enhanced stabilization of the emulsion.

Bio-Oil Separation and Stabilization by Supercritical Fluid Fractionation. 2014 Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agblevor, Foster [Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States); Petkovic, Lucia [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bennion, Edward [Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States); Quinn, Jason [Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States); Moses, John [CF Technologies, Hyde Park, MA (United States); Newby, Deborah [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Ginosar, Daniel [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-03-01

The objective of this project is to use supercritical fluids to separate and fractionate algal-based bio-oils into stable products that can be subsequently upgraded to produce drop-in renewable fuels. To accomplish this objective, algae was grown and thermochemically converted to bio-oils using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), pyrolysis, and catalytic pyrolysis. The bio-oils were separated into an extract and a raffinate using near-critical propane or carbon dioxide. The fractions were then subjected to thermal aging studies to determine if the extraction process had stabilized the products. It was found that the propane extract fraction was twice as stable as the parent catalytic pyrolysis bio-oils as measured by the change in viscosity after two weeks of accelerated aging at 80°C. Further, in-situ NMR aging studies found that the propane extract was chemically more stable than the parent bio-oil. Thus the milestone of stabilizing the product was met. A preliminary design of the extraction plant was prepared. The design was based on a depot scale plant processing 20,000,000 gallons per year of bio-oil. It was estimated that the capital costs for such a plant would be $8,700,000 with an operating cost of $3,500,000 per year. On a per gallon of product cost and a 10% annual rate of return, capital costs would represent $0.06 per gallon and operating costs would amount to $0.20 per gallon. Further, it was found that the energy required to run the process represented 6.2% of the energy available in the bio-oil, meeting the milestone of less than 20%. Life cycle analysis and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission analysis found that the energy for running the critical fluid separation process and the GHG emissions were minor compared to all the inputs to the overall well to pump system. For the well to pump system boundary, energetics in biofuel conversion are typically dominated by energy demands in the growth, dewater, and thermochemical process. Bio-oil stabilization by

Oil flow in deep waters: comparative study between light oils and heavy oils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreolli, Ivanilto [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-12-19

Ultra deeper waters fields are being exploited due to technological development. Under this scenario, the flow design is accomplished through pipelines subjected to low temperature and high pressure. Moreover, these flow lines are usually long causing a fast fluid cooling, which may affect flow assurance in some cases. Problems during topsides production plant's restart might occur if the oil is viscous and even in steady state a significant different behavior can be noticed, if compared to a less viscous oil. A comparison between light and heavy oil through a case study with the objective to show some heavy oil flow particularities is the purpose of this paper. Permanent and transient analyses for a specific geometry are presented. The results showed that thermal and proper viscosity modeling are required for heavy oil flow, differently from that of light oil flow, due to the exponential viscosity dependence to temperature and because the predominant laminar regime. In addition, on heavier and heavier oil flow systems, it is essential to consider exportation system's restart. (author)

Method for purification of combustible oils, adapted particularly for diesel motors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1942-01-13

A method is described for the purification of oils for diesel motors from mixtures of tar oils, predominantly aromatic with aliphatic hydrocarbon oils by treatment with refining means which are dissolved in organic solvents and mixed with the oil to be purified and also with water; separation of the separate impurities and washing of the material of treatment with water characcterized by the fact that this refining agent used consists of monobasic and polybasic organic acids, saturated or unsaturated, and also their anhydrides, and substituted acids and their anhydrides.

Treating oil shale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dolbear, S H

1921-01-04

Oil shale is treated for the separation of the valuable organic compounds, with a view to economy in subsequent destructive distillation, by grinding to powder, mixing with water to form a pulp, adding a small quantity of an oil liquid and aerating the mixture to form a froth containing the organic compounds. If the powdered shale contains sufficient free oil, the addition of oil to the pulp may be dispensed with. In some cases an electrolyte such as sulfuric acid may be added to the pulp.

Hydraulic Systems with Tap Water versus Bio-oils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conrad, Finn

1997-01-01

Deals with the advantages of using pure tap water hydraulics versus bio-oils for suiteable applications. Focus is in particular on food processing industry.......Deals with the advantages of using pure tap water hydraulics versus bio-oils for suiteable applications. Focus is in particular on food processing industry....

Water management challenges and perspective for surface oil sands operations in North Eastern Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKinnon, M.

2009-01-01

Oil sands waters has many sources, such as raw water inputs (import water and hydrologic waters); oil sands ore water such as formation water; and oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) such as produced water and released water from tailings. This presentation demonstrated the importance of water to oil sands operations and indicated how oil sands processing affects water quality. Water imports to meet oil sands needs is a topic of particular interest. Other topics that were presented included water properties changing during oil sands operations; tailings management and the effects on water quality; oil sands tailings and water management and the impact on water quality of the region; how oil sands processing affected water quality; and current tailings approach and proposed new tailings methods and the effects on water composition. Post extraction changes in OSPW and the potential impacts of engineered tailings were also discussed. It was concluded that water treatment options must meet water management objectives. figs.

Film self-assembly properties of vacuum residua from crude oil and correlation to the stability of water/crude oil emulsions[Supercritical fluid extraction and fractional technology (SFEF)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Bo

2005-07-01

In this thesis, SFEF technology has been used to obtain a fine separation of vacuum residua. Three kinds of vacuum residua from Iranian Heavy Crude Oil, Iranian Light Crude Oil and Daqing Crude Oil have been separated respectively into three series narrow cut fractions as a function of the average molecular weight. And their molecular parameters have been characterized by Vapour Pressure Osmometry(VPO) system, Ultraviolet(UV) spectroscopy, Infrared(IR) spectroscopy as well as by elemental analysis. The various fractions of vacuum residua have been added to an oil/water model system. The oil phase used was pure heptane, pure toluene, a mixture of heptane and toluene etc. Various properties of the interfacial film have been studied such as the self-assembly properties, interfacial tension and interfacial viscosity, etc. The self-assembly procedure of interfacial film of vacuum residua fractions were focused by means of the Wilhelmy plate method (Paper 1). The self-assembly states of interfacial film of vacuum residua fraction from Iranian Heavy and Daqing crude oil have been revealed by using Langmuir-Blodgett technology respectively (Paper II and Paper III). From measurement of the interfacial shear viscosity, the mechanical strength of the interfacial film formed by the vacuum residua fraction has been described (Paper IV) and the roles of the surfactants added in the interfacial film have been confirmed (Paper V). At the same time, the oil/water interfacial tensions of vacuum residua fractions from the three kinds of crude oil have been studied and compared (Paper VI and Paper VII). Characteristic properties of emulsions stabilized by the vacuum residua, such as Zeta potential (Paper VIII) and particle size distribution (Paper IX), have also been studied. An attempt has been made to explain the variations of emulsion properties in terms of the interfacial self-assembly of vacuum residua fractions. Finally, based up the above research and using chemometric methods

Selective retardation of perfume oil evaporation from oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by either surfactant or nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Binks, Bernard P; Fletcher, Paul D I; Holt, Benjamin L; Beaussoubre, Pascal; Wong, Kenneth

2010-12-07

We have used dynamic headspace analysis to investigate the evaporation rates of perfume oils from stirred oil-in-water emulsions into a flowing gas stream. We compare the behavior of an oil of low water solubility (limonene) and one of high water solubility (benzyl acetate). It is shown how the evaporation of an oil of low water solubility is selectively retarded and how the retardation effect depends on the oil volume fraction in the emulsion. We compare how the evaporation retardation depends on the nature of the adsorbed film stabilizing the emulsion. Surfactant films are less effective than adsorbed films of nanoparticles, and the retardation can be further enhanced by compression of the adsorbed nanoparticle films by preshrinking the emulsion drops.

Applying CFD in the analysis of heavy oil - water two-phase flow in joints by using core annular flow technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T Andrade

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the oil industry the multiphase flow occur throughout the production chain, from reservoir rock until separation units through the production column, risers and pipelines. During the whole process the fluid flows through the horizontal pipes, curves, connections and T joints. Today, technological and economic challenges facing the oil industry is related to heavy oil transportation due to its unfavourable characteristics such as high viscosity and high density that provokes high pressure drop along the flow. The coreflow technique consists in the injection of small amounts of water into the pipe to form a ring of water between the oil and the wall of the pipe which provides the reduction of friction pressure drop along the flow. This paper aim to model and simulate the transient two-phase flow (water-heavy oil in a horizontal pipe and T joint by numerical simulation using the software ANSYS CFX® Release 12.0. Results of pressure and volumetric fraction distribution inside the horizontal pipe and T joint are presented and analysed.

Auto Detection For High Level Water Content For Oil Well

Science.gov (United States)

Janier, Josefina Barnachea; Jumaludin, Zainul Arifin B.

2010-06-01

Auto detection of high level water content for oil well is a system that measures the percentage of water in crude oil. This paper aims to discuss an auto detection system for measuring the content of water level in crude oil which is applicable for offshore and onshore oil operations. Data regarding water level content from wells can be determined by using automation thus, well with high water level can be determined immediately whether to be closed or not from operations. Theoretically the system measures the percentage of two- fluid mixture where the fluids have different electrical conductivities which are water and crude oil. The system made use of grid sensor which is a grid pattern like of horizontal and vertical wires. When water occupies the space at the intersection of vertical and horizontal wires, an electrical signal is detected which proved that water completed the circuit path in the system. The electrical signals are counted whereas the percentage of water is determined from the total electrical signals detected over electrical signals provided. Simulation of the system using the MultiSIM showed that the system provided the desired result.

Comparative toxicity test of water-accommodated fractions of oils and oil dispersants to marine organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This reference method describes a simple procedure for comparing the toxicity of oil, oil dispersants, and mixtures thereof, to marine animals. It allows the toxicity of different dispersants to be rapidly compared to that of oil, or of a mixture of oil an oil dispersant. It is designed for routine monitoring and screening purposes and is not appropriate as a research method. The physical and chemical properties of oil dispersants create many difficulties in the measurements of their toxicity to marine organisms. Strictly speaking, their toxicity can only be accurately estimated using complex procedures and apparatus. (A relatively simple apparatus for preparing oil/water or oil/water/oil dispersant emulsions is described in Appendix B). Simpler methods can provide useful information, provided their limitations are clearly understood and taken into consideration in the assessment and application of their results. Some of the special considerations relating to the measurement of the toxicity of oil and oil dispersants are described in Appendix A. The Appendix also explains the rationale and limitations of the method described here. 3 refs, 4 figs, 2 tabs

Separation and analysis of middle oil by absorption from low-temperature tar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fushizaki, Y; Ogawa, M; Kubo, Y

1953-01-01

Analysis of a neutral fraction (208/sup 0/ to 216.5/sup 0/) from middle oil is carried out by chromatographic adsorption. Silica gel is used as an adsorbent, and a displacement-development procedure is applied. The separation of constituents of the middle-oil fraction is not as easy as of the light fraction. The constituents of this fraction are considered to be aromatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons mostly, and a small quantity of crystalline naphthalene is isolated.

