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China shale oil can be classified as interlayer shale oil (in sandstone, carbonate, and diamictite) and genuine shale oil. Considering the characteristics and strong heterogeneity of continental shales, it is recommended to evaluate the interlayer shale oil resources using the elemental volume method based on pore volume, and the genuine shale oil resources using the elemental weight method based on oil content. Four key parameters for genuine shale oil resource evaluation (i.e., S1, TOC, Ro, and shale thickness) and three key parameters for interlayer shale oil resource evaluation (i.e., interlayer thickness, porosity, and oil saturation) are determined, and the lower limits of parameters are defined accordingly. The evaluation results show that the geological resources of genuine shale oil in Qing-1 member of Songliao Basin are 52.23 × 108 t; the geological resources of shale oil in Chang-73 sub-member of Ordos Basin are 66.80 × 108 t, including 27.73 × 108 t interlayer shale oil and 39.07 × 108 t genuine shale oil; the geological resources of shale oil in Lucaogou Formation of Junggar Basin are 15.62 × 108 t, including 11.99 × 108 t interlayer shale oil and 3.63 × 108 t genuine shale oil. This study provides a reference for exploration decision of shale oil in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the attributes and the significance of the roughness of oil market volatility. We employ unspanned stochastic volatility models driven by rough Brownian motions that yield semi-analytical prices for future options entailing efficient calibration applications. By performing a Monte Carlo simulation study, we show that the semi-analytical pricing performs well thus establishing its efficiency for calibration applications. Thus we calibrate option prices written on oil futures and provide empirical evidence of the roughness in oil volatility. Introducing just one additional parameter, the Hurst parameter, indicating the roughness of the volatility improves the calibration by almost a factor of 10. The calibrated option-implied Hurst parameter varies over time, but the entire set of parameters becomes more stable than in the non-rough case corresponding to a fixed Hurst parameter 1/2. These results underscore the importance to model the time dependency of the roughness of oil market volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high viscosity of Jimsar crude oil and the lipophilicity of the reservoir, CO2 has an excellent performance in development of Jimsar shale oil. However, previous studies mostly focused on CO2 fracturing, but the replacement of crude oil by CO2 is rarely reported. Therefore, we conducted research on oil replacement by CO2 through systematical experiments. Firstly, we designed an experimental approach based on nuclear magnetic resonance to quantify the replacement ratio of oil. Next, a series of experiments were conducted for analyzing the effect of pressure, soaking time, permeability, and fractures on replacement ratio. Finally, oil-water imbibition experiments were conducted to compare its development effect with CO2 replacement for target reservoir. The study shows that the replacement capacity of CO2 for crude oil increases with pressure. In the experiment, the replacement ratio increases from 27.46% (10 MPa) to 56.70% (40 MPa) after 24 hours. On the microscopic scale, the crude oil in large pores is replaced out firstly, then the smaller pores. And on the macroscopic scale, the replacement of crude oil is from outside to inside. High permeability and fractures in the core promote the intrusion of CO2 into the core, raising the replacement ratio significantly. Since Jimsar reservoir is oil-wet, the oil recovery of oil-water imbibition is far less than that of CO2 replacement. The minimum pore through which oil can be exploited by oil-water imbibition is 1 μm, while for CO2 replacement the value is 0.08 μm. This study provides fundamental for CO2 increasing oil recovery in Jimsar shale oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most regions of the world, including the Algerian desert (southeast of Algeria, the El-Oued region in particular) suffer from pure water scarcity, although there is a huge stockpile of groundwater, it is salty water. Solar stills are one of the best solutions to the problem of freshwater shortages because it depend on solar energy, which is abundant throughout the year in southeastern Algeria. Due to the low productivity of solar stills, the current experimental study aims to create simple and inexpensive solutions to improve the productivity of solar stills. This was done by manufacturing the absorption basin from a concrete layer, with the addition of cement cylindrical fins and which were used as energy storage materials in addition to the use of cylindrical fins helped to increase the heat transfer area between the absorption surface (thermal storage materials) and basin water. To achieve this goal, two single-slope solar distillers were built and tested in this article, the first is Single Slope Solar Distiller with a Cement Layer (2 cm) placed as absorbent at the bottom base of the basin (SSSD-CL) and the second is a Single Slope Solar Distiller with Cement Layer (2 cm) and Cement Cylindrical Fins (SSSD-CL&CCF). Cylindrical fins are made of cement with a diameter of 1.5 cm and a length of 3 cm. The results showed that SSSD-CL&CCF produced drinking water at a rate of 4.52 kg/m²/day while SSSD-CL produced only 3.46 kg/m²/day, which is 30.64% more compared to SSSD-CL&CCF. These results demonstrated that the drinking water produced by SSSD-CL improved by incorporating the cement cylindrical fins with the cement layer as low-cost and available sensible thermal energy storage materials. Also, Cement cylindrical fins were used, which increased the thermal and exergy efficiency by 31% and 56.7%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work aims to formulate a stable cosmetic nanoemulsion using nature-derived ingredients such as surfactin (a lipopeptide-type biosurfactant produced by Bacillus sp) as an emulsifier, plant-based essential oil as a bioactive ingredient, and coconut oil as the base oil using high-energy ultrasonication method. To accomplish a stable nanoemulsion formulation, experiments with varying combinations of surfactin concentration, essential oil concentration, ultrasonication time, and amplitude were performed. Statistical analysis of samples, based on the responses such as visual observation, droplet size, and polydispersity index, facilitated proper segregation of best-performing samples from those of poorly performing. Nanoemulsions formulated using optimal conditions of oil-to-surfactant ratio (O/S) of 7.4:1 (%w/w), ultrasonication amplitude of 40%, and ultrasonication time of 4.5 min showed greater stability with average droplets size of 170 ± 12 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.17 ± 0.01 and zeta potential of −56 ± 0.5 mV. The nanoemulsion remained completely stable with no sign of phase separation during the test period of 200 days. Further, the performance of samples toward different stability tests such as heat treatment, centrifugation test, NaCl treatment was satisfactory. In addition, nanoemulsion exhibited significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, the current study demonstrates the imminent potential of surfactin as a bio-emulsifier in skin-care cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The horse herd optimization algorithm (HOA), one of the more contemporary metaheuristic algorithms, has demonstrated superior performance in a number of challenging optimization tasks. In the present work, the descriptor selection issue is resolved by classifying different essential oil retention indices using the binary form, BHOA. Based on internal and external prediction criteria, Z-shape transfer functions (ZTF) were tested to verify their efficiency in improving BHOA