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This paper aimed to explore the influence of the guar and xanthan gum complex (GG/XG) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and sizing efficiency of alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) loaded emulsions. The centrifugal stability of the emulsions was measured using a Turbiscan equipment, the droplets morphology through an optical microscopy, the size of droplets and its distribution through a Mastersizer, and the sizing efficiency through the penetration method. Furthermore, Cryo-SEM and CLSM were used to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of polysaccharides at the ASA-water interface. When the concentration of GG/XG exceeded 0.35%, the ASA emulsions displayed excellent stability and low viscosity, and no water separation was observed even after high-speed centrifugation. By absorbing GG/XG at the oil-water interface, a dense interfacial film was formed, which blocked any interaction between the oil and water, thus hindering the hydrolysis of ASA. The sizing degree of the paper sized by ASA emulsion stored for 2 h was still higher than 88 s. By encapsulating ASA in emulsions that are stabilized exclusively by natural polysaccharides, the need for surfactants is eliminated, which in turn decreases the amount of foam present in the papermaking process, thus making it a more environmentally friendly production method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Our hypothesis is that dynamic interfacial tension values as measured by the partitioned-Edge-based Droplet GEneration (EDGE) tensiometry can be connected to those obtained with classical techniques, such as the automated drop tensiometer (ADT), expanding the range of timescales towards very short ones. Oil-water and air–water interfaces are studied, with whey protein isolate solutions (WPI, 2.5 – 10 wt%) as the continuous phase. The dispersed phase consists of pure hexadecane or air. The EDGE tensiometer and ADT are used to measure the interfacial (surface) tension at various timescales. A comparative assessment is carried out to identify differences between protein concentrations as well as between oil–water and air–water interfaces. The EDGE tensiometer can measure at timescales down to a few milliseconds and up to around 10 s, while the ADT provides dynamic interfacial tension values after at least one second from droplet injection and typically is used to also cover hours. The interfacial tension values measured with both techniques exhibit overlap, implying that the techniques provide consistent and complementary information. Unlike the ADT, the EDGE tensiometer distinguishes differences in protein adsorption dynamics at protein concentrations as high as 10 wt% (which is the highest concentration tested) at both oil–water and air–water interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) membrane is fabricated through electrospinning, which effectively absorbs oil from the oil/water mixture. The prepared PLA electrospun membrane is hydrophobic with a water contact angle (WCA) of 117.2⁰. Introduction of POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) particles as nanofiller into the PLA matrix, as well as a coating on the electrospun membrane, appreciably enhances the hydrophobicity and thermal stability of the nanofibrous membranes. The membranes become dense, less porous, and crystalline after heat treatment. The unannealed nanofibrous membrane with a highly porous, oleophilic surface helps to impart higher oil absorption properties than that of annealed membranes, which are 60.45 g/g and 66.03 g/g for palm oil and used engine oil respectively. The as-prepared PLA fibrous membranes can absorb oil from the oil-water interface, showing excellent recyclability and separation efficiency > 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In this paper, microgels with uniform particle size were prepared by physically cross-linking the hydrophobically modified chitosan (h -CS) with sodium phytate (SP). The effects of cross-linking density on the interfacial adsorption kinetics, viscoelasticity, stress relaxation, and micorheological properties of the hydrophobically modified chitosan microgels (h -CSMs) at the oil–water interface were extensively investigated by the dilatational rheology, compressional rheology, and particle tracing microrheology. The results were correlated with the particle size, morphology, and elasticity of the microgels characterized by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. It was found that with the increase of cross-linking density, the h -CSMs changed from a polymer-like state to ultra-soft fussy spheres with higher elastic modulus. The compression isotherms demonstrated multi-stage increase caused by the interaction between the shells and that between the cores of the microgels successively. As the increase of cross-linking density, the h -CSMs diffused slower to the oil–water interface, but demonstrating faster permeation adsorption and rearrangement at the oil–water interface, finally forming interfacial layers of higher viscoelastic modulus due to the core-core interaction. Both the initial tension relaxation and the microgel rearrangement after interface expansion became faster as the microgel elasticity increased. The interfacial microrheology demonstrated dynamic caging effect caused by neighboring microgels. This article provides a more comprehensive understanding of the behaviors of polysaccharide microgels at the oil-water interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunological adjuvants are vaccine components that enhance long-lasting adaptive immune responses to weakly immunogenic antigens. Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) is a potent and safe vaccine adjuvant that initiates an early innate immune response by binding to the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Importantly, the binding and recognition process is highly dependent on the monomeric state of MPLA. However, current vaccine delivery systems often prioritize improving the loading efficiency of MPLA, while neglecting the need to maintain its monomeric form for optimal immune activation. Here, we introduce a Pickering emulsion-guided MPLA monomeric delivery system (PMMS), which embed MPLA into the oil-water interface to achieve the monomeric loading of MPLA. During interactions with antigen-presenting cells, PMMS functions as a chaperone for MPLA, facilitating efficient recognition by TLR4 regardless of the presence of lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins. At the injection site, PMMS efficiently elicited local immune responses, subsequently promoting the migration of antigen-internalized dendritic cells to the lymph nodes. Within the draining lymph nodes, PMMS enhanced antigen presentation and maturation of dendritic cells. In C57BL/6 mice models, PMMS vaccination provoked potent antigen-specific CD8+ T cell-based immune responses. Additionally, PMMS demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects against E.G7-OVA lymphoma. These data indicate that PMMS provides a straightforward and efficient strategy for delivering monomeric MPLA to achieve robust cellular immune responses and effective cancer immunotherapy. Pickering emulsion-guided MPLA monomeric delivery system as a chaperone for MPLA, facilitating the efficient recognition of MPLA-TLR4. [Display omitted] • We construct a Pickering emulsion-guided MPLA monomeric delivery system (PMMS). • PMMS as a chaperone for MPLA, facilitating the efficient recognition of MPLA-TLR4. • PMMS can elicit robust cellular immune responses. • PMMS can achieve enhanced cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a promising technology for sustainable energy generation, which leverages the metabolic activities of microorganisms to convert organic substrates into electrical energy. In oil spill scenarios, hydrocarbonoclastic biofilms naturally form at the water–oil interface, creating a distinct environment for microbial activity. In this work, we engineered a novel MFC that harnesses these biofilms by strategically positioning the positive electrode at this critical junction, integrating the biofilm's natural properties into the MFC design. These biofilms, composed of specialized hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, are vital in supporting electron transfer, significantly enhancing the system's power generation. Next-generation sequencing and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the microbial community, revealing a significant enrichment of hydrocarbonoclastic Gammaproteobacteria within the biofilm. Notably, key genera such as Paenalcaligenes, Providencia, and Pseudomonas were identified