Fabrication of novel chitosan/PAN/magnetic ZSM-5 zeolite coated sponges for absorption of oil from water surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Samadi, Saman; Yazd, Shabnam Sharif; Abdoli, Hossein; Jafari, Pooya; Aliabadi, Majid

2017-12-01

In the present study, the chitosan (bottom layer)/polyacrylonitrile (top layer, PAN) nanofibers were coated on the sponge surface. The synthesized magnetic Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 nanozeolites have been loaded into the chitosan/PAN nanofibers to increase the performance of nanofibers toward absorption of lubricating oil, motor oil and pump oil from water surfaces. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used to characterize the synthesized nanozeolites. The morphology and wettability of nanofibers were determined using SEM and water contact angle tests. The influence of Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 nanozeolite content and chitosan/PAN/Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 nanofiber thickness was evaluated on the potential of sponges for oils absorption. The maximum capacity of the chitosan/PAN/Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 nanofibers coated sponges for absorption of motor oil, lubricating oil and pump oil was found to be 99.4, 95.3 and 88.1g/g, in Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 2wt.% and nanofiber thickness of 12μm (chitosan layer of 2μm and PAN layer of 10μm). The reusability of nanofibrous sponges showed that the hydrophobic chitosan/PAN/Fe 3 O 4 - ZSM-5 nanofibers coated sponges can be easily reused in water-oil separation for many cycles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Origin of late pleistocene formation water in Mexican oil reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Birkle, P. [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

2004-07-01

. For wellhead samples, a 20 liter-sampling-reagent was previously filled with N{sub 2}-gas for the collection and phase separation of the pressurized gas-water-crude oil mixture. No differences in {sup 14}C-concentrations were detected applying, both, conventional and AMS-techniques. In contradiction to the expected 'fossil age' of reservoir water as part of a stagnant hydraulic system, measured {sup 14}C-concentrations between 0.89 pmC and 31.86 pmC indicate a late Pleistocene-early Holocene, regional event for the infiltration of surface water into the reservoir. The variety in water mineralization from meteoric (TDS{sub max} = 0.5 g/l) to hyper-saline composition (TDS{sub max} = 338 g/l) is not caused by halite dissolution from adjacent salt domes, as shown by elevated Br/Cl ratios. In contrary, the linear correlation between {sup 18}O and Cl values reflect varying mixing proportions of two components - meteoric water and evaporated seawater. Instead of water/rock-interaction, evaporation of seawater at the surface prior to infiltration represents the principal process for fluid enrichment in {sup 18}O and chlorine, with maximum values of 17.2 %o and 228 g/l, respectively. The young residence time of formation water in Mexican oil reservoirs implies following: - The common assumption of 'hydraulically-frozen' reservoirs is not correct, as main descending fluid migration occurred during glacial period. Probably, major infiltration processes are related to periods with climatic changes and increased humidity - as observed for the adjacent Yucatan region in SE-Mexico during early-mid Holocene (6,000 yr BP) (Metcalfe et al. 2000) - with the probable transgression of Mexican Gulf seawater into the recent Mexican coastal plain. - The common hypothesis of hydrocarbon maturation within Jurassic organic-rich layers, and its subsequent expulsion and migration into Cretaceous/Tertiary sedimentary units must be expanded by a last-step-process: As glacial

Molecular Theory and Simulation of Water-Oil Contacts

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Liang

The statistical mechanical theory of hydrophobic interactions was initiated decades ago for purely repulsive hydrophobic species, in fact, originally for hard-sphere solutes in liquid water. Systems which treat only repulsive solute-water interactions obviously differ from the real world situation. The issue of the changes to be expected from inclusion of realistic attractive solute-water interactions has been of specific interest also for decades. We consider the local molecular field (LMF) theory for the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions. The principal result of LMF theory is outlined, then tested by obtaining radial distribution functions (rdfs) for Ar atoms in water, with and without attractive interactions distinguished by the Weeks-Chandler-Andersen (WCA) separation. Change from purely repulsive atomic solute interactions to include realistic attractive interactions substantially diminishes the strength of hydrophobic bonds. Since attractions make a big contribution to hydrophobic interactions, Pratt-Chandler theory, which did not include attractions, should not be naively compared to computer simulation results with general physical interactions, including attractions. Lack of general appreciation of this point has lead to mistaken comparisons throughout the history of this subject. The rdfs permit evaluation of osmotic second virial coefficients B2. Those B 2 are consistent with the conclusion that incorporation of attractive interactions leads to more positive (repulsive) values. In all cases here, B2 becomes more attractive with increasing temperature below T = 360K, the so-call inverse temperature behavior. In 2010, the Gulf of Mexico Macondo well (Deepwater Horizon) oil spill focused the attention of the world on water-oil phase equilibrium. In response to the disaster, chemical dispersants were applied to break oil slicks into droplets and thus to avoid large-scale fouling of beaches and to speed up biodegradation

Experimental study of heavy oil-water flow structure effects on relative permeabilities in a fracture filled with heavy oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shad, S.; Gates, I.D.; Maini, B.B. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering]|[Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-10-15

An experimental apparatus was used to investigate the flow of water in the presence of heavy oil within a smooth-walled fracture. Different flow patterns were investigated under a variety of flow conditions. Results of the experiments were used to determine the accuracy of VC, Corey, and Shad and Gates models designed to represent the behaviour of oil wet systems. The relative permeability concept was used to describe the behaviour of multiple phases flowing through porous media. A smooth-walled plexiglass Hele-Shaw cell was used to visualize oil and water flow. Changes in flow rates led to different flow regimes. The experiment demonstrated that water flowed co-currently in the form of droplets or slugs. Decreases in the oil flow rate enlarged the size of the water droplets as well as the velocity, until eventually the droplets coalesced and became water slugs. Droplet appearance or disappearance directly impacted the oil and water saturation levels. Changes in fluid saturation altered the pressure gradient. Darcy's law for the 2 liquid phases were used to calculate relative permeability curves. The study showed that at low water saturation, oil relative permeability reached as high as 2.5, while water relative permeability was lower than unity. In the presence of a continuous water channel, water drops formed in oil, and the velocity of the drops was lower than their velocity under a discontinuous water flow regime. It was concluded that the Shad and Gates model overestimated oil relative permeability and underestimated water relative permeability. 38 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs.

Partitioning of semi-soluble organic compounds between the water phase and oil droplets in produced water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faksness, Liv-Guri; Grini, Per Gerhard; Daling, Per S

2004-04-01

When selecting produced water treatment technologies, one should focus on reducing the major contributors to the total environmental impact. These are dispersed oil and semi-soluble hydrocarbons, alkylated phenols, and added chemicals. Experiments with produced water have been performed offshore on the Statoil operated platforms Gullfaks C and Statfjord B. These experiments were designed to find how much of the environmentally relevant compounds were dissolved in the water phase and not associated to the dispersed oil in the produced water. Results show that the distribution between the dispersed oil and the water phase varies highly for the different components groups. For example the concentration of PAHs and the C6-C9 alkylated phenols is strongly correlated to the content of dispersed oil. Therefore, the technologies enhancing the removal of dispersed oil have a higher potential for reducing the environmental impact of the produced water than previously considered.

Partitioning of semi-soluble organic compounds between the water phase and oil droplets in produced water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faksness, Liv-Guri; Grini, Per Gerhard; Daling, Per S.

2004-01-01

When selecting produced water treatment technologies, one should focus on reducing the major contributors to the total environmental impact. These are dispersed oil and semi-soluble hydrocarbons, alkylated phenols, and added chemicals. Experiments with produced water have been performed offshore on the Statoil operated platforms Gullfaks C and Statfjord B. These experiments were designed to find how much of the environmentally relevant compounds were dissolved in the water phase and not associated to the dispersed oil in the produced water. Results show that the distribution between the dispersed oil and the water phase varies highly for the different components groups. For example the concentration of PAHs and the C6-C9 alkylated phenols is strongly correlated to the content of dispersed oil. Therefore, the technologies enhancing the removal of dispersed oil have a higher potential for reducing the environmental impact of the produced water than previously considered

A novel waste water cleanup, fines sequestration and consolidation technology for oil sands applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soane, D.; Ware, W.; Mahoney, R.; Kincaid, P. [Soane Energy LLC, Cambridge, MA (United States)

2010-07-01

This paper discussed a wastewater technology designed to rapidly sequester suspended fines and other pollutants from the tailings produced during oil sands processes. The technology can also be used to clarify existing tailings ponds, and is expected to help address growing environmental concerns over the remediation of oil sands tailings. The ATA system is comprised of the following 3 components: (1) an activator polymer, (2) a tether polymer, and (3) an anchor particle. A small dose of the activator polymer is added to the fine or mature tailings, which then causes the suspended clay fines to aggregate. The anchor particles are then coated with the tether polymer. The anchor particle is formed from sand derived from coarser tailings. The tether-bearing anchor particles bind to the aggregated clay fines in the activated tailings to form robust complexes that can easily be separated from the waste stream. Output streams from the ATA process include a clean water stream that can be reused in oil sands extraction processes; and a dewatered solid that can be used as landfill as well as in construction and reclamation applications. The sensible heat retained in the recycled water is expected to also reduce the energy requirements of the oil sands extraction process. 6 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

Diverse bacteria isolated from microtherm oil-production water.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ji-Quan; Xu, Lian; Zhang, Zhao; Li, Yan; Tang, Yue-Qin; Wu, Xiao-Lei

2014-02-01

In total, 435 pure bacterial strains were isolated from microtherm oil-production water from the Karamay Oilfield, Xinjiang, China, by using four media: oil-production water medium (Cai medium), oil-production water supplemented with mineral salt medium (CW medium), oil-production water supplemented with yeast extract medium (CY medium), and blood agar medium (X medium). The bacterial isolates were affiliated with 61 phylogenetic groups that belong to 32 genera in the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Except for the Rhizobium, Dietzia, and Pseudomonas strains that were isolated using all the four media, using different media led to the isolation of bacteria with different functions. Similarly, nonheme diiron alkane monooxygenase genes (alkB/alkM) also clustered according to the isolation medium. Among the bacterial strains, more than 24 % of the isolates could use n-hexadecane as the sole carbon source for growth. For the first time, the alkane-degrading ability and alkB/alkM were detected in Rhizobium, Rhodobacter, Trichococcus, Micrococcus, Enterococcus, and Bavariicoccus strains, and the alkM gene was detected in Firmicutes strains.