performance in QSPR modelling for predicting retention indices of essential oils. The evaluation criteria involved the mean-squared error of the training and testing datasets (MSE), and leave-one-out internal and external validation (Q2). The degree of convergence of the proposed Z-shaped transfer functions was compared. In addition, K-fold cross validation with k = 5 was applied. The results show that ZTF, especially ZTF1, greatly improves the performance of the original BHOA. Comparatively speaking, ZTF, especially ZTF1, exhibits the fastest convergence behaviour of the binary algorithms. It chooses the fewest descriptors and requires the fewest iterations to achieve excellent prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on developing an efficient and environment-friendly drilling fluid using biodiesel as an alternative to the conventional diesel-based drilling fluid for drilling highly technical and challenging formations. The biodiesel was synthesized and produced from castor oil using the transesterification process. The physicochemical properties suggests that produced biodiesel has a high flashpoint (148 °C) and low pour point (-12 °C) compared to diesel oil. The synthesized biodiesel is utilized as a base oil to formulate an ester-based drilling fluid. A thorough experimental study is performed to evaluate the performance of formulated drilling fluid at ambient and reservoir temperature condition. A diesel-based drilling fluid is also formulated for comparative analysis. The experimental findings show that castor biodiesel-based drilling fluid's plastic viscosity and yield points are 10% and 25% higher than the diesel-based drilling fluid. However, the least filtrate loss volume is obtained for castor biodiesel-based drilling fluid than the diesel-based drilling fluid at high-temperature conditions. The filtrate loss by diesel-based drilling fluid was 17% and 9% higher than castor biodiesel-based drilling fluid at 25 °C and 100 °C, respectively. The results suggest the non-Newtonian and shear-thinning behavior of castor biodiesel-based mud (n < 1) associated with the Herschel–Bulkley model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the oil-water separation capability of iron-based superhydrophilic meshes. It also intends to provide an optimistic view of their potential for industrial application. Oil-water separation performance of the 150 mesh, 300 mesh, and 400 mesh is primarily examined by analyzing the efficiency and speediness of separation as well as the limit of oil intrusion using petroleum based oils. The superhydrophilic meshes are further applied for oil-water separation of locomotive wash effluent. The superhydrophilic meshes showed good oil-water separation behavior. The 300 mesh is observed to have superior separation performance. It is also tested to have good reusability and resistance in harsh conditions. The separation effectiveness of 94.7%, reduced turbidity of 21.8 NTU, and chemical oxygen demand of around 70 ppm, along with reasonable flux and intrusion pressure values of 73.28 Lm−2min−1 and 0.848 kPa, respectively, are noticed for the separation study conducted for locomotive wash effluent using the designated superhydrophilic mesh. This study hence as well demonstrates a prospective future of superhydrophilic mesh for practical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of bio-lubricants is a major requirement today due to increased environmental pollution. Despite several advantages of bio-lubricants, very limited studies are reported due to challenges in their preparation and performance as a lubricant. In this article, the preparation of bio-lubricant based on Neem oil and evaluation of its physicochemical properties is reported. Using Neem seeds and through the process of pre-treatment, extraction, and recovery Neem oil is extracted. Later, the obtained Neem oil is epoxidized using hydrogen peroxide and formic acid. A comparative analysis of physicochemical properties of different bio-lubricants and lubricants is performed. It is found that the viscosity of these bio-lubricants and lubricants significantly decreased with increase in temperature from 40°C to 100°C. Relatively, Neem oil has lowest viscosity, synthetic oil highest, epoxidized Neem oil medium and the blended lubricants have reduced viscosity compared to Neem oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The old paradigm of oil-for-security as the cornerstone of Saudi-US relationship will increasingly become moot when renewables start replacing oil. However, the relationship between the two countries will continue for two main reasons. The first is that the role of oil as the base of security decreases, but it becomes replaced by the fear of Iran, viewed by both Saudi Arabia and the United States as an implacable foe and dangerous hegemon. Second, Saudi Arabia is on its way to start replacing its dependence on crude oil by becoming a world leader in carbon-based value-adding products, like advanced chemicals, allowing it in the near future to reduce its oil production. But Saudi success in transitioning away from oil and the US ability to sell goods to the Kingdom will both depend on open maritime trade routes guaranteed by the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the redox ability of dopamine in a weak alkaline environment, silver nanoparticles were uniformly loaded on the surface of polydopamine-modified graphene oxide (Ag/PGO). The results show that the base oil containing Ag/PGO nanoparticles exhibits a better tribological property than base oil. The maximum decrease in wear rate and friction coefficient at different temperatures amounted to 68% and 53.6%, respectively. The tribofilm containing C, O, N, and Ag exists and plays an important role in reducing friction and increasing wear resistance. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the microscopic oil film composed of Ag/PGO and n-hexadecane has low shear deformation during the shearing process, and the oil film has low interaction energy with the upper and lower shear walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the boundary lubrication regime, the addition of long as well as straight alkyl chain containing additive exhibit a serendipitous impact on protecting various metallic surfaces or machinery components from friction and subsequent wear. In quest of environment-friendly, proficient friction-reducing, surface protective and cost-effective lubricant additives; herein, two diazomethine functionalised long-chain consisting organic molecules, namely (3E)-N-((E)-2-(octadecylimino)ethylidene)octadecan-1-amine (ODE) and (3E)-N-((E)-2-(dodecylimino)ethylidene)dodecan-1-amine (DDE) were synthesized through a one-pot condensation reaction. The surface protective film-forming, as well as wear and friction reducing properties of these organic additives on steel balls within paraffin oil (PO), were thoroughly explored using a four-ball tester with variation in time, load and speed. The addition of these additives showed a remarkable reduction of coefficient of friction (COF) and wear amount in compared to the pure base oil. ODE exhibited better performance with a ∼62% reduction in COF and ∼23% reduction in wear amount for steels in contact. Electronic level analysis for elucidating the tribofilm formation capability of the additives was rationalized using computational approaches such as density functional theory (DFT) and Fukui indices. Additionally, the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation which is an efficient computational approach was used to explore the spontaneous adsorption insight of additives; and also radial distribution function (RDF) were analysed to impressively explore the molecular-level interactions and adsorption mechanism of the additives with the metal atoms. Thereby, the mechanism of surface adhesive tribofilm formation and its metal protection capability has been explained in a comprehensive manner. Diazomethine