as dominant members, each contributing to the degradation of complex hydrocarbons and supporting the electrogenic activity of the MFCs. An electrochemical analysis demonstrated that the MFC achieved a stable power output of 51.5 μW under static conditions, with an internal resistance of about 1.05 kΩ. The system showed remarkable long-term stability, which maintained consistent performance over a 5-day testing period, with an average daily energy storage of approximately 216 mJ. Additionally, the MFC effectively recovered after deep discharge cycles, sustaining power output for up to 7.5 h before requiring a recovery period. Overall, the study indicates that MFCs based on hydrocarbonoclastic biofilms provide a dual-functionality system, combining renewable energy generation with environmental remediation, particularly in wastewater treatment. Despite lower power output compared to other hydrocarbon-degrading MFCs, the results highlight the potential of this technology for autonomous sensor networks and other low-power applications, which required sustainable energy sources. Moreover, the hydrocarbonoclastic biofilm-based MFC presented here offer significant potential as a biosensor for real-time monitoring of hydrocarbons and other contaminants in water. The biofilm's electrogenic properties enable the detection of organic compound degradation, positioning this system as ideal for environmental biosensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Fermentation Industries is the property of Food & Fermentation Industries and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilfield Chemistry is the property of Sichuan University, Oilfield Chemistry Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilfield Chemistry is the property of Sichuan University, Oilfield Chemistry Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pea proteins are widely used as a food ingredient, especially in sustainable food formulations. The seed itself consists of many proteins with different structures and properties that determine their structure-forming properties in food matrices, such as emulsions, foams, and gels. This review discusses the current insights into the structuring properties of pea protein mixtures (concentrates, isolates) and the resulting individual fractions (globulins, albumins). The structural molecular features of the proteins found in pea seeds are discussed and based on this information, different structural length scales relevant to foods are reviewed. The main finding of this article is that the different pea proteins are able to form and stabilize structural components found in foods such as air-water and oil-water interfaces, gels, and anisotropic structures. Current research reveals that each individual protein fraction has unique structure-forming properties and that tailored breeding and fractionation processes will be required to optimize these properties. Especially the use of albumins, globulins, and mixed albumin-globulins proved to be useful in specific food structures such as foams, emulsions, and self-coacervation, respectively. These new research findings will transform how pea proteins are processed and being used in novel sustainable food formulations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medium- and low-permeability reservoirs are important in oilfield development. However, due to their characteristics of poor pore permeability and high heterogeneity, the development of suitable technologies has been very difficult. In this study, an in situ emulsifying/ultra-low-interfacial-tension cyclic flooding system has been developed for low- and medium-permeability reservoirs. Based on the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value method, an emulsifying surfactant ASD with Span 80 (sorbitan monooleate) as the main component has been identified as highly promising through screening. At mass fractions of surfactant ASD between 0.2% and 0.6%, the extent of water separation from the emulsion is greatly reduced, and the W/O emulsion can effectively improve the mobility ratio and increase the sweep volume. The surfactant SA synthesized in our laboratory reduces the interfacial tension of crude oil to 10−4 mN m−1. Laboratory core flooding experiments have shown that multiple rounds of alternating injection with aqueous solutions of surfactants ASD and SA can improve oil recovery by 22.25%. Upon injecting a low-viscosity aqueous solution of surfactant ASD, it emulsifies crude oil in situ under reservoir conditions, solving the problems of difficult polymer injection and insufficient spread. Our work provides useful insights for the development of low- and medium-permeability reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneous distribution of lipids and lipid-bound proteins in a plasma membrane has functional advantages. Herein, in a synthetic system, we demonstrate the assembly of three enzymes involved in cascade reactions, in response to the substrate of the first enzyme at the oil–water interface being stabilized by a Zn(II)-metallosurfactant. Then we show substrate-mediated catalytically-active cluster formation of the metallosurfactant in a binary mixture with another non-catalytic surfactant at the interface. The catalytic ability can be tuned by controlling clustering through the addition of phosphate ions. Overall this work demonstrates functionally diverse supramolecular nanoarchitectonics at the oil–water interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pickering emulsion, an emulsion stabilized by colloidal solid particles at the water-oil interface, is a highly intriguing subject in scientific research, daily life, and industrial production. This paper aims to demystify the concept of "Pickering emulsion". It delves into the fundamental principles, formation mechanisms, preparation techniques, laboratory findings, and applications in the field of photocatalysis. By doing so, it provides college students, teenagers, elementary school students, and even the general public with an opportunity to discover the beauty and wonders of chemistry through the lens of Pickering emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demulsification effect of three types of block copolymers, BP123, BPF123, and H123, with the same PEO and PPO segments but different hydrophobic modification groups on crude oil emulsions and the properties of oil–water interfaces were investigated using demulsification experiments, an interfacial tensiometer, and surface viscoelastic and zeta potential instruments in this paper. The results showed that the hydrophobic modification group of the block copolymers had great effects on the demulsification performance. The H123 block copolymers with the strongest hydrophobicity had the best demulsification effect on the crude oil emulsions. The properties of the oil–water interfaces indicated that the modified block copolymers achieved the demulsification of crude oil emulsions by reducing the strength of the oil–water interfacial film and the interfacial tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterflood is one of the keys to maintaining reservoir health and carrying out oil recovery in the secondary stage. In its development, the implementation of surveillance and monitoring activities is carried out to monitor waterflood performance both from the production and injection sides regularly to maximize production optimization. However, many challenges must be faced in developing waterfloods, some of which are maintaining the Voidage Replacement Ratio (VRR) and the production of unexpected water. Therefore, a simpler and easy-to-apply surveillance and monitoring approach is needed. This paper describes how the application of waterflood surveillance and monitoring principles and practices is carried out in the oil recovery process and monitoring reservoir health. The reservoir health monitoring process includes several aspects such as the Voidage Replacement Ratio (VRR) and Water-Oil Ratio (WOR), as well as the identification of areas of interest in accumulated oil through the Production Attribute approach. The application is carried out on Field 'X' which has a typical production with a fairly high water cut. This approach was successfully applied to Field 'X' and gave the results of the approach that was quite ideal to be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of oil-in-water emulsion is an urgent challenge because its massive production and discharge from daily and industrial activities have caused severe hazards to the ecosystem and serious threats to human health. Membrane technology is considered an outstanding solution strategy for the separation of oil-in-water emulsions due to its unique advantages of low cost, high