The vulnerability of oil collection pipelines to corrosion under conditions of stratified oil-water emulsion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marichev, F N; Chernobay, L A; Teterina, O P; Yarmizin, V G

1980-01-01

Problems with oil industry equipment and pipeline corrosion have recently highlighted the problems of increased water content in oil and the presence of biogenic hydrogen sulphide in petroleum matter. These findings underscore the importance of taking these problems into consideration when formulating long-term production plans. A study of pipeline corrosion and its causes, as well as other factors, has permitted researchers to correlate hydrodynamic parameters for gas-fluid transportability and structural contour flows. The water phase simultaneously carries corrosion-active ions of dissolved hydrogen sulphide and material which interact to corrode metal in the lower sections of pipelines. In order to determine the susceptibility of pipelines to corrosion, it is necessary to establish the presence of stratified fluids in oil and water as well as the gas-fluid flow. Analysis has shown that those sections with stratified emulsion could be identified and that it is necessary to disclose the pipeline's ability to withstand such conditions. The proper selection of transport parameters permits the technological protection of the oil collection pipelines. Partially as a result of the increased flow speed guaranteeing an emulsion flow regime for the gas-water-oil flow, it was found that the operational service-life of pipelines could be prolonged by a reduction of corrosion in oil collection pipelines.

Analysis of method of polarization surveying of water surface oil pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukov, B. S.

1979-01-01

A method of polarization surveying of oil films on the water surface is analyzed. Model calculations of contrasted oil and water obtained with different orientations of the analyzer are discussed. The model depends on the spectral range, water transparency and oil film, and the selection of observational direction.

Application of synthetic fire-resistant oils in oil systems of turbine equipment for NPPs

Science.gov (United States)

Galimova, L. A.

2017-10-01

Results of the investigation of the synthetic fire-resistant turbine oil Fyrquel-L state in oil systems of turbosets under their operation in the equipment and oil supply facilities of nuclear power plants (NPPs) are presented. On the basis of the analysis of the operating experience, it is established that, for reliable and safe operation of the turbine equipment, at which oil systems synthetic fire-resistant oils on the phosphoric acid esters basis are used, special attention should be paid to two main factors, namely, both the guarantee of the normalized oil water content under the operation and storage and temperature regime of the operation. Methods of the acid number maintenance and reduction are shown. Results of the analysis and investigation of influence of temperature and of the variation of the qualitative state of the synthetic fair-resistant oil on its water content are reported. It is shown that the fire-resistant turbine oils are characterized by high hydrophilicity, and, in distinction to the mineral turbine oils, are capable to contain a significant amount of dissolved water, which is not extracted under the use of separation technologies. It is shown that the more degradation products are contained in oil and higher acid number, the more amount of dissolved water it is capable to retain. It is demonstrated that the organization of chemical control of the total water content of fireresistant oils with the use of the coulometric method is an important element to support the reliable operation of oil systems. It is recommended to use automatic controls of water content for organization of daily monitoring of oil state in the oil system. Recommendations and measures for improvement of oil operation on the NPP, the water content control, the use of oil cleaning plants, and the oil transfer for storage during repair works are developed.

Clay-oil flocculation and its role in natural cleansing in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oil spill

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg, J.R.; Yang, S.H.

1995-01-01

Natural interactions of fine mineral particles with residue oil and seawater, in a process called clay-oil flocculation, were found to create solids-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions on shoreline sediments at numerous locations in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez spill. In laboratory tests using oiled sediment samples from Prince William Sound, these emulsions were shown to facilitate natural cleansing and dispersion of oil from sediments by moving water. To investigate the effect of flocculation on natural cleansing, studies were conducted to determine the hydrodynamic energy needed for seawater to remove flocculated oil residues from sediments sampled from shorelines. Water was pumped at different velocities through a column packed with oiled sediment, and the amount and composition of oil removed from the sediment were measured as functions of water velocity and sediment movement. In separate tests, oil removal was observed in a wave tank that generated wave heights less than and greater than needed to move sediments. 28 refs., 13 figs., 7 tabs

Technical assistance: mass spectrometer oil monitoring system. Final report May 78-December 80

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, S.C.; Lysyj, I.

1980-12-12

The results of field testing of currently available hardware for the treatment of oily bilge and ballast wastewaters and experimental hardware employing ultraviolet radiation in the presence of ozone are presented in this two-part report. Samples of untreated bilgewater and treated bilgewater processed through off-the-shelf oil-water separators (coalescers) were collected from 10 different Army watercraft including large ships, landing craft, tugs, and barges. The samples were analyzed for suspended and dissolved pollutants. The results showed that generally the untreated bilgewater from the larger ships contained suspended pollutants in lower concentrations than the other classes of watercraft. It is speculated that the easier maintenance and larger bilgewater volume on these vessels accounts for the difference. The oil-water separators were effective in reducing the suspended pollutant levels in bilgewater. On the average, 77.8% of the suspended pollutants were removed by the process. However, there exists a wide disparity in the performance of the oil-water separators from watercraft to watercraft. The data suggest that the varied performance may be due to procedural variations between watercraft (e.g., bilge cleaning procedures, bilgewater handling procedures, maintenance procedures), or because of faulty oil-water separator elements. Recommendations are made that would lead to identifying the factors causing poor performance and eliminating them so that all oil-water separators will consistently produce high-quality bilgewater effluent.

Turbidity and oil removal from oilfield produced water, middle oil company by electrocoagulation technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Thamer

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Huge quantity of produced water is salty water trapped in the oil wells rock and brought up along with oil or gas during production. It usually contains hydrocarbons as oil and suspended solids or turbidity. Therefore the aim of this study is to treat produced water before being discharge to surface water or re injected in oil wells. In this paper experimental results were investigated on treating produced water (which is obtained from Middle Oil Company-Iraq, through electrocoagulation (EC. The performance of EC was investigated for reduction of turbidity and oil content up to allowable limit. Effect of different parameters were studied; (pH, current density, distance between two electrodes, and electrolysis time. The experimental runs carried out by an electrocoagulation unit was assembled and installed in the lab and the reactor was made of a material Perspex, with a capacity of approximately 2.5 liters and dimensions were 20 cm in length, 14 cm in width and 16 cm height. The electrodes employed were made of commercial materials. The anode was a perforated aluminum rectangular plate with a thickness of 1.72 mm, a height of 60 mm and length of 140 mm and the cathode was a mesh iron. The current was used in the unit with different densities to test the turbidity removing efficiency (0.0025, 0.00633, 0.01266 and 0.0253 A/cm2.The experiment showed that the best turbidity removing was (10, 9.7, 9.2, 18 NTU respectively. The distance between the electrodes of the unit was 3cm. The present turbidity removing was 92.33%. A slight improvement of turbidity removing was shown when the distance between the electrodes was changed from 0.5 to 3 cm with fixation of current density. The best turbidity removing was 93.5% , (7.79 NTU when the distance between the electrodes were 1 cm. The experimental results found that concentration of oil had decreased to (10.7, 11.2, 11.7, 12.3 mg/l when different current densities (0.00253, 0.00633, 0.01266, 0.0253 A/cm2

Purification of water polluted with oil and sulfurous closed-ring and aromatic compounds contained in oil and oil products using bacteria relating to thiosphaera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurashov, V.M.; Sakhno, T.V.; Gavrilov, V.S.; Zijatdinov, R.N.

2005-01-01

The intensity of natural purification (self-purification) of reservoirs polluted with oil and oil products is determined by microorganisms. Hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms are constant natural constituent of biocenose in reservoirs. However, as a result of outflows, the oil and oil products concentration exceeds maximum values allowing normal vital functions of microorganisms resulting in breaking micro-biocenose suppression of vital functions of bacteria. In this regard, elective anaerobic microorganisms of Thiosphaera are worthy of notice. We found out that bacteria belonging to Thiosphaera pantotropha decomposed oil at high oil concentrations in water (at oil concentration like 1 liter of oil in 1 liter of water). And this is when aerobic microorganisms lose their vital functions at maximum concentration of 20 g of oil in 1 liter of water. To intensify the process of oil decomposition we emulsified oil with aqueous solutions of salts. Thiosphaera pantotropha are found out to decompose oil in a wide range of ratio between oil and aqueous solutions of salts: from 1:10 to 10:1. The water solutions salinity made from 20 g/l to 80 g/l. It must be noticed that, since the Thiosphaera pantotropha are elective anaerobes and decompose oil both in presence and in absence of oxygen, it is not necessary anymore to conduct the process under strictly anaerobic conditions and to supply additional oxygen. This makes it possible to simplify the process of biodegradation of oil and to make this process practically more feasible and economically more profitable being compared to the processes based on the use of other species of bacteria. We found out that Thiosphaera decompose sulfurous closed-ring and aromatic compounds in oil which are chemically and thermally stable and can be hardly decomposed, and possess extremely poisonous properties, as well. The use of microorganisms of Thiosphaera pantotropha allows to purify waters polluted with oil and oil products both during

Argentation chromatography coupled to ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry for the separation of a heavy crude oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Molnárné Guricza, Lilla; Schrader, Wolfgang

2017-02-10

Simplification of highly complex mixtures such as crude oil by using chromatographic methods makes it possible to get more detailed information about the composition of the analyte. Separation by argentation chromatography can be achieved based on the interaction of different strength between the silver ions (Ag + ) immobilized through a spacer on the silica gel surface and the π-bonds of the analytes. Heavy crude oils contain compounds with a high number of heteroatoms (N, O, S) and a high degree of unsaturation thus making them the perfect analyte for argentation chromatography. The direct coupling of argentation chromatography and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry allows to continuously tracking the separation of the many different compounds by retention time and allows sensitive detection on a molecular level. Direct injection of a heavy crude oil into a ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometer showed components with DBE of up to 25, whereas analytes with DBE of up to 35 could be detected only after separation with argentation chromatography. The reduced complexity achieved by the separation helps increasing the information depth. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Trace elements and radionuclides in palm oil, soil, water, and leaves from oil palm plantations: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Olafisoye, O B; Oguntibeju, O O; Osibote, O A

2017-05-03

Oil palm (Elaeisguineensis) is one of the most productive oil producing plant in the world. Crude palm oil is composed of triglycerides supplying the world's need of edible oils and fats. Palm oil also provides essential elements and antioxidants that are potential mediators of cellular functions. Experimental studies have demonstrated the toxicity of the accumulation of significant amounts of nonessential trace elements and radionuclides in palm oil that affects the health of consumers. It has been reported that uptake of trace elements and radionuclides from the oil palm tree may be from water and soil on the palm plantations. In the present review, an attempt was made to revise and access knowledge on the presence of some selected trace elements and radionuclides in palm oil, soil, water, and leaves from oil palm plantations based on the available facts and data. Existing reports show that the presence of nonessential trace elements and radionuclides in palm oil may be from natural or anthropogenic sources in the environment. However, the available literature is limited and further research need to be channeled to the investigation of trace elements and radionuclides in soil, water, leaves, and palm oil from oil palm plantations around the globe.