functionalised organic molecules were synthesized with a variation of aliphatic chain length. Long aliphatic chain containing ODE additive showed enhanced surface protective performances in paraffin oil exhibiting lower COF value in comparison to DDE. Possible formation of ODE-based efficient tribofilm in metal-solution interface which exhibits enhanced surface adsorption property on the metal surface. Substantial decrease in wear upon addition of ODE in the base oil, which was confirmed by FE-SEM and 3D surface profilometer study. MD simulation has been used to investigate the adsorption competence of ODE and DDE on the iron surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the EU aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, conventional production cycles must be transformed into cradle-to-cradle approaches. Spent coffee grounds are often dumped in landfills, with their potential as high-quality feedstock for biofuel or bio-lubricant production. Spent coffee grounds oil (SCGO) was investigated for its physicochemical properties while having more free acid groups compared to the reference polyalphaolefin 8 (PAO 8), which may cause faster oxidation. TGA results displayed comparable thermal stability of SCGO and PAO 8 for inert/oxidative atmosphere. The oil composition was characterized by ATR-FTIR, elemental analysis, and GC-EI-MS, where a higher oxygen content was found for SCGO, referring to functional ester/acid groups. The tribological behavior of SCGO was studied as lubricant base oil and as a 5% additive in PAO 8. The condition of fresh and tribologically used oils was investigated with High-Resolution-ESI-MS, and the worn surfaces were evaluated by light microscopy and topographic analysis. The results showed a superior friction coefficient of pure SCGO (μ = 0.092) to PAO 8 (μ = 0.129). The 5% SCGO additive in PAO 8 (μ = 0.095) could significantly reduce friction compared to pure PAO 8 on an unpolished 100Cr6 surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n the last few years, there is a general shift observable toward greener lubrication, fueled amongst others by policy initiatives such as the European Green Deal in consistency with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. At least 70 vol% of a lubricant is composed of a specific base oil, the rest is a variation of additives altering the lubricant properties (enhancing or suppressing existent base oil properties or adding new properties) to be operational for a particular field of application. So, in terms of sustainability, biodegradability, bioaccumulation, and toxicity the type of base oil plays a major role, which makes environmentally harmful petroleum-based lubricant formulations highly problematic for future applications. Hence, this leads to an ever-growing demand of environmentally friendly lubricant alternatives. Within the scope of this review lies the investigation of bio-based, bio-derived, and other sustainable lubricant components that could serve as promising replacements for conventional petroleum-based formulations, in accordance with the principles of green chemistry and tribology. As recycling is embraced by the term sustainability, waste-derived components of non-biological origin are also included in this work. An overview of studies on the tribological performance such as friction and wear properties of these sustainable and benign lubricant components is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a variety of bioactive components in rice bran oil (RBO), among which the richer ones include γ-oryzanol, α-tocopherol and sitosterol. The activity of these ingredients is affected by the vehicle and formulation, and there is a significant synergy between these antioxidants. At present, the content of antioxidants in physically refined RBO has reached a high level. Therefore, comparing the activity of physically refined RBO with γ-oryzanol, α-tocopherol, and sitosterol as single components and the above three ingredients dissolved in the same base oil as RBO can provide information for better application of these antioxidants. The results showed that the antioxidant and anti-senescence capacities of physically refined RBO were significantly higher than those of dissolved γ-oryzanol, α-tocopherol, and sitosterol and better than those of the mixture. This study illustrates that the antioxidant and anti-senescence effects of highly active physically refined RBO are superior to those antioxidants derived from RBO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion mobility spectrometry coupled to gas-chromatographic (GC-IMS) is tested regarding their ability to analyze various refined edible vegetable oils, including sunflower seed, rapeseed, sesame, soybean, peanut, corn, camellia, linseed, walnut, coconut, grape seed and extra virgin olive oils. GC-IMS assay displays peak difference of each edible vegetable oil in three-dimensional information at retention time in gas phase and at ion mobility rate in IMS. Moreover, 74 main peak intensities are extracted and imported into Excel for analysis. Then, chemometric methods are employed to establish discriminant models. The results show that based on Kennards-Stone (KS), the prediction accuracy of the soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) is perfect. Therefore, the GC-IMS system is shown to be an effective method to classification of edible vegetable oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combinational icaritin (IC) and coix seed oil (CSO) holds promising potential in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, traditional cocktail therapy is facing difficulties to optimize the synergistic antitumor efficacy due to the asynchronous pharmacokinetics. Therefore, we developed an icaritin-loaded microemulsion based on coix seed oil (IC-MEs) for improved pharmacokinetics and enhanced antitumor efficacy. The preparation technology of IC-MEs was optimized by the Box-Behnken design and the pharmaceutical properties were characterized in detail. IC-MEs show synergistic antiproliferation against HepG2 cells compared with monotherapy. The mechanism is associated with stronger apoptosis induction via enhancing caspases-3 activity. IC-MEs significantly improve the bioavailability of IC due to the encapsulation of coix oil-based microemulsion and also obtain the desired liver accumulation and elimination. More importantly, IC-MEs exhibit the overwhelming antitumor ability among all of the treatments on the HepG2 xenograft-bearing mice. This study verifies the feasibility of using coix oil-based microemulsion to improve the antitumor effect of water-insoluble components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world exists in an era of decarbonisation and energy transition, where the impacts and experiences vary widely across jurisdictions. In recent years, the trend against funding oil and gas projects has grown, and the uncertainty of investment has contributed to commodity price volatility and heightened concerns regarding energy supply and security in the mid to long term. This volatility and rapidly rising commodity prices have been exacerbated recently by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with associated sanctions and turmoil in energy markets. These market realities are broadly impacting resource-exporting and -consuming countries, energy companies, workers, consumers and the global economy. While there is a widely accepted recognition that energy transition must happen, global unrest and market realities are demonstrating that it also needs to occur in an orderly and properly paced fashion that is economically and politically sustainable, in order to mitigate adverse outcomes. This summary reflects expert panelists' exploration of the balancing act of keeping the oil and gas industry healthy and stable in an era of transition, focusing on two themes: the need to continue to support the development of oil and gas projects that are aligned with