efficiency, easy operation, and environmental friendliness. However, the membrane is easily fouled by the emulsion oil droplets during the separation process, causing a sharp decline in permeation flux, which greatly inhibits the long-term use of the membrane and largely shortens the membrane's life. Recently, it was found that endowing the membranes with special wettability e.g., superhydrophilic and superoleophobic can greatly enhance the permeability of the continuous water phase and inhibit the adhesion of oil droplets, thus promoting the separation performance and anti-oil-fouling property of membrane for oily emulsions. In this paper, we review and discuss the recent developments in membranes with special wettability for separating oil-in-water emulsions, including the mechanism analysis of emulsion separation membrane, membrane fouling issues, design strategies, and representative studies for enhancing the membrane's anti-oil-fouling ability and emulsion separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTo investigate the effect of ionic strength and pH on the interfacial adsorption capacity and emulsion stability of soy hull polysaccharide (SHP), a series of SHP emulsions with 10% oil content was prepared with 0–0.30 mol/L Na+ at pH 3.0 and 5.0. The results of droplets size, zeta potential, dilatational rheological, and cryo-scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that the droplets of the emulsion at pH 3.0 were smaller and the system was more stable than at pH 5.0, and Na+ effectively shielded the negative charge on the SHP surface, leading to more SHP adsorption to the interface and increasing viscosity; whereas too much Na+ weakened the repulsive forces between droplets, making it easier for the droplets to merge with each other and causing emulsion destabilization. The best emulsification capacity of SHP was achieved at pH 3.0 with 0.10 mol/L Na+, in which 58.62 ± 0.49% SHP would adsorb to the interface, and kept high zeta potential of interface with −30.00 ± 0.27 mV. Meanwhile, the emulsion prepared under this condition had good storage stability and exhibited small droplet size of 2.425 ± 0.004 µm after 30 days. In conclusion, above indicators demonstrated that SHP-stabilized emulsions were influenced by pH and Na+, this provides theoretical and practical support for selecting the most suitable acid-base and ionic environment to prepare food emulsion by SHP, or other anionic polysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplet evaporation and dissolution phenomena are pervasive in both natural and artificial systems, playing crucial roles in various applications. Understanding the intricate processes involved in the evaporation and dissolution of sessile droplets is of paramount importance for applications such as inkjet printing, surface coating, and nanoparticle deposition, etc. In this study, we present a demonstration of electrochemical investigation of the dissolution behaviour in sub-nL droplets down to sub-pL volume. Droplets on an electrode have been studied for decades in the field of electrochemistry to understand the phase transfer of ions at the oil–water interface, accelerated reaction rates in microdroplets, etc. However, the impact of microdroplet dissolution on the redox activity of confined molecules within the droplet has not been explored previously. As a proof-of-principle, we examine the dissolution kinetics of 1,2-dichloroethane droplets (DCE) spiked with 155 μM decamethylferrocene within an aqueous phase on an ultramicroelectrode (r = 6.3 μm). The aqueous phase serves as an infinite sink, enabling the dissolution of DCE droplets while also facilitating convenient electrical contact with the reference/counter electrode (Ag/AgCl 1 M KCl). Through comprehensive voltammetric analysis, we unravel the impact of droplet dissolution on electrochemical response as the droplet reaches minuscule volumes. We validate our experimental findings by finite element modelling, which shows deviations from the experimental results as the droplet accesses negligible volumes, suggesting the presence of complex dissolution modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOil-in-water emulsions were prepared by homogeneous emulsification using glycerol stearate (and) PEG-100 stearate (A165) as emulsifier and xanthan gum (XG) as thickener. The effects of oil and XG content on the stability and flow behavior of emulsion were studied by polarizing microscope and rheometer. The hydrogen bonding interaction between xanthan gum molecules was studied by molecular dynamics simulation, and then the interaction between xanthan gum and emulsifier was further studied. The results showed that when there is no xanthan gum and the emulsifier content is 3%, the oil content increased, the particle size decreased. When the oil content is constant, the emulsion particle size decreases at first and then increases with the XG content increasing, which is due to the accumulation of XG and emulsifier on the oil-water interface, and the interfacial film thickens. The flow behavior of O/W emulsion can be described by a power law function. The emulsion without XG is Newtonian fluid at low oil content, and when the oil content increased, it was transformed into non-Newtonian fluid. The viscosity and consistency index increased with the increase of XG, which is due to the hydrogen bond between XG and emulsifier. However, the flow behavior index decreased greatly, the degree of shear thinning of emulsion enhanced. XG increased the viscosity of the mobile phase, under shear force, the deformation degree of droplets and the degree of shear thinning were different. This study can provide a reference for further regulating the stability and flow characteristics of skin care emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Modern Food Science & Technology is the property of Editorial Office of Modern Food Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Carbonate reservoirs are characterized by abundant reserves and are currently focal points for development in oil and gas producing regions such as the Ahdab oilfield, Tarim Basin, Sichuan Basin, and Ordos Basin. The primary method for exploiting carbonate reservoirs is waterflooding. However, due to the complex pore structure and pronounced heterogeneity of carbonate rocks, the waterflooding process often leads to an unclear distribution of remaining oil and low waterflooding recovery efficiency, significantly impacting the stable and high production of carbonate reservoirs. This paper presents a two-phase flow model of oil and water in distinct pore structures by integrating fluid flow equations and interface tracking equations. It visually represents the waterflooding process at the pore scale, elucidates the distribution and formation mechanism of remaining oil, and discusses the mechanism of microscopic displacement efficiency change. The study reveals that: 1) After waterflooding, the distribution patterns of remaining oil can be categorized into dead-end remaining oil, pressure balance remaining oil, wall-bound remaining oil, Jamin effect remaining oil, and water-encapsulating remaining oil, which are governed by microscopic pore structure, wettability, and preferential flow paths; 2) From the perspective of actual reservoir displacement efficiency, intergranular pores > intergranular dissolved pores > visceral foramen > mould pore, with this trend being more pronounced under hydrophilic wetting conditions; 3) Given the oil-wet to strong oil-wet wettability characteristics of these carbonate rocks, capillary forces pose significant resistance during waterflooding. The conclusion underscores the importance of leveraging the reservoir's microscopic pore structure and wettability characteristics for actual oil wells, elucidating the evolutionary law of the mechanical mechanism of oil-water interface advancement, clarifying oil-water percolation characteristics at the pore scale, and understanding the microscopic displacement physical mechanism, all of which are crucial for guiding the design of schemes aimed at enhancing reservoir recovery efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice cream is a kind of complex colloidal system of solid-liquid-gas three-phase coexistence with thermodynamic instability. A series of physical and chemical changes occur during the storage stage, leading to ice crystal coarsening, water loss in the matrix and uneven air dispersion, which consequently lead to ice cream decline. Therefore, how to improve the stability of the ice cream system is an urgent problem to be solved in the food industry. Milk protein is a kind of natural animal protein, which can be used as an emulsifier and stabilizer in ice cream systems, preventing