[Near infrared spectroscopy study on water content in turbine oil].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bin; Liu, Ge; Zhang, Xian-Ming

2013-11-01

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with successive projections algorithm (SPA) was investigated for determination of water content in turbine oil. Through the 57 samples of different water content in turbine oil scanned applying near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, with the water content in the turbine oil of 0-0.156%, different pretreatment methods such as the original spectra, first derivative spectra and differential polynomial least squares fitting algorithm Savitzky-Golay (SG), and successive projections algorithm (SPA) were applied for the extraction of effective wavelengths, the correlation coefficient (R) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used as the model evaluation indices, accordingly water content in turbine oil was investigated. The results indicated that the original spectra with different water content in turbine oil were pretreated by the performance of first derivative + SG pretreatments, then the selected effective wavelengths were used as the inputs of least square support vector machine (LS-SVM). A total of 16 variables selected by SPA were employed to construct the model of SPA and least square support vector machine (SPA-LS-SVM). There is 9 as The correlation coefficient was 0.975 9 and the root of mean square error of validation set was 2.655 8 x 10(-3) using the model, and it is feasible to determine the water content in oil using near infrared spectroscopy and SPA-LS-SVM, and an excellent prediction precision was obtained. This study supplied a new and alternative approach to the further application of near infrared spectroscopy in on-line monitoring of contamination such as water content in oil.

Influence of Surfactant Structure on the Stability of Water-in-Oil Emulsions under High-Temperature High-Salinity Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelhalim I. A. Mohamed

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Emulsified water-in-oil (W/O systems are extensively used in the oil industry for water control and acid stimulation. Emulsifiers are commonly utilized to emulsify a water-soluble material to form W/O emulsion. The selection of a particular surfactant for such jobs is critical and certainly expensive. In this work, the impact of surfactant structure on the stability of W/O emulsions is investigated using the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB of the surfactant. Different commercial surfactants were evaluated for use as emulsifiers for W/O systems at high-temperature (up to 120°C high-salinity (221,673 ppm HTHS conditions. Diverse surfactants were examined including ethoxylates, polyethylene glycols, fluorinated surfactants, and amides. Both commercial Diesel and waste oil are used for the oleic phase to prepare the emulsified system. Waste oil has shown higher stability (less separation in comparison with Diesel. This work has successfully identified stable emulsified W/O systems that can tolerate HTHS environments using HLB approach. Amine Acetate family shows higher stability in comparison with Glycol Ether family and at even lower concentration. New insights into structure-surfactant stability relationship, beyond the HLB approach, are provided for surfactant selection.

Cosmetic emulsion from virgin olive oil: Formulation and bio ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cosmetic emulsion from virgin olive oil: Formulation and bio-physical ... virgin olive oil was developed by entrapping it in the oily phase of oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion. ... The evaluation parameters consisted of color, smell, phase separation, ...

Molecular dynamics study of water molecule diffusion in oil-paper insulation materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Ruijin; Zhu Mengzhao; Yang Lijun; Zhou Xin; Gong Chunyan

2011-01-01

Moisture is an important factor that influences the safe operation of transformers. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the oil-paper insulation materials of transformers. Two oil-cellulose models were built. In the first model, water molecules were initially distributed in oil, and in the second model, water molecules were distributed in cellulose. The non-bonding energies of interaction between water molecules and oil, and between water molecules and cellulose, were calculated by the Dreiding force field. The interaction energy was found to play a dominant role in influencing the equilibrium distribution of water molecules. The radial direction functions of water molecules toward oil and cellulose indicate that the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose are sufficiently strong to withstand the operating temperature of the transformer. Mean-square displacement analysis of water molecules diffusion suggests that water molecules initially distributed in oil showed anisotropic diffusion; they tended to diffuse toward cellulose. Water molecules initially distributed in cellulose diffused isotropically. This study provides a theoretical contribution for improvements in online monitoring of water in transformers, and for subsequent research on new insulation materials.

Molecular dynamics study of water molecule diffusion in oil-paper insulation materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liao Ruijin [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Zhu Mengzhao, E-mail: xiaozhupost@163.co [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Yang Lijun; Zhou Xin; Gong Chunyan [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2011-03-01

Moisture is an important factor that influences the safe operation of transformers. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the oil-paper insulation materials of transformers. Two oil-cellulose models were built. In the first model, water molecules were initially distributed in oil, and in the second model, water molecules were distributed in cellulose. The non-bonding energies of interaction between water molecules and oil, and between water molecules and cellulose, were calculated by the Dreiding force field. The interaction energy was found to play a dominant role in influencing the equilibrium distribution of water molecules. The radial direction functions of water molecules toward oil and cellulose indicate that the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose are sufficiently strong to withstand the operating temperature of the transformer. Mean-square displacement analysis of water molecules diffusion suggests that water molecules initially distributed in oil showed anisotropic diffusion; they tended to diffuse toward cellulose. Water molecules initially distributed in cellulose diffused isotropically. This study provides a theoretical contribution for improvements in online monitoring of water in transformers, and for subsequent research on new insulation materials.

Mitigation of Oil in Water Column: Mitigation Prototype Tests

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

designed with an open end to allow aquatic animals to escape. After the treated foam becomes saturated with submerged oil, the net would be lifted...needed openings to allow the frame to pass through the water column without causing severe drag resistance . However, this also allows oil to flow...to the water and should only help the regions of hypoxia caused by microbial degradation of the oil. However, the proposed field set up with

Rapid estimation of organic nitrogen in oil shale waste waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, B.M.; Daughton, C.G.; Harris, G.J.

1984-04-01

Many of the characteristics of oil shale process waste waters (e.g., malodors, color, and resistance to biotreatment) are imparted by numerous nitrogenous heterocycles and aromatic amines. For the frequent performance assessment of waste treatment processes designed to remove these nitrogenous organic compounds, a rapid and colligative measurement of organic nitrogen is essential. Quantification of organic nitrogen in biological and agricultural samples is usually accomplished using the time-consuming, wet-chemical Kjeldahl method. For oil shale waste waters, whose primary inorganic nitorgen constituent is amonia, organic Kjeldahl nitrogen (OKN) is determined by first eliminating the endogenous ammonia by distillation and then digesting the sample in boiling H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. The organic material is oxidized, and most forms of organically bound nitrogen are released as ammonium ion. After the addition of base, the ammonia is separated from the digestate by distillation and quantified by acidimetric titrimetry or colorimetry. The major failings of this method are the loss of volatile species such as aliphatic amines (during predistillation) and the inability to completely recover nitrogen from many nitrogenous heterocycles (during digestion). Within the last decade, a new approach has been developed for the quantification of total nitrogen (TN). The sample is first combusted, a

Successful water management for the oil sands industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braun, B.

2003-01-01

Water is a key requirement to produce oil from thermal oil sands projects. Historically, water was considered as a renewable resource that could be used when necessary. Water use is currently examined in a wider context. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has used fresh water for thermal projects in the past, including its thermal operations at Primrose and Wolf Lake. However, technical advancements have made it possible to use recycled water. This allows companies to survive within their licenses while increasing production. Other advances include the use of brackish water, and innovations such as using depleted reservoir sections to store water to increase the use of recycled water. It was noted that brackish water resources need to be mapped and understood in greater detail. The objective is to use brackish water at a cost equal to, or less, than fresh water

Analysis of triglyceride degradation products in drying oils and oil paints using LC–ESI-MS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dam, E.P.; van den Berg, K.J.; Proaño Gaibor, A.N.; van Bommel, M.

An LC–ESI-MS method is presented as a novel approach for the study of aged drying oils and oil paints invarious stages of oxidation and hydrolysis. The method involves separation and detection of glyceridesand fatty acids on a reversed phase column using a polar gradient ranging from methanol/water

An oil spill-food chain interaction model for coastal waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yew Hoong Gin, K.; Huda, Md. K.; Tkalich, P.

2001-01-01

An oil spill-food chain interaction model, composed of a multiphase oil spill model (MOSM) and a food chain model, has been developed to assess the probable impacts of oil spills on several key marine organisms (phytoplankton, zooplankton, small fish, large fish and benthic invertebrates). The MOSM predicts oil slick thickness on the water surface; dissolved, emulsified and particulate oil concentrations in the water column; and dissolved and particulate oil concentrations in bed sediments. This model is used to predict the fate of oil spills and transport with respect to specific organic compounds, while the food chain model addresses the uptake of toxicant by marine organisms. The oil spill-food chain interaction model can be used to assess the environmental impacts of oil spills in marine ecosystems. The model is applied to the recent Evoikos-Orapin Global oil spill that occurred in the Singapore Strait. (author)

Recovery of Fresh Water Resources from Desalination of Brine Produced During Oil and Gas Production Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David B. Burnett; Mustafa Siddiqui

2006-12-29

Management and disposal of produced water is one of the most important problems associated with oil and gas (O&G) production. O&G production operations generate large volumes of brine water along with the petroleum resource. Currently, produced water is treated as a waste and is not available for any beneficial purposes for the communities where oil and gas is produced. Produced water contains different contaminants that must be removed before it can be used for any beneficial surface applications. Arid areas like west Texas produce large amount of oil, but, at the same time, have a shortage of potable water. A multidisciplinary team headed by researchers from Texas A&M University has spent more than six years is developing advanced membrane filtration processes for treating oil field produced brines The government-industry cooperative joint venture has been managed by the Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI). The goal of the project has been to demonstrate that treatment of oil field waste water for re-use will reduce water handling costs by 50% or greater. Our work has included (1) integrating advanced materials into existing prototype units and (2) operating short and long-term field testing with full size process trains. Testing at A&M has allowed us to upgrade our existing units with improved pre-treatment oil removal techniques and new oil tolerant RO membranes. We have also been able to perform extended testing in 'field laboratories' to gather much needed extended run time data on filter salt rejection efficiency and plugging characteristics of the process train. The Program Report describes work to evaluate the technical and economical feasibility of treating produced water with a combination of different separation processes to obtain water of agricultural water quality standards. Experiments were done for the pretreatment of produced water using a new liquid-liquid centrifuge, organoclay and microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes

Separation of compressor oil from helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, R.; Perrotta, K.A.