current and future climate standards; and the regulatory trends to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions and achieve the right pace of energy transition, while ensuring that 'the lights stay on' and other sustainable development goals are also met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the oil scale deposition thickness of pipelines is beneficial to ensuring the efficient and safe operation of pipelines. In this paper, an improved gamma-ray transmission method is proposed to reconstruct the two-dimensional (2D) oil scale profile of pipelines. The method combines the gamma-ray transmission method and scanning technology to measure the deposition thickness of the oil scale and rotates the gamma-ray scanning direction to different angles, after completing a transmission scanning process, to achieve the full-angle measurement of the oil scale deposition thickness. Based on this method, a set of oil scale profile detection devices is designed and the detection process is simulated by the Geant4 toolkit. In this system model, the pipelines with and without oil scale are scanned, respectively, by using the single-energy gamma-ray beam to analyze the relative transmittance of gamma rays at the energy of 0.662 MeV. The results show that the approach is efficient for detecting the deposition thickness of oil scale in oil pipelines and is accurate for the 2D oil scale profile reconstruction of a pipeline. The maximum deviation is about 0.59 cm, and the relative error is less than 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mites cause significant damage to various crops, often requiring synthetic acaricides for their control. However, the frequent use of these products, resistance problems and severe problems with contamination occur. Therefore, one of the promising solutions is plant acaricides, which can be developed based on essential oils. Thus, the objective of this work was the extraction and characterization of the essential oil from the leaves of Kermani lemongrass, Dracocephalum polychaetum, and acaricidal evaluation of the oil and its major compound using the application by fumigation on female adults of Tetranychus urticae. The composition of the essential oil was analysed by GC-MS. The major components in the oil were 1-octen-3-ol (11.27%), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (11.06%), linalool (9.89), and nonanal (9.64%), respectively. The impact of essential oil of this plant on fumigant toxicity, LT50, oviposition deterrent activity, and repellency against T. urticae was studied at different concentrations. The results stated that D. polychaetum oil had high toxicity on eggs and adults of two-spotted spider mite (LC50 was 60.30 and 50.87 µL L−1 for eggs and adults, respectively) with LT50 of 8.02 h. In addition, all tested concentrations had oviposition deterrent activity and repellency in adults of this mite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-temperature flow properties of waxy crude oils are considered the determining factor in pipeline transportation. Polymeric additives known as pour point depressants (PPDs) have been developed to control the growth habits of wax crystals to improve the cold flowability of waxy crude oils. In the present article, a copolymer of poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) was synthesized by batch emulsion polymerization of styrene (St) and acrylic acid (AA). Further, it was esterified with N,N-dimethylethanolamine, then its quaternization had done by dodecyl and hexadecyl bromide. The prepared compounds are characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The efficiencies of the prepared compounds as PPDs and flow improvers were investigated. From the results, it is found that the quaternized ester of the copolymer with hexadecyl bromide (PPD4) exhibited the maximum pour point depression (ΔPP = 18 °C) at1000 ppm. The XRD of asphaltene in the absence and presence of investigated additives were studied. Photomicrography analysis showed a clear effect of the additives on the wax crystal modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first to use a response surface method to optimize the main parameters of ultrasonic-assisted recovery of oil from oily sludge. The solvent with the highest oil recovery (xylene) and most suitable process (Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction) were first selected based on the highest oil recovery rate. Then, single-factor experiments were performed to determine the best parameter range of solvent sludge ratio, frequency, duration, and temperature. Box-Behnken response surface methodology was used to study the influence of each variable on oil recovery. Solvent sludge ratio, frequency, and duration were found to have significant effects. The model optimization results show that the best conditions for Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction are as follows: a solvent to sludge ratio of 7.56:1, frequency of 31.48 kHz, duration of 23.67 min, and temperature of 45.87 °C. Under optimum conditions, the oil recovery predicted by the model and the actual oil recovery were 87.21 and 83.77%, respectively. The relative error between the predicted and actual values was 3.44%. These results indicate that the model results are reliable. Finally, the characteristics of the recovered oil and residue were analyzed. This research provides the possibility to utilize difficult-to-handle crude oil tank bottom sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, in many developing countries like India they are facing the shortage of energy. The Refrigeration system has become the major consumer of energy for many industrial as well as household applications. So, it is the need to enhance the energy efficiency of the refrigeration systems. Performance of the refrigeration system can be improved either by increasing the rate of heat absorption in evaporator or by reducing the compressor power. Use of efficient lubricant oil can help to remove the heat generated in the compression process which leads to less power consumption. Development in Nanotechnology makes it possible to develop a new class of lubricant called nanolubricant, in which nanoparticles are added in base lubricant oil to enhance the thermal properties. The two step technique with ultrasonic agitation force is used to synthesise stable nanolubricant.The present study investigates the performance of a R-134a refrigerant vapour compression refrigeration system using nanolubricant with different volume concentrations (0.05%, 0.075%, 0.1% and 0.2%) of Al2O3 to mineral oil (MO) experimentally. The result shows maximum enhancement in COP approximately as 85% for 0.075 % volume fraction Nano lubricant as compared to base fluid. Use of nanolubricant saves approximately 27% compressor power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world contemplates the meaning of the EU's embargo on Russian oil imports 'However, the need is to increase the level of gas this summer [ie, June-August] in the underground gas storage facilities'. 'That means that the gas flow of the two gas pipelines in the Pyrenees is now going in only one direction, from Spain to France'. [Extracted from the article]