droplets from aggregating through intermolecular interaction with oil and polysaccharide, adsorption film viscosity, electrostatic repulsion, and steric hindrance. Thus, the stability of ice cream was improved. The structural characteristics and formation mechanism of the ice cream system were summarized. Then the behavior characteristics of milk protein in the oil-water interface, bubble interface, and continuous phase of ice cream as well as its influence on stability were discussed to provide a theoretical basis for the processing and application of milk protein in the ice cream system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgels are confined to fluid interfaces in numerous applications, yet many aspects of the microgel-covered interface remain unclear. In this work, we use interfacial shear and dilatational rheology to study the effects of electrostatics on the mechanical characteristics of polyelectrolyte microgel monolayers at oil-water interfaces as a function of the microgel interfacial concentration. We find a clear correlation between the influence of charges on the mechanical properties of the monolayers and the influence of charges on their two-dimensional phase behavior. At lower microgel interfacial concentrations, the moduli of uncharged monolayers are larger than those of charged monolayers. Consistent with our previous findings on the phase behavior, here, the mechanical response of the interfacial layer is controlled by in-plane interactions of the microgels within the interface. At higher microgel interfacial concentrations, the moduli of charged monolayers are larger than those of uncharged monolayers. The mechanical response becomes dominated by out-of-plane interactions between the fractions of the adsorbed microgels further from the interface. Evidently, electrostatic interactions do not contribute directly to the mechanical response of the interfacial layer, that is, through charge repulsion, but indirectly through the difference in the swelling properties of uncharged and charged microgels. These results advance our understanding of how the charge-dependent microstructure of the interfacial layer affects its mechanical properties, which is not only important from a fundamental point of view but is also relevant to applications where polyelectrolyte microgels are used as responsive emulsion stabilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxymethyl cellulose and β-cyclodextrin stabilized water-wrapped tea seed oil Pickering emulsion was prepared using the high-speed shearing method. The particle size test and microstructure observation showed that the average particle size of the emulsion droplet decreased while the apparent viscosity, viscoelasticity, and stability increased with the increase in the concentration of carboxymethyl cellulose, β-cyclodextrin, and oil fraction. The droplet size of the emulsion increased slightly after heating from 50 °C to 90 °C, and the thermal stability of the emulsion increased after 50 °C treatment. pH exhibited little effect on emulsion stability. Carboxymethyl cellulose enhanced the adsorption of cyclodextrin colloidal particles on the water-oil interface via non-covalent interaction, steric hindrance, and drainage, which improved the viscosity of the emulsion. Therefore, it can be seen that the combination of carboxymethyl cellulose and β-cyclodextrin can significantly increased the stability of emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the complex characteristics of actual low-permeability tight reservoirs, this study develops a meshless-based numerical simulation method for oil-water two-phase flow in these reservoirs, considering complex boundary shapes. Utilizing radial basis function point interpolation, the method approximates shape functions for unknown functions within the nodal influence domain. The shape functions constructed by the aforementioned meshless interpolation method have δ-function properties, which facilitate the handling of essential aspects like the controlled bottom-hole flow pressure in horizontal wells. Moreover, the meshless method offers greater flexibility and freedom compared to grid cell discretization, making it simpler to discretize complex geometries. A variational principle for the flow control equation group is introduced using a weighted least squares meshless method, and the pressure distribution is solved implicitly. Example results demonstrate that the computational outcomes of the meshless point cloud model, which has a relatively small degree of freedom, are in close agreement with those of the Discrete Fracture Model (DFM) employing refined grid partitioning, with pressure calculation accuracy exceeding 98.2%. Compared to high-resolution grid-based computational methods, the meshless method can achieve a better balance between computational efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, the impact of fracture half-length on the productivity of horizontal wells is discussed. The results indicate that increasing the fracture half-length is an effective strategy for enhancing production from the perspective of cumulative oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively enhancing oil recovery can be achieved by reducing the viscosity of crude oil. Therefore, this paper investigated the viscosity reduction behavior of carbon nanotube viscosity reducers with different molecular structures at the oil–water interface, aiming to guide the synthesis of efficient viscosity reducers based on molecular structure. This study selected carbon nanotubes with different functional groups (NH2-CNT, OH-CNT, and COOH-CNT) for research, and carbon nanotubes with varying carbon chain lengths were synthesized. These were then combined with Tween 80 to form a nanofluid. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed an increased dispersibility of carbon nanotubes after introducing carbon chains. Contact angle experiments demonstrated that -COOH exhibited the best hydrophilic effect. The experiments of zeta potential, conductivity, viscosity reduction, and interfacial tension showed that, under the same carbon chain length, the conductivity and viscosity reduction rate sequence for different functional groups was -NH2 < -OH < -COOH. The dispersing and stabilizing ability and interfacial tension reduction sequence for different functional groups was -COOH < -OH < -NH2. With increasing carbon chain length, conductivity and interfacial tension decreased, and the viscosity reduction rate and the dispersing and stabilizing ability increased. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that, under the same carbon chain length, the diffusion coefficient sequence for different functional groups was -NH2 < -OH < -COOH. The diffusion coefficient gradually decreased as the carbon chain length increased, resulting in better adsorption at the oil–water interface. This study holds significant importance in guiding viscosity reduction in heavy oil to enhance oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we used molecular dynamics simulation to study the transformation of a mixture containing oil, water, and potassium perfluorooctanesulfonate (KPFOS) from a "disordered" state to an "aggregated" state. During the simulation, we observed that the PFOS− molecules spontaneously migrated to the interface between the oil and water phases. The hydrophilic sulfonate groups were oriented toward the water phase, while the lipophilic fluorocarbon chains were oriented toward the oil phase. By analyzing the number density and charge density distribution, we found that PFOS− and K+ ions predominantly accumulated at the oil–water interface, with some K+ ions dispersed within the solution. Moreover, PFOS− formed a stable monomolecular film at the interface, creating a distinct "transition region" with a specific thickness. The mean square displacement (MSD) results indicated that self-assembled micelles composed of PFOS−-facilitated efficient migration of oil molecules within the system, displaying robust migration abilities. Further analysis of the radial distribution function revealed a high probability of K+ ions being found near the oxygen atoms in PFOS− due to charge attraction. Separating K+ ions from PFOS− at the interface required overcoming very strong interaction forces, which limited their migration. Weak van der Waals interactions were observed between the fluorocarbon chains and toluene, while hydrogen bonding interactions occurred between the sulfonate groups and water molecules, as identified through independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition analysis. These findings shed light on the complex kinetic processes governing the behavior of oil–water-KPFOS mixtures, providing