1982-01-01

Compression of helium by an oil-sealed rorary screw compressor entrains as much as 4000 parts per million by weight of liquid and vapor oil impurities in the gas. The reduction below about 0.1 ppm for cryogenic applications is discussed. Oil seperation equipment designed for compressed air must be modified significantly to produce the desired results with helium. The main differences between air and helium filtration are described. A description of the coalescers is given with the continuous coalescing of liquid mist from air or other gas illustrated. Oil vapor in helium is discussed in terms of typical compressor oils, experimental procedure for measuring oil vapor concentration, measured volatile hydrocarbons in the lubricants, and calculated concentration of oil vapor in Helium. Liquid oil contamination in helium gas can be reduced well below 0.1 ppm by a properly designed multiple state coalescing filter system containing graded efficiency filter elements. The oil vapor problem is best attached by efficiently treating the oil to remove most of the colatiles before charging the compressor

Separation Mechanism of Fatty Acids from Waste Cooking Oil and Its Flotation Performance in Iron Ore Desiliconization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenda Guo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Using the mixed fatty acids (MFA produced by waste cooking oil as flotation collectors directly, the flotation effect is usually not satisfactory, especially at lower temperature, which may be due to the presence of large amounts of saturated fatty acids. In this study, waste cooking oil was separated into saturated fatty acids (SFA and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA. The separation mechanism was studied by molecular simulation based on quantum and molecular mechanics. SFA and UFA were analyzed by iodine value, melting point measurement and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR spectroscopy to check the result of the separation. The micro-flotation and bench-scale flotation tests were performed to investigate the flotation differences between SFA and UFA. The results showed that the poor flotation performance of waste cooking oil was due to the large amount of SFA in presence. If the SFA was separated out, the TFe grade and recovery of the flotation concentrates would be increased by 4.09 and 2.70 percentage points, respectively and the SiO2 grade would be 4.03 percentage points lower at the same time. This study would provide technical supports and theoretical guidance for the waste cooking oil application in the field of mineral processing.

pH-induced inversion of water-in-oil emulsions to oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) using core cross-linked star (CCS) polymer as interfacial stabilizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qijing; Deng, Xiaoyong; An, Zesheng

2014-06-01

A pH-responsive core cross-linked star (CCS) polymer containing poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) arms was used as an interfacial stabilizer for emulsions containing toluene (80 v%) and water (20 v%). In the pH range of 12.1-9.3, ordinary water-in-oil emulsions were formed. Intermediate multiple emulsions of oil-in-water-in-oil and water-in-oil-in-water were formed at pH 8.6 and 7.5, respectively. Further lowering the pH resulted in the formation of gelled high internal phase emulsions of oil-in-water type in the pH range of 6.4-0.6. The emulsion behavior was correlated with interfacial tension, conductivity and configuration of the CCS polymer at different pH. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation: The Behavior of Asphaltene in Crude Oil and at the Oil/Water Interface

KAUST Repository

Gao, Fengfeng

2014-12-18

Carboxyl asphaltene is commonly discussed in the petroleum industry. In most conditions, electroneutral carboxyl asphaltene molecules can be deprotonated to become carboxylate asphaltenes. Both in crude oil and at the oil/water interface, the characteristics of anionic carboxylate asphaltenes are different than those of the carboxyl asphaltenes. In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are utilized to study the structural features of different asphaltene molecules, namely, C5 Pe and anionic C5 Pe, at the molecular level. In crude oil, the electroneutral C5 Pe molecules prefer to form a steady face-to-face stacking, while the anionic C5 Pe molecules are inclined to form face-to-face stacking and T-shaped II stacking because of the repulsion of the anionic headgroups. Anionic C5 Pe has a distinct affinity to the oil/water interface during the simulation, while the C5 Pe molecules persist in the crude oil domain. A three-stage model of anionic C5 Pe molecules adsorbed at the oil/water interface is finally developed.

Cleaning oil refining drainage waters out of emulsified oil products with thermic treated cedar nut shell

Science.gov (United States)

Pyatanova, P. A.; Adeeva, L. N.

2017-08-01

It was elaborated the ability of the sorbent produced by thermic treatment of cedar nut shell to destruct model and real first kind (direct) emulsions in static and dynamic conditions. In static conditions optimal ratio sorbent-emulsion with the original concentration of oil products 800 mg/l was in the range of 2.0 g per 100 ml of emulsion which corresponds to the level of treatment 94.9%. The time of emulsion destruction was 40 minutes. This sorbent is highly active in dynamic processes of oil-contaminated water treatment, the level of treatment 96.0% is being achieved. Full dynamic sorptive capacity of the sorbent is 0.85 g/g. Sorbent based on the thermic treated cedar nut shell can be elaborated as sorptive filter element of local treatment facilities of oil refining and petrochemical processes. After the treatment with this sorbent of drainage waters of oil refinery in dynamic conditions the concentration of oil products became less than mpc on oil products for waste waters coming to biological treatment.

Separation factor dependence upon cathode material for tritium separation from heavy water by electrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogata, Y.; Sakuma, Y.; Ohtani, N.; Kotaka, M.

2002-01-01

Using three cathode materials, i.e. carbon (C), stainless steel (SUS), and nickel (Ni), tritium was separated from heavy water by electrolysis, and the separation factors were compared. To separate hydrogen isotopes, heavy water was electrolyzed by an electrolysis device with a solid polymer electrode (SPE), which needed no electrolyte additives for electrolysis. The anode was made of 3 mm thickness of a sintered porous titanium plate covered with iridium oxide. The cathode was made of the same thickness of a sintered porous carbon, stainless steel, or nickel plate. Heavy water or light water spiked with tritiated water was electrolyzed 20 A x 60 min with the electrolysis cell temperature at 10, 20 or 30degC, and 15 A x 80 min at 5degC. The produced hydrogen and oxygen gases were recombined using a palladium catalyst with nitrogen gas as a carrier. The activities of the water in the electrolysis cell and of the recombined water were analyzed using a liquid scintillation counter. The apparent D-T separation factor (SF D/T ) and H-T separation factor (SF H/T ) were calculated as quotient the specific activity of the water in the cell divided by that of the recombined water. The electrolysis potential to keep the current 20 A was 2-3 V. The average yields of the recombined water were 95%. At the cell temperature of 20degC, SF D/T (C), SF D/T (SUS), and SF D/T (Ni) were 2.42, 2.17, and 2.05, respectively. At the same temperature, SF H/T (C), SF H/T (SUS), and SF H/T (Ni) were 12.5, 10.8, and 11.8, respectively. The SFs were in agreement with the results in other works. The SFs were changed with the cell temperature. (author)

Rheological Behaviour of Water-in-Light Crude Oil Emulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Husin, H.; Taju Ariffin, T. S.; Yahya, E.

2018-05-01

Basically, emulsions consist of two immiscible liquids which have different density. In petroleum industry, emulsions are undesirable due to their various costly problems in term of transportation difficulties and production loss. A study of the rheological behaviour of light crude oil and its mixture from Terengganu were carried out using Antoon Paar MCR 301 rheometer operated at pressure of 2.5 bar at temperature C. Water in oil emulsions were prepared by mixing light crude oil with different water volume fractions (20%, 30% and 40%). The objectives of present paper are to study the rheological behaviour of emulsion as a fuction of shear rate and model analysis that fitted with the experimental data. The rheological models of Ostwald-De-Waele and Herschel-Bulkley were fitted to the experimental results. All models represented well the rheological data, with high values for the correlation coefficients. The result indicated that variation of water content influenced shear rate-shear stress rheogram of the prepared emulsions. In the case of 100% light crude oil, the study demonstrated non-Newtonian shear thickening behavior. However, for emulsion with different volume water ratios, the rheological behaviour could be well described by Herschel-Bulkley models due to the present of yield stress parameter (R2 = 0.99807). As a conclusion, rheological studies showed that volume water ratio have a great impact on the shear stress and viscosity of water in oil emulsion and it is important to understand these factors to avoid various costly problems.

An additive to well injection water for increasing the oil yield

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Absov, M.T.; Abutalybov, M.G.; Aslanov, S.M.; Movruzov, E.N.; Musaev, R.A.; Tairov, N.D.

1979-03-05

This invention relates to oil production using flooding. The goal of this invention is to increase the oil yield of a producing formation. This is achieved by using a saponin solution as an additive to the water injected into the formation (with related organic substances which are complex organic nitrogen-free compounds from the glycoside group; these substances yield solution that foam easily with an agitation). The use of saponin facilitates good solubility in fresh, sea and formation (alkaline and hard) waters, as well as the absence of sediment formation during dissolution, low solid adsorption, and a significant decrease in the surface water tension on the oil-water boundary. The aqueous saponin solution makes it possible to decrease the production cost of oil, as well as to decrease the development time of the fields and the volume of water injected into the formation and to significantly increase the oil yield.

A novel method for the synergistic remediation of oil-water mixtures using nanoparticles and oil-degrading bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Alabresm, Amjed; Chen, Yung Pin; Decho, Alan W; Lead, Jamie

2018-07-15

Releases of crude oil and other types of oil from numerous sources can impose catastrophic physical, chemical, and biological effects on aquatic ecosystems. While currently-used oil removal techniques possess many advantages, they have inherent limitations, including low removal efficiencies and waste disposal challenges. The present study quantified the synergistic interactions of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated magnetite nanoparticles (NP) and oil-degrading bacteria for enhanced oil removal at the laboratory scale. The results showed that at relatively high oil concentrations (375 mg L -1 ), NP alone could remove approximately 70% of lower-chain alkanes (C9-C22) and 65% of higher-chain (C23-C26), after only 1 h, when magnetic separation of NP was used. Removal efficiency did not increase significantly after that, which was likely due to saturation of the NP with oil. Microbial bioremediation, using strains of oil-degrading bacteria, removed almost zero oil immediately but 80-90% removal after 24-48 h. The combination of NPs and oil-degrading bacterial strains worked effectively to remove essentially 100% of oil within 48 h or less. This was likely due to the sorption of oil components to NPs and their subsequent utilization by bacteria as a joint Fe and C source, although the mechanisms of removal require further testing. Furthermore, results showed that the emission of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were reduced after addition of NPs and bacteria separately. When combined, VOC and SVOC emissions were reduced by up to 80%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Panorama 2011: Water in fuel production Oil production and refining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabzar, L.

2011-01-01

Water plays a vital role in the production of fuels. Against a background of extremely high pressure to do with the need to protect the environment, better manage energy use and operate in a socially responsible manner - as well as the need to protect water as a resource and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water management has become a major issue for the oil industry. These issues have all more or less been factored into the integrated water management programmes which have been introduced both in oil production and oil refining. These programmes have been designed to keep waste and emissions to a minimum, and to reduce the quantities of water required. (author)

Organically modified clay removes oil from water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alther, G.R.

1995-01-01

When bentonite or other clays and zeolites are modified with quaternary amines, they become organophilic. Such modified bentonites are used to remove mechanically emulsified oil and grease, and other sparingly soluble organics. If the organoclay is granulated, it is placed into a liquid phase carbon filter vessel to remove FOG's and chlorinated hydrocarbons. In this application the clay is mixed with anthrazite to prevent early plugging of the filter by oil or grease droplets. In batch systems a powered organoclay is employed. Types of oil found in water can include fats, lubricants, cutting fluids, heavy hydrocarbons such as tars, grease, crude oil, diesel oils; and light hydrocarbons such as kerosene, jet fuel, and gasoline

Cross-well 4-D resistivity tomography localizes the oil-water encroachment front during water flooding

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J.; Revil, A.