This article proposed an original comprehensive thermal treatment coupled with gasification and combustion (CGC) of oil sludge (OS), which was designed to produce hydrogen-rich syngas. Based on the experimental results of OS gasification with steam, the combustion characteristics of char from OS gasification were analyzed by thermogravimetric experiments under different heating rates of 10, 20 and 30 °C/min. The combustion process of OS gasification char can be divided into three stages, including water evaporation, volatile combustion and heavy component combustion. The average values of activation energy (E) obtained by Friedman, FWO and Starink methods were 89.98 kJ/mol, 147.61 kJ/mol and 143.09 kJ/mol, respectively. According to OS gasification and OS gasification char combustion experiments, the comprehensive thermal treatment process CGC of OS was simulated by Aspen Plus. The simulation results showed that increasing both gasification temperature and the mass ratio of steam to OS (SOS) could promote the hydrogen production. Considering energy consumption, the recommended OS gasification temperature, SOS and char combustion temperature were 800 ∼ 900 °C, 0.3 ∼ 0.5, and 900 ∼ 1000 °C, respectively, which could ensure full burning of char and reduce the generation of pollutants. The CGC process could reduce CO2 emissions by 44.2% from carbon flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the most successful in-situ recovery methods for bitumen reservoirs. Seeking the function of oil production with parameters of steam injection is significant for rapid performance evaluation of the SAGD process in fields. In this study, a new semi-analytical model based on unsteady conductive heat transfer is developed to estimate SAGD performance and describe the evolution of the steam chamber synchronously. These are implemented by interface velocity of steam chamber, as the function of the parameters of steam with the exponent-shape assumption and energy balance to link the oil output and chamber growth. It is worth mentioning that the equation of oil production is obtained based on the assumption of unsteady temperature distribution along with the interface, which is close to the real condition of the reservoir in fields. Then, the model is validated by using the Phase B, UTF project of the Athabasca reservoir. Finally, the impacts of steam injection parameters on SAGD oil production are discussed in this paper. Initial higher rate of heat injection to reach the production peak quickly and the subsequent lower rate for maintaining peak should be adopted to achieve the efficient target of oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eastern Mediterranean Sea has been known as an oil pollution hotspot due to its heavy marine traffic and an increasing number of oil and gas exploration activities. To provide automatic detection of oil pollution from not only maritime accidents but also deliberate discharges in this region, a deep learning-based object detector was developed utilizing freely available Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. A total of 9768 oil objects were collected from 5930 Sentinel-1 scenes from 2015 to 2018 and used for training and validating the object detector and evaluating its performance. The trained object detector has an average precision (AP) of 69.10% and 68.69% on the validation and test sets, respectively, and it could be applied for building an early-stage oil contamination surveillance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding recycling oils (also called as 'recycling agents' or 'rejuvenators') into the asphalt mixtures with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) is a widely adopted strategy for improving potential resistance to cracking of recycled asphalt pavements. This study investigates the rheolgoical properties of two Bio-Oils and two Re-refined Engine Oil Bottoms (REOB) by using Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and Rotational Viscometer (RV) tests at various testing conditions, as well as their chemical properties by using the Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) measurement. The results are compared for the recycling oils after the Rolling Thin-Film Oven (RTFO), 20- and 40-hours Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV) aging. Furthermore, these four recycling oils were blended with a base binder at a high ratio (50%) and measured for their complex shear modulus and viscosity at various aging levels, as well as their infrared spectra. At the end, two recycling oils were selected to blend with a base binder at low ratios (2.9% and 5.7%) and measured for the standard Performance Grade (PG) properties and PG plus characteristics. The results of oil-asphalt low ratio blends indicate that recycling oil's content plays an important role in aging behaviour of the binders, not only the type of recycling oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study a new compound 6,6'-(((phenylmethylene,o-olieat)bis(oxy))bis(ethane-2,1-diyl))bis(2-phenyl-o-olieat-1,3,6-dioxazocane)) named (SB2) was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, TGA, 1H NMR and elemental analysis. The SB2 was tested as flow improver and pour point depressant in terms of rheological properties and pour point measurements for treated and untreated waxy crude oil. The results showed a significant viscosity reduction at different temperatures and dosages. In (SB2) the ηapp values were; 326.8, 305.2 and 280.2 mPa.s and Bingham yield stress (ƮB) values 0.38, 0.21and 0.19 Pa at 15 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C respectively and concentration 1000 ppm. Whereas the (ηapp) and (ƮB) for the blank crude oil were; 743.1, 694.2, and 607.2 mPa.s and the (ƮB) values 0.74, 0.69, and 0.60 Pa respectively. The physical mixtures between [SB2] and the previously prepared acrylate-based polymers named [M1, M2, M3] and with a commercially used pour point depressant EPRI J25, named (M4) was investigated. The maximum reduction in (ηapp) and (ƮB) achieved by (M3) was (ηapp) 205.3 mPa.s and (ƮB) 0.13 Pa at the temperatures of 15 °C. Meanwhile, pour point measurements showed that; the (SB2) alone exhibited PP 12 °C (Δ PP= 15 from the blank 27 °C), whereas the J25 recorded PP 15 °C (Δ PP= 12). The maximum depression achieved with the (M4) were PP 6 °C (Δ PP= 21) at 2000 ppm. The mechanism cleared this behavior was drawn in the text, and the achieved results were discussed on the base of carbon number distribution of the waxy crude oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic (EM) heating is an advanced technology that can improve the oil recovery rate. Previous studies usually focus on the coupling of EM and thermal reservoir models, with little attention to multi-phase flow in EM heating. In order to accurately analyze the heat and mass transfer in the reservoir under EM heating, this work developed an advanced model coupling the EM-temperature-seepage fields, in which the variation of the physical properties of heavy oil reservoirs has been considered. In addition, the influence of the EM heating factors is also analyzed. The results show a significant saturation partitioning in the heat and mass transfer in heavy oil reservoirs under EM heating, and heavy oil flows more rapidly in areas of high oil saturation. Increasing the EM frequency and power can extend the heating range of the reservoir, but it can cause a dramatic rise in the temperature of the antenna. When the temperature of the production well induces heavy oil flow, increasing the production pressure can significantly improve output. The average flow rate of heavy oil at the producing well increased by 17.61% when the bottom flow pressure decreased from 19 MPa to 17 MPa. The study of the distance between the production well and the antenna finds that the average temperature of the production well is only 463.06 K when the antenna spacing is 15 m. Compared with other situations, 10 m is the most suitable for efficient and continuous exploitation of heavy oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fuels have remained a major global energy source for many decades, and their use has lingered on with downbeat attendants, considering their high demands and environmental issues caused by overexploitation and exploration. The increase in global energy consumption, emerging issues of climate change, and perceived decline in fossil reserves due to the world's increasing population has raised serious concerns and clamor for the replacement of fossil fuel with biological substitutes. Biodiesels have received much attention in all countries due to their renewability, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and low