valuable insights for future studies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can undergo structural changes due to interaction with oil–water interfaces during storage. Such changes can lead to aggregation, resulting in a loss of therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, understanding the microscopic mechanism controlling mAb adsorption is crucial to developing strategies that can minimize the impact of interfaces on the therapeutic properties of mAbs. In this study, we used MARTINI coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption of the Fab and Fc domains of the monoclonal antibody COE3 at the oil–water interface. Our aim was to determine the regions on the protein surface that drive mAb adsorption. We also investigate the role of protein concentration on protein orientation and protrusion to the oil phase. While our structural analyses compare favorably with recent neutron reflectivity measurements, we observe some differences. Unlike the monolayer at the interface predicted by neutron reflectivity experiments, our simulations indicate the presence of a secondary diffused layer near the interface. We also find that under certain conditions, protein–oil interaction can lead to a considerable distortion in the protein structure, resulting in enhanced adsorption behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the excellent cleaning‐oil capacity of nanofluid has attracted extensive attention and it has been widely used in oilfields as an imbibition agent. To solve the poor dispersion stability of nanoparticles in high‐temperature and high‐salt reservoir, this paper has prepared a hyper‐dispersed nanoparticle, polymer grafted nanosilica (PNS) that is anti‐salt monomer and anti‐temperature monomer simultaneously grafting on the surface of nanosilica via in‐situ polymerization reaction. Its imbibition performance has been discussed. Results show that (1) The two monomers are all successfully grafted on the surface of nanosilica via optimization of in‐situ polymerization reaction conditions. This hyper‐dispersed nanoparticle has 14.5% final grafting rate, approximately 18 nm in particle size, and −41.2 mV of zeta potential; (2) PNS fluid has excellent dispersion stability and its grain size has no obvious change in 20 wt.% of NaCl or 4 wt.% of CaCl2 fluids at room temperature (25°C), as well as in 18 wt.% of NaCl or 4 wt.% of CaCl2 fluids at 130°C after 1 week; (3) Crude oil–water interface tension can be decreased and the hydrophilicity is significantly boosted by this PNS fluid. Meanwhile, the 10−3 mN/m of interface tension can be obtained and the contact angle of water phase is decreased to 12.8° by surfactant erucamide propyl hydroxysulfobetaine (EHSB) synergizing with PNS fluid; (4) Oil recovery efficiency replaced by PNS in surfactant fluid has reached 39.3%. That is mainly because the hyper‐dispersed nanoparticle provides a stronger spreading force to enhance the efficiency of cleaning oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat treatment is an important factor affecting the stability of the protein emulsion. This paper investigated the effects of different heat treatment temperature (30, 50, 70, 80 and 90 t, 30 min) on the physicochemical properties of tuna protein emulsion. The results showed that the emulsifying property of the heat-treated protein emulsion changed significantly compared with those without heat treatment (P<0.05). Surface hydrophobicity, viscosity, Zeta-potential, emulsifying activity and emulsion stability of tuna protein emulsion increased first and then decreased with the rise of heat treatment temperature. Within 30~70 °C of heating, protein secondary structure unfolded, hydrophobic groups exposed, the viscosity of emulsion increased, the particle size of the droplet decreased and the stability of the emulsion increased. After the heating temperature exceeded 70 °C, the protein molecules reassembled, the amino acid residues bound to the oil droplets reentered the protein interior, the droplets appeared flocculation and the emulsion became unstable. The results of SDS-PAGE illustrated that the amount of protein adsorption at the oil-water interface increased, the droplet distribution was uniform, the particle size reached the minimum value of 102.6 nm, the viscosity reached the maximum of 43.87 Pas at 70 °C for 30 min. There was no stratification in the emulsion after 28-days of storage and the emulsion had the best stability at this temperature. To sum up, appropriate heat treatment could improve the stability of the tuna protein emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The jammed liquid‐liquid interface offers an elegant approach to achieve non‐equilibrium shapes of liquids. The interfacial jamming subsequently brings about formation of 2D "solid‐like" assembly. In this work, biphasic reaction between a perylenediimide based luminogen benzoperylenediimide monoanhydride (Bp(Im)2MA) and diamines are demonstrated that rendered amide bond formation and in turn amide nanoconjugates across the oil‐water interface. Amide nanoconjugates formed with different diamines showed diamine alkyl chain length dependent varied interfacial properties and sizes. Jamming of the interface is judiciously utilized to induce aggregation of amide nanoconjugates which successfully established macroscopic Aggregation Induced Emission‐switching (AIE‐switching) behavior. Further, the versatility of this approach is extended to analyze the reactivity of chiral amino acids. The reaction between the Bp(Im)2MA luminogen and chiral amino acids exhibits macroscopic enantioselectivity at jammed interface via diverse surface coverage of the amino acids‐based amide nanoconjugates. The formation of discrete nanoscopic amide interfacial assembly for each of the L‐ and D‐ amino acids isomers is corroborated with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images. This study extends a fascinating pathway to aid in understanding and fabrication of structurally diverse jammed interfaces and aggregation of organic molecules across an oil‐water interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tandem reactions are one of the effective measures for efficiently utilizing ammonia borane for organic conversion. However, in conventional reaction systems, mismatched reaction rates or too-long reaction times will cause excessive pressure in the reaction vessel, wastage of the hydrogen source, or reduction of the reaction efficiency. Therefore, higher requirements are proposed for the reaction system to utilize ammonia borane fully and rapidly for organic conversion. Herein, a novel Pickering emulsion stabilized by nanoparticles, which include emulsifying particles and hydrophilic particles, was developed as the reaction system for series-parallel catalysis. The emulsifying particles were carboxyl-modified silica nanoparticles loaded with Pd, and were endowed with pH-responsiveness, and catalysis and emulsification properties, and adsorbed at the oil–water interface of the emulsion. The hydrophilic particles were silica nanoparticles loaded with Pd and dispersed in a continuous phase. Ammonia borane released hydrogen in the water phase, while water-soluble organic matter and oil-soluble organic matter were hydrogenated in the water phase and oil phase, respectively. The reaction rates of dehydrogenation and hydrogenation were very close, resulting in efficient use of ammonia borane. The conversions of styrene and 2,5-dihydrofuran (2,5-DHF) reached as high as 95.42% and 96.08%, respectively. In addition, since the emulsions were endowed with pH-sensitivity, this enabled oil–water separation using a simple strategy. After 5 cycles, there was still a high conversion rate of organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Two major protein families are present in rapeseed, namely cruciferins and napins. The structural differences between the two protein families indicate that they might behave differently when their mixture stabilises oil–water interfaces. Therefore, this work focuses on elucidating the role of both proteins in interface and emulsion stabilisation. Protein molecular properties were evaluated, using SEC, DSC, CD, and hydrophobicity analysis. The oil–water interface mechanical properties were studied using LAOS and LAOD. General stress decomposition (GSD) was used as a novel method to characterise the nonlinear response. Additionally, to evaluate the emulsifying properties of the rapeseed proteins, emulsions were prepared using pure napins or cruciferin and also their mixtures at 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1 (w:w) ratios. Cruciferins formed stiff viscoelastic solid-like interfacial layers (G s ′ = 0.046 mN/m; E d ′ = 30.1 