2015-04-01

The early detection of the oil-water encroachment front is of prime interest during the water flooding of an oil reservoir to maximize the production of oil and to avoid the oil-water encroachment front to come too close to production wells. We propose a new 4-D inversion approach based on the Gauss-Newton approach to invert cross-well resistance data. The goal of this study is to image the position of the oil-water encroachment front in a heterogeneous clayey sand reservoir. This approach is based on explicitly connecting the change of resistivity to the petrophysical properties controlling the position of the front (porosity and permeability) and to the saturation of the water phase through a petrophysical resistivity model accounting for bulk and surface conductivity contributions and saturation. The distributions of the permeability and porosity are also inverted using the time-lapse resistivity data in order to better reconstruct the position of the oil water encroachment front. In our synthetic test case, we get a better position of the front with the by-products of porosity and permeability inferences near the flow trajectory and close to the wells. The numerical simulations show that the position of the front is recovered well but the distribution of the recovered porosity and permeability is only fair. A comparison with a commercial code based on a classical Gauss-Newton approach with no information provided by the two-phase flow model fails to recover the position of the front. The new approach could be used for the time-lapse monitoring of various processes in both geothermal fields and oil and gas reservoirs using a combination of geophysical methods.

Characterization of the Water-Soluble Fraction of Woody Biomass Pyrolysis Oils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stankovikj, Filip; McDonald, Armando G.; Helms, Gregory L.; Olarte, Mariefel V.; Garcia-Perez, Manuel

2017-01-31

This paper reports a study of the chemical composition of the water soluble (WS) fraction obtained by cold water precipitation of two commercial wood pyrolysis oils (BTG and Amaron). The fraction studied accounts for between 50.3 and 51.3 wt. % of the oils. With the most common analytical techniques used today for the characterization of this fraction (KF titration, GC/MS, hydrolysable sugars and total carbohydrates), it is possible to quantify only between 45 and 50 wt. % of it. Our results confirm that most of the total carbohydrates (hydrolysable sugars and non-hydrolysable) are soluble in water. The ion chromatography hydrolysis method showed that between 11.6 and 17.3 wt. % of these oils were hydrolysable sugars. A small quantity of phenols detectable by GC/MS (between 2.5 and 3.9 wt. %) were identified. It is postulated that the unknown high molecular weight fraction (30-55 wt. %) is formed by highly dehydrated sugars rich in carbonyl groups and WS phenols. The overall content of carbonyl, carboxyl, hydroxyl and phenolic compounds in the WS fraction were quantified by titration, Folin-Ciocalteu, 31P-NMR and 1H-NMR. The WS fraction contains between 5.5 and 6.2 mmol/g of carbonyl groups, between 0.4 and 1.0 mmol/g of carboxylic acid groups, between 1.2 and 1.8 mmol/g phenolic -OH, and between 6.0 and 7.9 mmol/g of aliphatic alcohol groups. Translation into weight fractions of the WS was done by supposing surrogate structures for the water soluble phenols, carbonyl and carboxyl groups and we estimated the content of WS phenols (21-27 wt. %), carbonyl (5-14 wt.%), and carboxyl (0-4 wt.%). Together with the total carbohydrates (23-27 wt.%), this approach leads to > 90 wt. % of the WS material in the bio-oils being quantified. We speculate the larger portion of the difference between the total carbohydrates and hydrolysable sugars is the missing furanic fraction. Further refinement of the suggested methods and development of separation schemes to obtain and

Challenges in Modelling and Control of Offshore De-oiling Hydrocyclone Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Pedersen, Simon; Yang, Zhenyu

2017-01-01

, and alternatively this task imposes a number of key control challenges. Specifically, there is much research to be performed in the direction of dynamic modelling and control of de-oiling hydrocyclone systems. The current solutions rely heavily on empirical trial-and-error approaches. This paper gives a brief......Offshore de-oiling installations are facing an increasing challenge with regards to removing oil residuals from produced water prior to discharge into the ocean. The de-oiling of produced water is initially achieved in the primary separation processes using gravity-based multi-phase separators...... in the produced water before it can be discharged into the ocean. The popularity of hydrocyclone technology in the offshore oil and gas industry is mainly due to its rugged design and low maintenance requirements. However, to operate and control this type of system in an efficient way is far less simple...

Leidenfrost Driven Waste-Water Separator

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A Leidenfrost Driven Waste-Water Separator (LDS) is proposed in response to TA 6.1: Environmental Control and Life Support Systems and Habitation Systems. The LDS...

Tritium separation from heavy water using electrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogata, Y.; Sakuma, Y.; Ohtani, N.; Kodaka, M.

2001-01-01

A tritium separation from heavy water by the electrolysis using a solid polymer electrode (SPE) was specified on investigation. The heavy water (∼10 Bq g -1 ) and the light water (∼70 Bq g -1 ) were electrolysed using an electrolysis device (Tripure XZ001, Permelec Electrode Ltd.) with the SPE layer. The cathode was made of stainless steel (SUS314). The electrolysis was carried out at 20 A x 60 min, with the electrolysis temperature at 10, 20, or 30degC, and 15 A x 80 min at 5degC. The produced hydrogen and oxygen gases were recombined using a palladium catalyst (ND-101, N.E. Chemcat Ltd.) with nitrogen gas as a carrier. The activities of the water in the cell and of the recombined water were analyzed using a liquid scintillation counter. The electrolysis potential to keep the current 20 A was 2-3 V. The yields of the recombined water were more than 90%. The apparent separation factors (SF) for the heavy water and the light water were ∼2 and ∼12, respectively. The SF value was in agreement with the results in other work. The factors were changed with the cell temperature. The electrolysis using the SPE is applicable for the tritium separation, and is able to perform the small-scale apparatus at the room temperature. (author)

Soil water repellency at old crude oil spill sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, J.L.

1999-08-01

This thesis presents the current state of knowledge regarding the cause of soil water repellency and characterizes disaggregated nonwettable surface soils found at old crude oil spill sites. Pollution-induced water repellency generally develops following prolonged exposures of soil to liquid- or vapour-phase petroleum hydrocarbons. The condition varies significantly in terms of severity and persistence. Soil water repellency retards plant growth and disturbs the hydrological balance of ecosystems. Disaggregated water-repellent soils are also very susceptible to dispersal by erosion, posing a threat to the productivity of surrounding soils. The author described the probable causes of soil water repellency under the following three main themes: (1) accumulation of hydrophobic organic material in soil, (2) redistribution and re-organisation of this material in soil, and (3) stabilisation of the hydrophobic organic material. This final process is necessary to ensure persistence of induced water repellency symptoms. Petroleum residues as water-repellent substances in weathered nonwettable oil-contaminated soils were also discussed and a hypothesis about soil water repellency was presented which deals with flexible conformation in organic matter coatings. Processes leading to the development of soil water repellency following crude oil contamination were also described. It was determined that soil water repellency is a function of the packing density and the chain conformation of amphiphilic organic molecules in the outermost layer of soil organic matter coatings. This research suggests that the fractional coverage of alkyl chains on soil particle surfaces determines the degree of water repellency that is displayed by soil. It was shown that prompt remediation of some oil-contaminated plots can effectively prevent the development of soil water repellency. 4 refs., 32 tabs., 22 figs., 5 appendices

EFFECT OF GLYCEROL SEPARATION ON PALM OIL TRANSESTERIFICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Budy Rahmat

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This research was aimed to study the effect of glycerol separation on palm oil transesterification. Objectives of this study were to suppress the use of excess methanol and shorten the processing time. This research consisted of: design-build reactor, the effect of the glycerol separation on the transesterification reaction, characterization of biodiesel, and mass balance analysis. The reactor was designed by integrating circulate stirrer pump, static mixer, and sprayer that will bring out the intense reaction in the outer tank reactor. The experiment in this research was the treatment of decreasing the quantity of methanol to 5:1 molar ratio and reducing of processing time to 20 min, which was arranged in a completely randomized factorial design. The result showed that, (i the stirring system was effectively worked outside the reactor tank, and in its reactor tank occurred glycerol separation during the process; (ii the rate of glycerol during the process followed the inverse regression equation of Ŷ = 66.44-351.17 X-1; (iii the decrease in the level of methanol to 5:1 molar ratio and the reduction of processing time to 20 min in this engineering did not influence the biodiesel yield and quality that met the SNI 04-7182-2006 standard.

Attachment of composite porous supra-particles to air-water and oil-water interfaces: theory and experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Paunov, Vesselin N; Al-Shehri, Hamza; Horozov, Tommy S

2016-09-29

We developed and tested a theoretical model for the attachment of fluid-infused porous supra-particles to a fluid-liquid interface. We considered the wetting behaviour of agglomerated clusters of particles, typical of powdered materials dispersed in a liquid, as well as of the adsorption of liquid-infused colloidosomes at the liquid-fluid interface. The free energy of attachment of a composite spherical porous supra-particle made from much smaller aggregated spherical particles to the oil-water interface was calculated. Two cases were considered: (i) a water-filled porous supra-particle adsorbed at the oil-water interface from the water phase, and, (ii) an oil-filled porous supra-particle adsorbed at the oil-water interface from the oil-phase. We derived equations relating the three-phase contact angle of the smaller "building block" particles and the contact angle of the liquid-infused porous supra-particles. The theory predicts that the porous supra-particle contact angle attached at the liquid interface strongly depends on the type of fluid infused in the particle pores and the fluid phase from which it approaches the liquid interface. We tested the theory by using millimetre-sized porous supra-particles fabricated by evaporation of droplets of polystyrene latex suspension on a pre-heated super-hydrophobic surface, followed by thermal annealing at the glass transition temperature. Such porous particles were initially infused with water or oil and approached to the oil-water interface from the infusing phase. The experiment showed that when attaching at the hexadecane-water interface, the porous supra-particles behaved as hydrophilic when they were pre-filled with water and hydrophobic when they were pre-filled with hexadecane. The results agree with the theoretically predicted contact angles for the porous composite supra-particles based on the values of the contact angles of their building block latex particles measured with the Gel Trapping Technique. The

75 FR 76742 - Detecting Oil Leaks From Vessels Into the Water

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-09

... to detect leaks from oil tanks into the water? (E) What is the threshold for detection, accuracy... than leak detection from oil cargo tanks into the water? (H) Are methods or equipment being applied for... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2010-1085] Detecting Oil Leaks From...

