Effect of ultrasound radiation duration on emulsification and demulsification of paraffin oil and surfactant solution/brine using Hele-shaw models

Hossein Hamidi*, Erfan Mohammadian, Mohammad Asadullah, Amin Azdarpour, Roozbeh Rafati

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ultrasound technique is one of the unconventional enhanced oil recovery methods which has been of interest for more than six decades. However, the majority of the oil recovery mechanisms under ultrasound reported in the previous studies are theoretical. Emulsification is one of the mechanisms happening at the interface of oil and water in porous media under ultrasound. Oppositely, ultrasound is one of the techniques using in oil industry for demulsification of oil/water emulsion. Therefore, the conditions in which emulsification becomes dominant over demulsification under ultrasound should be more investigated. Duration of ultrasound radiation could be one of the factors affecting emulsification and demulsification processes. In this study a technique was developed to investigate the effect of long and short period of ultrasound radiation on emulsification and demulsification of paraffin oil and surfactant solution in porous media. For this purpose, the 2D glass Hele-shaw models were placed inside the ultrasonic bath under long and short period of radiation of ultrasound. A microscope was used above the model for microscopic studies on the interface of oil and water. Diffusion of phases and formation of emulsion were observed in both long and short period of application of ultrasound at the beginning of ultrasound radiation. However, by passing time, demulsification and coalescence of brine droplets inside emulsion was initiated in long period of ultrasound application. Therefore, it was concluded that emulsification could be one of the significant oil recovery mechanisms happening in porous media under short period of application of ultrasound. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)428-436
Number of pages9
JournalUltrasonics sonochemistry
Volume26
Early online date14 Jan 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2015

Bibliographical note

The authors would like to appreciate the Petroleum Engineering Department, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK for the provision of the laboratory facilities necessary for completing this work.

Keywords

  • ultrasound
  • frequency
  • power
  • emulsification
  • 2D glass Hele-shaw model
  • oil recovery
  • immiscible displacement
  • waves
  • capillary
  • liqiuid
  • water
  • stability
  • emulsions
  • size

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