mN/m), while napin formed weaker and more stretchable layers at the oil–water interface (G s ′ = 0.010 mN/m; E d ′ = 26.4 mN/m). As a result, cruciferin-formed oil droplets with much higher stability against coalescence (coalescence index, CI up to 10%) than napin-stabilised ones (CI up to 146%) during two months of storage. Both proteins have a different role in emulsions produced with napin-cruciferin mixtures, where cruciferin provides high coalescence stability, while napin induces flocculation. Our work showed the role of each rapeseed protein in liquid–liquid multiphase systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a biological material, cellulose with a low carbon footprint is better for preparing emulsions than traditional surfactant emulsions. However, the high hydrophilicity of nanocellulose is not conducive to its adsorption at the oil–water interface, resulting in a low emulsification capacity of Pickering emulsion. This work applied 2,2,6,6-tetramethy1-1-piperidyloxy(TEMPO)-mediated oxidation and sodium periodate oxidation to prepare nanocellulose with carboxyl and aldehyde groups, and studied the effects of bonding forms on the hydrophilicity of bovine serum albumin (BSA)/nanocellulose composites. Compared with pure components, the composite products prepared by adsorbing or grafting had improved effects in the emulsification by increasing viscosity and reducing surface wettability. With adsorbed BSA, the composite showed a higher hydrophobicity, and the corresponding Pickering emulsion had an extended oil fraction of 60%. Due to the strong chemical bonding, the grafted composite can stabilize the Pickering emulsion of a 70% oil fraction with stable droplets of uniform size. This study provides an idea for improving the emulsification performance of nanocellulose through protein bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to transfer microdroplets between fluid phases offers numerous advantages in various fields. This study focuses on the stability and morphology of a sessile oil microdropletduring the transfer from underwater to air. A distinct transition in microdroplet dynamics is observed, characterized by a shift from a scenario dominated by Marangoni forces to one dominated by capillary forces. In the former regime, the oil microdroplets spread in response to the contact between the water‐air interface and the water‐oil interface. The spreading distance follows a power law relationship of t3/4, reflecting the balance between Marangoni forces and viscous forces. On the other hand, in the capillarity‐dominated regime, the oil microdroplets remain stable at the contact line and after being transferred into the air. The crossover between these two regimes is identified in the parameter space defined by three factors: the approaching velocity of the solid‐water‐air contact line (vcl), the radius of the oil microdroplet (ro), and the radius of the water drop (rw). Furthermore, how to use the four‐phase contact line for shaping oil microdroplets is demonstrated using a full liquid process by the contact line lithography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pickering emulsions (PEs) have garnered wide attention due to their high physical stability as bioactive carrier agents in the food industry. PEs are highly stable against coalescence due to the irreversible adsorption of particles forming a physical barrier at the oil-water interface between the droplets. As a sustainable alternative to conventional emulsifiers, there is an increasing interest in developing food-grade colloidal particles by forming PEs. Cellulose-based nanoparticles have proven to be efficient materials due to their renewable, biodegradable, non-toxic and controllable surface-active characteristics. Nanocellulose can be modified by various topochemical functionalization to modulate wettability and stimuli-responsive behaviour, endowing its vast potential as Pickering stabilisers for food applications. This review highlights the recent studies of protein functionalized nanocellulose for stabilising food PEs. We hope this review will assist in improving the performance and development of nanocellulose in PEs, which is vital for developing new functional foods and delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In low-permeability reservoirs, such as shale and tight sandstone, imbibition is an important mechanism for enhancing oil recovery. After hydraulic fracturing treatment, these reservoirs create a network of fracture pathways for fluid flow. Therefore, understanding the imbibition mechanisms in fractured porous media and quantitatively characterizing oil–water distribution are crucial for the development of low-permeability reservoirs. In this study, a mathematical model of two-phase flow in porous media with branching fractures was established. The phase-field method was employed to track the oil–water interface, and quantitative characterization of imbibition was conducted based on fractal theory, and the effects of wetting phase injection rate, the number of disconnected fractures, fracture spacing, and fracture morphology on imbibition in branched fracture porous media were discussed. The research findings indicate that in branched fracture porous media, both co-current and countercurrent imbibition processes occur simultaneously, and there exists a diffusion interface layer with a certain thickness at the oil–water interface. The hydraulic pressure generated by the wetting phase injection rate provides the driving force for imbibition oil recovery, but it also affects the contact time between the wetting and non-wetting phases. The presence of disconnected fractures hinders the propagation of hydraulic pressure, reducing the effectiveness of imbibition. The imbibition displacement zone is limited and occurs only within a certain range near the fractures. As the number of branching fractures increases, the channels for the wetting phase to enter matrix pores are enhanced, resulting in higher efficiency of imbibition displacement of the oil phase. The results of this research can provide guidance for the design of fracturing programs and recovery prediction in low-permeability reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A critical challenge in the enzymatic conversion of acylglycerols is the limited exposure of the enzyme dissolved in the aqueous solution to the hydrophobic substrate in the oil phase. Positioning the enzyme in a microenvironment with balanced hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity in Pickering emulsion will facilitate the acylglycerol-catalyzing reactions at the interface between the oil and liquid phases. In this work, to overcome the challenge of biphasic catalysis, we report a method to immobilize enzymes in polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) at the interface between the oil and water phases in Pickering emulsion to promote the enzymatic conversion of acylglycerols. 3 wt% of HMPs can stabilize the oil-in-water Pickering emulsion for at least 14 days and increase the viscosity of emulsions. Lipase-HMP conjugates showed significantly higher hydrolytic activity in Pickering emulsion; HMP-immobilized lipase SMG1 showed an activity about three times that of free lipase SMG1. Co-immobilization of a lipase and a fatty acid photodecarboxylase from Chlorella variabilis (CvFAP) in Pickering emulsion enables light-driven cascade conversion of triacylglycerols to hydrocarbons, transforming waste oil to renewable biofuels in a green and sustainable approach. HMPs stabilize the Pickering emulsion and promote interfacial biocatalysis in converting acylglycerols to renewable biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-water emulsion causes a wide range of problems, one of which is the emergence of significant decreases in pressure in flow lines resulting in higher pumping and transportation costs. The most widely developed trend among oil/water separation technologies is using demulsifiers based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). MNPs have specific chemical and mechanical properties, providing unique opportunities to solve oil production issues. The key features of such magnetic nanoparticles for their sustainable application are their reusability and stability; the opportunity of remote manipulation using external magnetic fields gives them a singular benefit in transport operations. The main objective of the study is the systematization of MNPs researches for effective oil and water emulsion separation. This review provides MNP demulsifier characteristics, Oil-water emulsions (OWE) separation mechanism, and factors influencing oil-water emulsions efficiency disruption by MNP demulsifier. The relevance of this study is that oil-water emulsions are often encountered in practice during field development. To solve this problem, the use of demulsifiers based on magnetic nanoparticles is proposed. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that the work collects several factors affecting demulsification at once and describes the impact of each factor. Among these factors, the most influential are: emulsion characteristics, water salinity, pH, reservoir temperature, addition of chemical surfactants, time and magnetic field. The mechanism of formation of oil-water emulsions of various types is also described, and negative consequences of emulsion formation are discussed. The results showed that the magnetic nanoparticles need a protective layer and the demulsifier should have good wettability by the continuous phase of the emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of water displacing oil within mobile pipelines, it is common that the oil tends to accumulate at the elevated sections of inclined pipelines, leading to an issue of residual oil accumulation. In this paper, the mechanism of carrying accumulated oil out of the pipeline with water flow is discussed. Taking the residual oil layer in down-hill pipelines as a research object, a hydrodynamic model of the water-oil displacement process is established based on the theory of liquid–liquid two-phase flow and the application of the momentum transfer equation. It has been found that the use of this model can enhance the computational speed by 15% without affecting the accuracy of the calculations. Subsequently, the model is used to analyze the impact of different initial water-phase velocities, inclination angles, initial oil-phase heights, and pipeline diameters on the oil-carrying process of water flow. The results indicate that increasing the initial water-phase velocity, the angle of inclination, and the initial oil-phase height all enhance the fluctuation in the oil–water interface, making it easier for the oil phase to be carried away from the pipeline. Conversely, when all other parameters are held constant, an increase in the pipeline diameter tends to stabilize the oil–water interface, thereby making it more difficult for the residual oil to be carried away by the water flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we used cellulose nanofibers (CNF) as the skeleton, Fe3O4@ZnO composite particles as magnetic synergist particles, 3‐(2‐aminoethylamino) propyltrimethoxysilane (AS) and trimethoxy(octyl)silane (OTMS) as water‐based hydrophobic modifiers to prepare magnetic and superhydrophobic cellulose nanofibers based‐aerogel with low density and intricate three‐dimensional structure. Fe3O4@ZnO confers magnetic properties (3.82 emu/g) and exceptional thermal stability (water contact angle of 150.1° at 200 °C) to the system, while the combination with OTMS/AS endows the system superhydrophobic (157.5°) and excellent mechanical properties (stress of 96.95 kPa at 80% strain). It is worth noting that in the process of modifying the system with OTMS/AS, no organic solvents and acidic substances are used in the solution. Benefiting from their synergies, the system demonstrates a notable oil absorption capacity (12.31–41.91 g/g) and outstanding oil selectivity (exceeding 90%), driven by gravity alone. Interestingly, this system, marked by its cost‐effectiveness, simplicity, eco‐friendliness, and heightened efficiency, holds promising prospects for diverse applications in different oil–water separation behavior and purifying industrial oil wastewater, as well as oil flooding incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project aimed to explore the influence of the interaction between ovotransferrin fibrils (OTF) and gum arabic (GA) on the formation mechanism, physicochemical properties, and curcumin delivery of the oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy results showed that OTF—GA complexes effectively adsorbed on the oil–water interface, generating spatial hindrance to inhibit droplet coalescence. The texture analysis also proved that OTF—GA complexes endowed oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion with preferable springiness (0.49 ± 0.03 mm), chewiness (0.43 ± 0.07 mJ), and adhesion (0.31 ± 0.01 mJ). By exploring the coalescence stability, droplet size, and rheological properties of OTF—GA complexes–stabilized oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion (OGPE), the higher coagulation stability, larger average droplet size (46.22 ± 0.08 μm), and stronger gel strength were observed. The microrheological results also exhibited stronger attraction between the OGPE droplets, a more pronounced solid-like structure, and a slower speed of movement than OTF-stabilized oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion (OPE). Meanwhile, OGPE significantly enhanced the extent of lipolysis, stability, and bioaccessibility of curcumin, suggesting that it possessed superior performance as a delivery system for bioactive substances. This project provided adequate theoretical references for protein–polysaccharide complexes–stabilized oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion, and contributed to expanding the application of oleogel-in-water Pickering emulsion in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignins, heterogeneous assemblies of polyphenolic oligomers present in lignocellulosic plant biomass, are valorized mainly by combustion because of their low solubility in commonly used solvents. However, in addition to antioxidant, anti‐UV and antimicrobial properties, and marked interfacial properties are part of lignins physicochemical properties, thus making them good candidates for sustainable colloids. It is hypothesized that lignins solubility and emulsifying performances could be modulated by fractionation, functionalization, and formulation strategies. The importance of the solvent, and of the pH on lignins solubilization in aqueous phase was investigated. Accordingly, simple O/W emulsions stabilized by different lignins were designed and characterized. The whole results demonstrated that lignins solubility in water can be optimized using appropriate co‐solvent and pH readjustment resulting in a homogeneous dispersion with only 7.2 ± 1.8% wt/wt of insoluble lignins. Both fractionation and biocatalytic modification of lignins allowed increasing stabilization of the oil–water interface by limiting coalescence (23%–24% of relative increase of the D90) compared with non‐fractionated lignins (32%), thus advocating their potential use as multifunctional emulsion stabilizers. As a result, a direct link between the molar mass profile of lignins and their ability to stabilize the oil–water interface as well as to reduce emulsion's sedimentation could be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfactant huff-n-puff (HnP) has been shown to be an effective protocol to improve oil recovery in tight and ultratight reservoirs. The success of surfactant HnP for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process depends on the efficiency of the designed chemical formula, as the formation of an in situ microemulsion by surfactant injection is considered to be the most desirable condition for achieving an ultra-low interfacial tension during the HnP process. In this work, we conducted experimental studies on the mechanism of in situ microemulsion EOR in the Mahu tight oil reservoir. Salinity scan experiments were carried out to compare different surfactants with crude oil from the Mahu reservoir, starting with the assessment of surfactant micellar solutions for their ability to form microemulsions with Mahu crude oil and examining the interfacial characteristics. Subsequently, detailed micromodels representing millimeter-scale fractures, micron-scale pores, and nano-scale channels were utilized to study the imbibition and flowback of various surfactant micellar solutions. Observations of the in situ microemulsion system revealed the mechanisms behind the enhanced oil recovery, which was the emulsification's near-miscibility effect leading to microemulsion formation and its performance under low-interfacial-tension conditions. During the injection process, notable improvements in the micro-scale pore throat heterogeneity were observed, which improved the pore fluid mobility. The flowback phase improved the channeling between the different media, promoting a uniform movement of the oil–water interface and aiding in the recovery of a significant amount of the oil phase permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on the flow patterns and pressure drop characteristics of three crude oils and water in a horizontal pipe. The experimental results showed that the transformation boundary of the