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR by Miscible CO2 and Water Flooding of Asphaltenic and Non-Asphaltenic Oils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edwin A. Chukwudeme

2009-09-01

Full Text Available An EOR study has been performed applying miscible CO2 flooding and compared with that for water flooding. Three different oils are used, reference oil (n-decane, model oil (n-C10, SA, toluene and 0.35 wt % asphaltene and crude oil (10 wt % asphaltene obtained from the Middle East. Stearic acid (SA is added representing a natural surfactant in oil. For the non-asphaltenic oil, miscible CO2 flooding is shown to be more favourable than that by water. However, it is interesting to see that for first years after the start of the injection (< 3 years it is shown that there is almost no difference between the recovered oils by water and CO2, after which (> 3 years oil recovery by gas injection showed a significant increase. This may be due to the enhanced performance at the increased reservoir pressure during the first period. Maximum oil recovery is shown by miscible CO2 flooding of asphaltenic oil at combined temperatures and pressures of 50 °C/90 bar and 70 °C/120 bar (no significant difference between the two cases, about 1% compared to 80 °C/140 bar. This may support the positive influence of the high combined temperatures and pressures for the miscible CO2 flooding; however beyond a certain limit the oil recovery declined due to increased asphaltene deposition. Another interesting finding in this work is that for single phase oil, an almost linear relationship is observed between the pressure drop and the asphaltene deposition regardless of the flowing fluid pressure.

Operation Clean Feather: Reducing oil pollution in Newfoundland waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chardine, J.W.; Pelly, G.

1994-01-01

Oil pollution of marine waters around Newfoundland, and particularly in the vicinity of Placentia Bay, is a frequent occurrence. Many oiled seabirds are found on beaches in the bay, particularly in winter. The most likely pollution sources are ship operators who dump waste oils from bilges and slop tanks. In an effort to reduce the chronic discharge of waste oil into Placentia Bay, and thus the incidence of bird oiling, Operation Clean Feather was launched in 1991-92 and consisted of weekly surveys of Placentia Bay beaches, sampling of oil from vessels using the bay and from oiled birds and beaches, and experimentation to determine possible recovery rates of birds oiled at sea. The operation was considered a success at a number of levels. Significant reductions in numbers of oiled birds were noted in both 1991 and 1992 compared to 1989 or 1990. Estimated oil-related mortality was reduced to ca 25% of levels seen in the two years prior to the operation. The operation also provided the opportunity to test and refine an organizational framework designed to deal with the problem of chronic oil pollution reports. Communication efforts heightened the awareness of the oil pollution problem in Newfoundland waters. These efforts included distribution of pamphlets in various languages to ship operators, describing the seriousness of oil-related marine bird mortality and warning of the substantial fines that can be imposed under the Canada Shipping Act. 6 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Novel concepts for the containment of oil in flowing water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, H.M.; Nicholson, P.; Goodman, R.H.; Berry, B.A.; Hughes, B.R.

1993-01-01

Both a laboratory study of the hydrodynamic properties of variously shaped objects and a meso-scale flume study of several containment concepts have been undertaken to determine whether these can be used to contain oil in fast flowing water. The laboratory study showed that stable vortices are difficult to generate and that spilled oil is not easily trapped by them. Only two of the structures studied showed some promise of trapping oil in fast moving water: a partially submerged barrier with fins placed at an angle across the flume and a horizontal hydrofoil placed across the channel near the surface. Several filter materials were tested in an outdoor flowing channel with both floating and neutrally buoyant oil. Although some of these materials trapped and held heavy oil, they were not a significant improvement over nylon fishing nets which had been tested previously. The filter materials would not hold a medium gravity oil. A hydrofoil device which generated a horizontal eddy successfully trapped and held surface oil at water speeds up to 0.35 m/s. Neutrally buoyant oil was often caught by the eddy but was never held for more than 1-2 minutes. 9 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs

Policy Analysis of Water Availability and Use Issues for Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruple, John [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Keiter, Robert [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2010-03-01

Oil shale and oil sands resources located within the intermountain west represent a vast, and as of yet, commercially untapped source of energy. Development will require water, and demand for scarce water resources stands at the front of a long list of barriers to commercialization. Water requirements and the consequences of commercial development will depend on the number, size, and location of facilities, as well as the technologies employed to develop these unconventional fuels. While the details remain unclear, the implication is not – unconventional fuel development will increase demand for water in an arid region where demand for water often exceeds supply. Water demands in excess of supplies have long been the norm in the west, and for more than a century water has been apportioned on a first-come, first-served basis. Unconventional fuel developers who have not already secured water rights stand at the back of a long line and will need to obtain water from willing water purveyors. However, uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of some senior water claims combine with indeterminate interstate river management to cast a cloud over water resource allocation and management. Quantitative and qualitative water requirements associated with Endangered Species protection also stand as barriers to significant water development, and complex water quality regulations will apply to unconventional fuel development. Legal and political decisions can give shape to an indeterminate landscape. Settlement of Northern Ute reserved rights claims would help clarify the worth of existing water rights and viability of alternative sources of supply. Interstate apportionment of the White River would go a long way towards resolving water availability in downstream Utah. And energy policy clarification will help determine the role oil shale and oil sands will play in our nation’s future.

Water footprint assessment of oil palm in Malaysia: A preliminary study

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammad-Muaz, A.; Marlia, M. H.

2014-09-01

This study evaluates the water footprint of growing oil palm in Malaysia based on the water footprint method. The crop water use was determined using the CROPWAT 8.0 model developed by the Land and Water Development Division of FAO. The total water footprint for growing oil palm is 243 m3/ton. The result of this study showed that the green water footprint is 1.5 orders of magnitude larger compared to the blue water footprint. Besides providing updated status of total water used from the oil palm plantation, our result also shows that this baseline information helps in identifying which areas need to be conserved and what type of recommendation that should be drawn. As the results of the water footprint can differ between locations, the inclusion of local water stress index should be considered in the calculation of water footprint.

Life cycle water demand coefficients for crude oil production from five North American locations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Babkir; Kumar, Amit

2017-10-15

The production of liquid fuels from crude oil requires water. There has been limited focus on the assessment of life cycle water demand footprints for crude oil production and refining. The overall aim of this paper is address this gap. The objective of this research is to develop water demand coefficients over the life cycle of fuels produced from crude oil pathways. Five crude oil fields were selected in the three North American countries to reflect the impact of different spatial locations and technologies on water demand. These include the Alaska North Slope, California's Kern County heavy oil, and Mars in the U.S.; Maya in Mexico; and Bow River heavy oil in Alberta, Canada. A boundary for an assessment of the life cycle water footprint was set to cover the unit operations related to exploration, drilling, extraction, and refining. The recovery technology used to extract crude oil is one of the key determining factors for water demand. The amount of produced water that is re-injected to recover the oil is essential in determining the amount of fresh water that will be required. During the complete life cycle of one barrel of conventional crude oil, 1.71-8.25 barrels of fresh water are consumed and 2.4-9.51 barrels of fresh water are withdrawn. The lowest coefficients are for Bow River heavy oil and the highest coefficients are for Maya crude oil. Of all the unit operations, exploration and drilling require the least fresh water (less than 0.015 barrel of water per barrel of oil produced). A sensitivity analysis was conducted and uncertainty in the estimates was determined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water-in-oil Pickering emulsions stabilized by stearoylated microcrystalline cellulose.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Bo; Liu, Huan; Liu, Peiwen; Peng, Xinwen; Zhang, Kai

2018-03-01

Hydrophobic particles with static water contact angles larger than 90° are more like to stabilize W/O Pickering emulsions. In particular, high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) are of great interest for diverse applications. However, W/O HIPEs have rarely been realized using sustainable biopolymers. Herein, we used stearoylated microcrystalline cellulose (SMCC) to stabilize W/O Pickering emulsions and especially, W/O HIPEs. Moreover, these W/O HIPEs can be further used as platforms for the preparation of porous materials, such as porous foams. Stearoylated microcrystalline cellulose (SMCC) was prepared by modifying MCC with stearoyl chloride under heterogeneous conditions. Using SMCC as emulsifiers, W/O medium and high internal phase Pickering emulsions (MIPEs and HIPEs) with various organic solvents as continuous phases were prepared using one-step and two-step methods, respectively. Polystyrene (PS) foams were prepared after polymerization of oil phase using HIPEs as templates and their oil/water separation capacity were studied. SMCC could efficiently stabilize W/O Pickering emulsions and HIPEs could only be prepared via the two-step method. The internal phase volume fraction of the SMCC-stabilized HIPEs reached as high as 89%. Diverse internal phase volume fractions led to distinct inner structures of foams with closed or open cells. These macroporous polystyrene (PS) foams demonstrated great potential for the effective absorption of organic solvents from underwater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Water scarcity and oil palm expansion: social views and environmental processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Merten

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Conversions of natural ecosystems, e.g., from rain forests to managed plantations, result in significant changes in the hydrological cycle including periodic water scarcity. In Indonesia, large areas of forest were lost and extensive oil palm plantations were established over the last decades. We conducted a combined social and environmental study in a region of recent land-use change, the Jambi Province on Sumatra. The objective was to derive complementary lines of arguments to provide balanced insights into environmental perceptions and eco-hydrological processes accompanying land-use change. Interviews with villagers highlighted concerns regarding decreasing water levels in wells during dry periods and increasing fluctuations in stream flow between rainy and dry periods. Periodic water scarcity was found to severely impact livelihoods, which increased social polarization. Sap flux measurements on forest trees and oil palms indicate that oil palm plantations use as much water as forests for transpiration. Eddy covariance analyses of evapotranspiration over oil palm point to substantial additional sources of evaporation in oil palm plantations such as the soil and epiphytes. Stream base flow from a catchment dominated by oil palms was lower than from a catchment dominated by rubber plantations; both showed high peaks after rainfall. An estimate of erosion indicated approximately 30 cm of topsoil loss after forest conversion to both oil palm and rubber plantations. Analyses of climatic variables over the last 20 years and of a standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index for the last century suggested that droughts are recurrent in the area, but have not increased in frequency or intensity. Consequently, we assume that conversions of rain forest ecosystems to oil palm plantations lead to a redistribution of precipitated water by runoff, which leads to the reported periodic water scarcity. Our combined social and environmental approach

The use of material balanced equation to determine the oil water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The oil water contact of an oil reservoir can be determined using some geophysical well logs. However, some of the methods might not be accurate. Therefore the material balanced equation which is an accurate means of formation evaluation is critically analysed in this study and then used to determine the oil water contact ...

Decontamination of water polluted with oil through the use of tanned solid wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gammoun, A.; Azzi, M.