pollution emissions, and are projected as a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Although biodiesel is mainly a derivative of edible/non-edible plant oil extractions, in this review, biodiesel derived from non-vegetable oils e.g. animal fats/waste, leather industry waste, lipids from microalgae, insects, and waste rubber tires were explored as potential biodiesel feedstocks. In addition, waste materials as heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production, environmental and economic impacts were also highlighted. Noteworthily, the transesterification of these non-vegetable oil feedstock to biodiesel in the presence of waste materials as heterogeneous catalysts could afford up to 98% biodiesel production, and the catalyst can be recycled. The inherent ability to compensate for the quantity supply of biodiesel is the aim of every energy-producing nation in order to maximize economic development and minimize pollution in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the potential of using palm-castor oil blends as lubricating oil in industrial applications. Laboratory experiments to measure kinematic viscosity, flash point, copper corrosion, demulsibility, pour point and total acid number were conducted and compared with commercial lubricating oils. Change in kinematic viscosity with temperature of different palm-castor blends were best fitted to the Arrhenius model with R2 value higher than 0.95 and AARD% is less than 1.5%. Addition of 40 and 50% of castor oil to 60 and 40% of palm oil resulted solutions with similar properties of Hydraulic68 and SAE30, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews the relationship between the different types of oil extraction such as horizontal drilling or fracking, or directional drilling, which is a hybrid between vertical and horizontal, on the behavior of West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices. In doing so the study adds a new dimension to the literature on the relationship between oil price and extraction techniques. The analysis is based on statistical properties using the VAR model of Fractional Cointegration, reflecting evidence of cointegration between the series, and indicating a long-term equilibrium relationship. In addition, we apply the wavelet transform to analyze the structural changes in the price of West Texas Intermediate brought about by changes in drilling technology. Our results show that all three forms of extraction and West Texas Intermediate prices reach high levels of correlation, particularly around 2014. We conclude that a decrease in production based on any form of crude oil extraction leads to an increase in the price of crude oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of fiscal policy on non-oil GDP within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The paper explores asymmetries related to oil price changes (increase vs. decrease) and the state of the business cycle (expansion vs. recession).We used panel structural vector autoregressive (VAR) model, augmented by exogenous 'dummy' variables to estimate fiscal multipliers within a nonlinear framework.The results suggest that (i) linear multipliers are moderate and in line with those found in previous studies; (ii) the multipliers are larger for capital than for current expenditures; (iii) when controlling for oil price changes, the expenditure multipliers are higher during oil market downturns (oil price busts); (iv) spending multipliers are significantly larger when the output gap is negative. The importance of these findings lies on their policy suggestions. These findings indicate that fiscal policy should be designed based on oil price movements and economic fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils from five medicinal aromatic plants viz. Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall, Artemisia nilagirica Clarke, Curcuma longa Linn, Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. were evaluated for their efficacy as antifungal agents against the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus Link isolated from stored maize of Meghalaya. Antifungal activity of essential oils was evaluated by determining the Minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) and Minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC). Among the five essential oils tested, Litsea cubeba essential oil showed high antifungal activity with complete mycelia growth inhibition at 0.8 µl/ml. Scanning Electron Microscopy of A. flavus exposed to oils showed hyphae and conidiophore damages. The essential oil exhibited antioxidant activity through DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay as IC50 value ranged between 0.59 and 14.44 µl/ml and are non-phytotoxic during seed germination experiments with maize seeds. Based on the antifungal, antioxidant and non-phytotoxic potential, the tested essential oils may be recommended as eco-friendly seed protectants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oils and grease have beneficial effects on moving parts such as connecting rod, gears, shafts, and engine to reduce wear and friction. The properties of lubricants such as tribological and rheological properties are an important role in oils and grease characterization. Nano additives on lubricant oils play an important role in anti-wear; reduce the coefficient of friction and enhance the rheological properties. The Tribological and rheological behavior of base oil 15W50 which have different concentrations of multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt%), and constant amount of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) (0.5 wt%) were investigated. This research is the first one in studying the effect of hybrid nano additives of (MWCNTs) and (GNs) on the tribological and rheological properties of lubricant oils. Tribological characterization was carried out on four ball testing model under different loads (200, 400, 600, and 800 N). The kinematic viscosity, flash point, pour point, and thermal conductivity of nanofluid added 15W50 lubricant are estimated and compared with base oil. The results showed that nano additives improve the wear scar and coefficient of friction by 78% and 48%, respectively. The flash point, thermal conductivity, kinematic viscosity, and pour point, were improved by 15%, 77%, 76.8%, and 20%, respectively compared with the base oil. The hybrid addition of CNTs/GNs nanoparticles enhanced the properties of 15W50 engine oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an updated overview of waste lubricant oil (WLO) management practices in Europe to promote a circular economy. The characteristics of virgin and waste oil, their hazardous properties and the impacts of improper disposal are addressed. Current treatment routes and regeneration technologies adopted in Europe are presented. An overview of life cycle assessment (LCA) of WLO management strategies are summarized. Finally, future developments and concerns about the regeneration process are discussed. The current objectives of European Union toward a circular economy represent a challenge for Member States which must maximize the collection and recycling rates. EU management indicators show an overwhelming trend for recycling. However, there is a competition between recycling by regeneration to produce base oil and reprocessing for energy recovery. EU legislation states that priority should be given to options that provide better overall environmental outcome. However, LCA studies, are not unanimous about regeneration being the soundest environmental option. Other factors such as lubricant market, energy consumption, distance to treatment facilities, operation costs and product quality should be accounted for. Selective segregation of WLO is extremely important to increase the regeneration rate and obtain high-quality base-stocks. However, this means a significant increase in the collection costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology has contributed to the development of new botanical formulations based on essential oils (EOs), which are safe for human health and the environment. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) on the chemical and biological efficacies of Eucalyptus globulus EO (EGEO). Chemical composition was quantified by chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Also, the cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and antifungal efficacies of the EGEO and EGEO-loaded SLN were assessed against eight cell lines, eight bacterial strains, and two fungi strains, respectively. SLN significantly increased the EGEO yield and the level of phytoconstituents. GC/MS analysis of EGEO chemical composition exposed 35 components in EGEO accounting for 99.4 and 86.9 % of EGEO-loaded SLN, respectively. In EGEO and EGEO-loaded SLN samples, the major components were 1,8-Cineol (68.1 and 74.3 %, respectively) and α-pinene (15.0 and 17.3 %, respectively). The nanoparticles significantly decreased the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of EGEO. The nano-lipo encapsulation significantly enhanced the cytotoxic effect of EGEO. Therefore, nanocapsules may be regarded as an interesting strategy for improving EOs stability and biological efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first assesses the operational uncertainties of a particular piece of equipment in a marine and offshore system based on an oil analysis technique. Trend analysis, family analysis, environmental analysis, human reliability analysis and design analysis for each criterion are aggregated using evidential reasoning (ER) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) algorithms. Data is collected from available statistics and supplemented by expert judgement from the related industry. The results provided in this study will be beneficial to the marine and offshore industries as indicators for monitoring and diagnosis of faults in machinery and thus assist practitioners in making better decisions in their maintenance management process. Furthermore, by changing the conditions that affect the operation of machinery, and through calculating a value for this operation, a benchmark for condition monitoring is constructed. The operational condition of machinery depends on many variables and their dependencies; thus, alteration of a criterion value will ultimately alter the operational conditions of the machinery. For any deviation to be corrected in a timely manner, the operational condition of the machinery has to be monitored properly and frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of drying/briquetting and simple drying processes for an Indonesian low-rank coal are quantitatively compared, based on a 15 t pilot-scale experiment. Palm acid oil was applied, via the CUPOTM process, as the coating agent after drying and as a binding agent for briquettes, tested at ratios of 0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. Sales prices and operating costs are based on current Indonesian government regulations and market conditions. The PT Ganda Alam Makmur coal mine, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, was chosen for the case study. A briquetted sample dried using 0.5% palm acid oil performed better than other treatments. Abbreviations: ASTM: American Society of Testing and Materials; BCB: Binderless coal briquette; BCM: Bank cubic meter (earth volume before digging); BPPT: Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi,(Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology); CapEx: Capital expenditure; CPO: Crude palm oil; CUPO: Coal upgrading with palm oil; CV: Calorific value; DAB: Drying and briquetting process; DAF: Dry ash free basis; FOB: Free on board; GAM: PT Ganda Alam Makmur, a coal mine in Indonesia; GAD: Air dried basis; GAR: As received basis; HRC: High rank coal; IM: Inherent moisture; LRC: Low rank coal; PAO: Palm acid oil, a POR, obtained from oily residue from a CPO mill; POR: Palm oil residue; STD: Steam tube dryer; TM: Total moisture; UBC: Upgraded brown coal [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of vegetable oil based additive for lubricating oil has attracted considerable interest due to their biocompatibility and multifunctional performances compared to conventional additives. In the present work, we have synthesized homopolymer of castor oil and copolymer of castor oil with styrene by thermal method without any solvent at different percentage composition by using BZP (benzoyl peroxide) as initiator. Characterization of the additives was completed by spectral technique (FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy). The molecular weight of the prepared additives was determined by gel permeation chromatography method (GPC method). Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) method was used to study the thermal stability of the prepared polymers. Standard ASTM methods were used to investigate the performance of all the prepared polymers in SN150 mineral oil as viscosity index improver (VII), pour point depressant (PPD) and antiwear. Biodegradability of all the polymers was determined disk diffusion method. From the experimental results, it was found that copolymers are more effective as VII, PPD and antiwear than homopolymer. Moreover, average molecular weight, thermal stability and performances as VII and antiwear increase with increasing the percentage of styrene in copolymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.2, 1.0, and 2.0 wt.% concentration of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles were dispersed in mineral and synthetic ester base oil. Their tribological behavior investigated using a tribometer with pin-on-disk and four-ball configuration under different conditions of contact pressures, sliding speeds and oil bath temperatures, respectively. The results demonstrate that nano-MoS2 in mineral oil can reduce wear and friction coefficient characteristics at all concentrations tested, especially at 2.0 wt.%. XPS analysis of the worn surfaces indicated that decomposed MoS2 was adsorbed on worn surface, and S and Mo elements of the compound reacted with the metal and existed in the form of sulfide or molybdenum compounds, both of which contributed to the formation of a mix lubricating film. A wear mechanism of MoS2 as antiwear additive is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenite (As(III)) is far more toxic than arsenate (As(V)) to human health. To investigate the potential effects of petroleum exploitation activities on the relative abundance of inorganic As(III) and As(V) in groundwater (GW) and GW toxicity, a total of 153 groundwater samples were collected from a number of sampling wells located near and away from an oil-gathering areas through random sampling method. The results show that average As(III)/As(V) value in GW collected from wells away from oil-gathering areas is 0.603 ± 0.049 while the value from oil-gathering areas is 0.830 ± 0.050. The As(III)/As(V) ratios in GW samples are negatively correlated with the distance of sampling well to the oil well while positively correlated with the depth of sampling well. Meanwhile, the influence of inorganic As speciation in drip-irrigation solution on the uptake and accumulation of As by Chinese cabbage was studied. When exposed to the same As content in soils for 2 months, arsenic concentrations in shoots and roots increase significantly with an increase in As(III)/As(V) ratio in the drip irrigation water. Petroleum exploitation activities demonstrated the elevated total As level and the As(III) species in nearby GW systems, raising both ecological and human health risks imposed by As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employed Raman spectroscopy for the identification of spectral differences in automotive lubricant oils with different SAE specifications. Samples of 18 lubricant oils were obtained from a local auto parts store. Spectra were obtained with a dispersive Raman spectrometer (830 nm) and separated according to the type of base oil in the samples: mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic. Also, samples were separated according to the SAE specifications regarding the viscosity grade in low and high temperatures. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the lubricants with mineral base oils presented peaks referred to aromatic hydrocarbons and additives containing aromatics, sulfites/dissulphites and sulfonates, while semi-synthetic and synthetic base oils presented peaks referred to alkanes. Other peaks referred to alkanes and olefins were also seen in synthetic base oils. The discriminant analysis based on quadratic distance applied to the PCA variables was able to discriminate the lubricant samples according to the type of base oil with 89.7% accuracy and discriminate the SAE viscosity grade for low and high temperatures with 95.8% and 90.0% accuracy, respectively. The use of Raman spectroscopy makes possible nondestructive evaluation of lubricant oils, which may replace expensive and complex traditional tests and methods of quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of spray drying conditions on encapsulated rapeseed oil was investigated regarding the encapsulation efficiency (EE). The drying rate was modified by the solid content (25–55% w/w) of atomized feed droplets, the inlet temperature (140–220 °C) and relative humidity (0.12–1.57%) of the drying air. The moisture, aw, bulk and tapped density, particle size, and EE were analyzed. An accelerated drying rate due to a higher solid content and inlet temperature as well as a slower drying induced by an increased air humidity resulted in larger particle and more efficient encapsulation. A higher EE was obtained with increasing particle size which is in accordance with a theoretical EE calculated based on the particle- and oil droplet diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil bodies (OBs) are lipid-storing organelles of plant seeds; they provide energy for seed germination and seedling growth by oxidative degradation as substrate. Soybean OBs are assumed to be involved in the enzymatic oxidation reaction of volatile flavor formation of soymilk. In order to establish a soymilk model system with soybean OBs as the enzymatic oxidation substrate to study the formation mechanism of soymilk flavor, the effects of extraction times and extraction pH on the composition, particle size and volatile flavor of soybean OBs extracted from raw soymilk were studied. The results showed that most of the extrinsic proteins on the surface of the OBs were removed with increasing extraction times. When the extraction pH increased from 7.0 to 11.0, the relative content of neutral lipids in OBs increased by 6.22%, and the relative content of protein and phospholipids in OBs decreased by 3.23% and 2.88%, respectively. The particle sizes of the OBs gradually decreased from 424 nm to 334 nm. The concentrations of volatile flavor components also gradually decreased from 129.29 μg/L to 52.75 μg/L. The integrity and stability of the OBs were compromised when the extraction pH was ≥12.0. The pH 11.0-OBs were the appropriate substrate for the soymilk model system because of their high purity and stability, better emulsion dispersion stability, and weaker flavor. These results are of great significance for exploring the formation mechanism of soymilk flavor in soymilk model systems to further improve the flavor of soymilk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homopolymer of linseed oil and its four copolymers with styrene, 1-decene, isodecyl acrylate and octyl acrylate, respectively, have been synthesized in this present context. The prepared polymers are characterized by NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The molecular weights have been measured by gel permeation chromatography. Their effectiveness as pour point depressant (PPD), viscosity index improver (VII) and their shear stability in terms of permanent shear stability index have been evaluated in lube oil. The copolymers acted as better PPDs than the homopolymer whereas the homopolymer of linseed oil excelled as VII. Further it was observed that all the prepared polymers were stable enough under severe mechanical shear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the isocyanate terminated castor oil based urethane oligomer (CO-IPDI) was prepared by the reaction of castor oil and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) without adding any organic solvent. After the acrylic copolymer pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) was heated at 80 °C for 20 min, it was mixed with CO-IPDI, trifunctional acrylic monomer and photo-initiator in a certain proportion to give a UV-curable peelable adhesive for silicon wafer cutting process. Before UV irradiation, the acrylate copolymer chains were cross-linked by CO-IPDI to form a network. After UV irradiation, another polymer network formed by photo-polymerization of trifunctional acrylic monomer hold together with it to form an interpenetrating network (IPN) structure. The results showed that this IPN structured UV-curable peelable PSA had a high peeling strength of 13.99 N/25 mm before UV curing to meet the suggested requirements for silicon wafer cutting process. The peeling strength was significantly decreased to 0.49 N/25 mm after UV curing, and the tape was easily peeled off from wafer with about 0.96% residual adhesive estimated by the area ratio of all residual adhesive particles to silicon wafer observed by scanning electron microscopy. This work provides a new candidate idea for green and efficient preparation of UV-curable peelable PSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary supplements based on fish oils might be contaminated with thermal processing contaminants, which are generated during the fish oil deodorisation. In the study, 30 samples of dietary supplements were analysed in terms of the occurrence of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE), 2-monochloropropane-1,3-diol esters (2-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE). The results showed that the highest levels of 3-MCPDE (mean: 1461 µg kg−1) as well as 2-MCPDE (mean: 357 µg kg−1) were observed in the products containing shark liver oil. In the case of GE, they were mainly detected in the supplements including shark liver and cod liver oils. Although the results indicated that the consumption of the investigated supplements constituted no more than 1% of tolerable daily intake (TDI), the occurrence of MCPDE and GE in fish oil dietary supplements with a special attention to the origin of ester precursors should be thoroughly investigated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of oil dispersion has been challenging due to its highly deformed/dispersed interface as well as small-scale oil-water mixing. In this paper, a refined Incompressible SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics)-based method is proposed for simulations of oil spill problems. In the proposed method, the presence of oil is taken into consideration with concentration function and physical properties of computational points (particles), i.e. density and viscosity, are varied based on the concentration of oil. The proposed method incorporates a LES-based turbulence model, namely SPS (Sub-Particle-Scale) turbulence model, in order to capture small-scale turbulence effects. Diffusion equation is further implemented so as to reproduce the sub-particle-scale oil-water mixing effects. Interfacial surface tension is considered through potential-based modeling with consideration of the highly deformed/dispersed interface. A set of previously proposed refined schemes are also applied for accurate/robust simulations. The stability and accuracy of proposed ISPH-based method are investigated by conducting benchmark tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]