flow pattern and phase inversion water fraction were related to the flow parameters. Comparing the three oils, it was found that the viscosity and composition of the oil also significantly influence the flow performance, which can be explained by the adsorption properties of the asphaltenes at the oil-water interface. In particular, the droplet size in water-in-oil dispersion flow was observed and measured. It showed that the water droplet size decreased with the increase of oil viscosity, the decrease of water content, the drop of temperature, and the growth of mixing velocity, probably due to higher shear stress and lower frequency of collision and coalescence between droplets. The apparent viscosity of water-in-oil emulsions was calculated by the rheological model, and the qualitative relation between flow parameters and interfacial area concentration on apparent viscosity was obtained. Taking the influence of interfacial area concentration into consideration, a simple and accurate viscosity model was established based on dimensional analysis, which is of great significance for process design in gathering and transportation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gathering and transportation pipelines often appear shutdown condition due to damage, leakage, and other reasons. The reasonable maintenance time should be controlled by closely combined with the change law of the oil-water temperature in the pipeline. This paper established a multi-field coupling 3-D heat transfer mathematical model of the oil-water pipeline environment based on the two-phase shutdown pipeline as the research object. According to the changing law of the oilwater temperature field and flow field under a typical pipe diameter, the evolution behavior of the gelation layer in the pipe and the transformation process of heat transfer mode were analyzed, and the heat transfer characteristics between oilwater phase and its interface in the pipe were defined. With the liquid phase ratio of the oil phase changing the rule, reasonable maintenance time suggestions were given for gathering and transporting pipelines with different water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Biopolymer‐based microgels are being regarded increasingly as promising building blocks in food applications. This study aimed to clarify the evolution process of the network for fat analogue emulsions stabilized by peanut protein isolate (PPI) microgel particles. It also investigated the interfacial structure and characteristics of emulsions (50% oil phase, w/w) stabilized by microgels under different pH conditions. RESULTS: There was an increasing interfacial adsorption capacity for PPI microgels over time (from 85.26% to the maximum of 89.78% at 24 h of storage) due to the aggregation of microgels around droplets and the development of cross‐linking microgel chains between adjacent interfaces. The increased β‐sheet content (from 35.51% to 41.12%) of adsorbed microgels indicated unfolding and the enhanced aggregation of microgels, which led to stronger droplet interaction. The network evolution observed with different microscopes clarified the transition to a self‐supporting emulsion. The uneven adsorption of large microgel aggregates at the oil–water interface promoted larger and deformed droplets, so more fat‐like medium internal phase emulsion stabilized by PPI microgel could be obtained by adjusting the microgel pH to 4.5. The interfacial membranes observed by scanning electron microscopy were thicker and coarser at pH 3.0 and 4.5 than those at pH 7.0 and 9.0. The adsorption of PPI microgel aggregates enhanced the structural strength and improved emulsion stability. CONCLUSION: This work could form a basis for further studies relating physical properties to the design of plant protein‐based fat analogues. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bottom water coning is the main reason to reduce the recovery of horizontal bottom water reservoir. By water coning, we mean the oil-water interface changes from a horizontal state to a mound-shaped cone and breaks through to the wellbore. Autonomous inflow control device (AICD) is an important instrument maintain normal production after bottom water coning, however, the resistance increasing ability of the swirl type AICD is insufficient at present, which seriously affects the water control effect. Aiming this problem, this paper designs a multi-stage resistance-increasing and composite type AICD. The separation mechanism of oil-water two phases in this structure, the resistance form of oil-water single phase and the resistance-increasing principle of water phase are analyzed. Establishing the dual-phase multi-stage separation and resistance-increasing model, and verified by measuring the throttling pressure drop and oil-water volume fraction of the AICD, it is found that the composite type AICD has the effect of ICD and AICD at the same time, which can balance the production rate of each well section at the initial stage of production, delay the occurrence of bottom water coning. In the middle and later stages of production, water-blocking can be effectively increased to achieve water control and stable production. After structural sensitivity analysis, the influence law of various structural parameters on the water control performance of composite AICD was obtained. The simulation calculation results show that, compared with the existing swirl type AICD, composite AICD has higher sensitivity to moisture content, the water phase throttling pressure drop is increased by 4.5 times on average. The composite AICD is suitable for the entire stage of horizontal well production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to visualize multiphase fluid seepage in porous reservoir media due to gravitational differentiation, a series of innovative experimental devices for individual or composite repulsion were fabricated to study and analyze the effects of repulsion mode, glass bead diameter, inclination angle, settling time, and crude oil viscosity on the gravitational differentiation of oil, gas, and water. The results show that compared with the actual production process in the reservoir, which requires a long time for the transport and aggregation of multiphase fluids under the action of gravity, this device can make the oil, gas, and water to produce gravity differentiation quickly and obviously. Compared with water flooding and gas flooding, combination flooding mainly extracted the emulsion of the oil–water mixture. The gravity differentiation effect of the oil–water mixture is much more significant than that of the oil–gas mixture. Static treatment of the emulsion is also required for reading numbers and producing a clear oil–water interface by oil–water gravity differentiation. Neither too low nor too high, the bank angle of a pipe filled with sand is conducive to the oil–water gravity differentiation. The effect of gravity differentiation within a specific time is directly proportional to the standing time. The change in the displacement mode can further amplify the three-phase gravity differentiation of oil, gas, and water. The greater the viscosity of crude oil, the harder the displacement. Finally, the microscopic experiment witnessed the oil–water gravity differentiation process of the extracted emulation. This experimental study identifies the main factors affecting the gravitational differentiation of multiphase fluids and methods to improve the gravitational differentiation rate of oil and water or oil and gas. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the rational and effective development of oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the need for environmental protection and sustainability, there has been a rising need to replace the traditionally harsh oxidative functionalization process, which is essential for syntheses of various organic compounds, by biocatalysis. However, the investigated alternative processes are still challenged with enzyme instability and/or low specific reaction rate. Due to these still existing challenges and the recognition of Pickering emulsions as an efficient platform for continuous biphasic biocatalysis, the first, enzymatic step of the lipase catalyzed oxidative functionalization was investigated in bioactive Pickering emulsions. The study focused on the impact of Pickering emulsion composition such as the volume phase fraction, type and concentration of the nanoparticles and enzymes on continuous peroxyacetic acids synthesis. The type of nanoparticles used and Candida antarctica lipase B concentration significantly impacted the process while the other named parameters only had a marginal influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]