2007-01-01

The ability of chrome shavings (CS) and buffing dusts of crust leather (BDCL) to remove oily wastes from demineralized water and natural seawater was investigated. The aim of the study was to discover environmentally friendly alternatives for the disposal of solid tannery wastes. The specific surface area of the CS and the BDCL were examined to determine ash content; chromium oxide; fat; and the pH of soluble matter. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was then used to examine the structure and morphology of the samples. Three types of oil were used in the experiment: diesel motor oil; premium motor oil; and used motor oil. Sorbent materials were added to a beaker containing 1000 ml of water and 5.5 g of oil. The amount of residual oil in the water was then extracted with petroleum ether. The amount of oil sorbed on the wastes was calculated by subtracting the amount of residual oil in water from the initial mass of oil added to the beakers. Results suggested that the tanned solid wastes efficiently removed the oil from the water. It was concluded that the waste materials were able to absorb many times their weight in oil. 21 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs

De-emulsifiers for water-in-crude oil-emulsions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaki, N. [Egyptian Petroleum Research Inst. (EPRI), Cairo (Egypt); Al-Sabagh, A. [Egyptian Petroleum Research Inst. (EPRI), Cairo (Egypt)

1997-01-01

The efficiency of 18 different polyalkylphenols-polyalkylene-polyamines-formaldehyde ethoxylates (PAPAFE) in the deemulsification of water-in-crude oil-emulsion were studied. In this respect, two naturally occurring Egyptian water-in-curde oil-emulsions were used to test the investigated de-emulsifiers. The effect of the variation in the molecular structure of the (PAPAFE) on their de-emulsification potency is investigated. The investigation reveals that de-emulsifiers containing nonyl phenol reduce crude oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) and are more efficient than those containing dodecyl phenol. PAPAFE containing more amino groups are found to have better emulsion breaking ability. This is attributed to their enhanced ability to solubilize asphaltenes, which are the prime motivators for crude oil-water emulsion stability. They drag asphaltenes crosslinked at the water-crude oil interface and consequently, resulting in a substantial decrease in emulsion stability. There exists an optimum hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) for the investigated PAPAFE, ranging from 12 to 13.5 at which their maximum de-emulsification ability is attained. All studied PAPAFE showed increased de-emulsification performance by increasing the temperature from 50 to 70 C. Increasing the temperature reduces the viscosity of the crude oil continuous phase and increases the rate of diffusion of both the surfactant molecules and the dispersed water droplets. This will cause an increase in the rate of coalescence of the water droplets. (orig.) [Deutsch] Es wurde die Wirkung von 18 verschiedenen Polyalkylphenolpolyalkylenpolyamine-formaldehydethoxylaten (PAPAFE) bei der Demulgierung von Wasser-in-Rohoel-Emulsionen untersucht. Zwei in Aegypten natuerlich vorkommende Wasser-in-Rohoel-Emulsionen wurden fuer die Versuche eingesetzt, dabei wurde der Einfluss der molekularen Struktur der PAPAFEs auf das Demulgiervermoegen untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass Demulgatoren mit Nonylphenol die

Toxicity of methylmercury injected into eggs when dissolved in water versus corn oil

Science.gov (United States)

Heinz, G.H.; Hoffman, D.J.; Klimstra, J.D.; Stebbins, K.R.; Kondrad, S.L.

2011-01-01

In a previous study, the embryotoxicity of methylmercury dissolved in corn oil was compared among 26 species of birds. Corn oil is not soluble in the water-based matrix that constitutes the albumen of an egg. To determine whether the use of corn oil limited the usefulness of this earlier study, a comparison was made of the embryotoxicity of methylmercury dissolved in corn oil versus water. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and chicken (Gallus gallus) eggs were injected with methylmercury chloride dissolved in corn oil or water to achieve concentrations of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6??g/g mercury in the egg on a wet weight basis. Hatching success at each dose of mercury was compared between the two solvents. For mallards, 16.4% of the eggs injected with 1.6??g/g mercury dissolved in water hatched, which was statistically lower than the 37.6% hatch rate of eggs injected with 1.6??g/g mercury dissolved in corn oil, but no differences in hatching success were observed between corn oil and water at any of the other doses. With chicken eggs, no significant differences occurred in percentage hatch of eggs between corn oil and water at any of the mercury doses. Methylmercury dissolved in corn oil seems to have a toxicity to avian embryos similar to that of does methylmercury dissolved in water. Consequently, the results from the earlier study that described the toxicity of methylmercury dissolved in corn oil to avian embryos were probably not compromised by the use of corn oil as a solvent. ?? 2011 SETAC.

Ultrafiltration concept for separating oil from water. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldsmith, R.L.; Schrab H.

1973-01-01

Discharge of oily wastes from shipboard operations of deballasting, bilge pumping, and slop tank cleaning constitutes a serious water pollution problem. Membrane ultrafiltration was studied in this project as a means of generating a highly purified water from a variety of oily wastes.

Hydraulic considerations in deigning an oil spill control system for stormwater outfall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, J.; Chui, J. [Ryerson University, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2004-09-01

An oil spill control system, consisting of an on-line triangular lateral diversion channel and an off-line tilted-plate oil-water separator, installed in the Humber Creek sub-watershed in Toronto, Ontario, is described. The area, which rims the shore of Lake Ontario from the Niagara Peninsula to Oshawa, is heavily industrialized, and is home to some 5.6 million people. During the 1990s an estimated average of 1050 litre/day of petroleum products have escaped into the environment; soil contamination occurred in 55 per cent of the cases, and water-course pollution in 31 per cent. A physical model study was conducted at the National Water Research Institute's Hydraulic Laboratory in Burlington, Ontario, to investigate the hydraulic behaviour of the spill control system under different flow conditions. Results of the investigation confirmed the design conveyance capacity of the lateral diversion channel; it also confirmed that floating objects and settleable solids could be trapped inside the oil-water separator under various flow conditions. Because the angled diversion channel was observed to cause a vortex action inside the first and second chambers of the separator and increase the potential for trapped oil to be flushed out, it is recommended that the final design of the spill control system pay special attention to the vortex problem. One potential solution for this problem may be the installation of baffles at the second chamber of the oil-water separator. It was further recommended that the design should also address the flushing of trapped oil during wet weather conditions. 23 refs., 2 tabs., 10 figs.

Characterization of Emulsions of Fish Oil and Water by Cryo Scanning Electron Microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Louise Helene Søgaard; Horn, Anna Frisenfeldt; Jacobsen, Charlotte

Addition of fish oil to industrially prepared food products is attractive to the food industry because of the well-documented health effects of the omega 3 fatty acids in the fish oil [1]. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids including omega 3 fatty acids are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation due...... to the many double bonds. Emulsions of fish oil in water are potential candidates for a delivery system of fish oil to food products. It has been suggested that oxidation of oil-in-water emulsions is initiated at the interface between oil and water. It has also been proposed that oxidation is to some extent...... is to characterize fish oil in water emulsions with respect to oil droplet size, distribution, and ultimately to view the structure and thickness of the interface layer. A freeze-fractured surface viewed at low temperatures under the scanning electron microscope is a promising strategy to reveal variations...

Stability Proxies for Water-in-Oil Emulsions and Implications in Aqueous-based Enhanced Oil Recovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrnoosh Moradi

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Several researchers have proposed that mobility control mechanisms can positively contribute to oil recovery in the case of emulsions generated in Enhanced-Oil Recovery (EOR operations. Chemical EOR techniques that use alkaline components or/and surfactants are known to produce undesirable emulsions that create operational problems and are difficult to break. Other water-based methods have been less studied in this sense. EOR processes such as polymer flooding and LoSalTM injection require adjustments of water chemistry, mainly by lowering the ionic strength of the solution or by decreasing hardness. The decreased ionic strength of EOR solutions can give rise to more stable water-in-oil emulsions, which are speculated to improve mobility ratio between the injectant and the displaced oil. The first step toward understanding the connection between the emulsions and EOR mechanisms is to show that EOR conditions, such as salinity and hardness requirements, among others, are conducive to stabilizing emulsions. In order to do this, adequate stability proxies are required. This paper reviews commonly used emulsion stability proxies and explains the advantages and disadvantage of methods reviewed. This paper also reviews aqueous-based EOR processes with focus on heavy oil to contextualize in-situ emulsion stabilization conditions. This context sets the basis for comparison of emulsion stability proxies.

Analysis of the kerogen of oil shales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quass, F W; Down, A L

1939-01-01

Comments are given on the method developed by F. W. Quass for reducing the amount of mineral matter present in certain coals and oil shales (torbanites). The method consisted of grinding oil shale with water in a porcelain ball mill in the presence of oil. The oil formed a paste with the carbonaceous material, and a greater portion of the mineral matter remained suspended in the water and was separated. Ultimate analyses of the enriched samples indicated that the percent of carbon was higher, the percent of hydrogen and oxygen was lower, and the ratio of carbon to hydrogen and carbon to oxygen increased in the enriched samples.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation: The Behavior of Asphaltene in Crude Oil and at the Oil/Water Interface

KAUST Repository

Gao, Fengfeng; Xu, Zhen; Liu, Guokui; Yuan, Shiling

2014-01-01

of the repulsion of the anionic headgroups. Anionic C5 Pe has a distinct affinity to the oil/water interface during the simulation, while the C5 Pe molecules persist in the crude oil domain. A three-stage model of anionic C5 Pe molecules adsorbed at the oil

A new concept for improved oil spill containment in open waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sethness, E.D. Jr.

1990-01-01

In this paper a new concept for improved oil spill containment in open waters is presented. The proposed system is a combination oil boom and wave barrier. Waveguard International has taken its extensive experience as a designer of floating breakwaters and applied this knowledge into the design of a readily transportable, readily deployable floating oil boom with integrated wave attenuation capabilities as well. The new concept is based on the attenuation of the two major natural causes of oil spill dispersion; first, horizontal dispersion caused by wind shear effects; and second, vertical entrainment into the water column caused by the mixing action of wave motion. The physical encirclement of an oil spill with a floating boom to contain horizontal dispersion is not a new concept. Existing systems, however, work best in calm water and rapidly loose efficiency as waves increase. The proposed system can not only physically surround the spill area, but is as much as 90% effective in stopping the transmission of wave energy. The oil boom thus minimizes vertical mixing of the contained oil slick

Petrophysical studies in heavy oil sands with early water production - Hamaca area, Orinoco Oil Belt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salisch, H.A.

1982-07-01

This study describes the main lines of petrophysical research in the Hamaca-Pao region of the Orinoco Oil Belt. The techniques and parameters most appropriate for petrophysical studies in the area of interest are discussed. Field tests have confirmed the conclusions of this study on early water production and low oil recovery. Steam injection was shown to be a means for increasing oil mobility to such a degree that significant amounts of additional oil can be produced.

Influence of riser-induced slugs on the downstream separation processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Simon; Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Yang, Zhenyu

2017-01-01

In Oil & Gas installations the severe slug is an undesired flow regime due to the negative impact on the production rate and facility safety. This study will evaluate the severe riser-induced slugs’ influence to a typical separation process, consisting of a 3-phase gravity separator physically...... linked to a de-oiling hydrocyclone, based on experimental tests performed on a laboratory testing facility. Several scenarios are compared, while three PID controllers’ coefficients are kept constant for all the tests: The separator pressure, water level, and hydrocyclone pressure-drop-ratio (PDR......) controllers. Each respective scenario makes a comparison between uncontrolled, open-, and closed-loop anti-slug control configurations. It is concluded that both open- and closed-loop anti-slug control strategies improve the water level and PDR setpoint tracking equally well, but that the closed-loop strategy...