High Pressure High Temperature Dynamic Rheometry of Sulfonated Polyacrylamide Solutions in Electrolyte Media as Used for Oil Recovery Applications

Sulfonated polyacrylamide (SPAA) solutions were prepared and the effects of pressure, polymer concentration, and water temperature, pH and salinity on their rheological behavior were investigated using a concentric cylinder dynamic rheometer equipped with a high pressure cell. According to the rheological flow curves the shear stress of SPAA solutions increased less than in proportion to their shear rates; that is, a shear thinning effect occurred. For polymer solutions containing 15,000 ppm of SPAA, shear viscosity, and stress were nearly insensitive to pressure. However, the shear viscosity and stress of SPAA solutions were affected by temperature and this effect was more evident at lower pressure. The flow curves indicated the shear viscosity and stress of the samples increased with increasing SPAA concentration and pH of the water, but were decreased with increasing water salinity and temperature.     

Preparation and Characterization of Linear Low Density Polyethylene/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) nanocomposites were prepared via melt blending. The morphology and degree of dispersion of nanotubes in the polyethylene matrix were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both individual and agglomerates of MWNTs were evident. The rheological behavior and mechanical and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were studied using a capillary rheometer, tensile tester, and Tera ohm‐meter, respectively. Both polyethylene and its nanocomposites showed non‐Newtonian behavior in almost the whole range of shear rate. Addition of carbon nanotubes increased shear stress and shear viscosity. It was also found that the materials experience a fluid‐solid transition below 1 wt% MWNT. Flow activation energy for the nanocomposites was calculated using an Arrhenius type equation. With increasing nanotube content, the activation energy of flow increases. A decrease of about 7 orders of magnitude was obtained in surface and volume resistivity upon addition of 5 wt% MWNT. In addition, a difference between electrical and rheological percolation thresholds was observed. The results confirm the expected nucleant effect of nanotubes on the crystallization process of polyethylene. A slight increase in Young's modulus was also observed with increasing MWNT content.     

Rheological Studies of Silica-Tragacanth Suspensions

Formation of a concentrated solid/liquid suspension, as an industrial intermediate, is often necessary in many industrial manufacturing processes, particularly for paints, paper coating, ceramics, catalysts, etc. Polysaccharides have been widely used for the control of the stability of suspensions. In this paper, various rheological parameters; such as viscosity—shear rate, shear stress—shear rate, storage and loss modulus frequency at various temperatures, and strain stress; have been measured for different compositions of silica powder in water with 0.3 wt% tragacanth gum as a phase stabilizer.     

Rheological and Mechanical Characterization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polypropylene Nanocomposites

The rheology and morphology of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites prepared via melt blending was investigated. The minor phase content of MWNT varied between 0.25 and 8 wt%. From morphological studies using a scanning electron microscopy technique a good dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the PP matrix was observed. The rheological studies were performed by a capillary rheometer, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were studied using a tensile and flexural tester. Both PP and its nanocomposites showed non-Newtonian behavior. At low shear rates the addition of MWNT content causes an increase in viscosity; however, viscosity is less sensitive to addition of MWNT content at higher shear rates. Flow activation energy for the nanocomposites was calculated using an Arrhenius type equation. From this calculation it was concluded that the temperature sensitivity of nanocomposites was increased by increasing of nanotube content. An increase in tensile and flexural moduli and Izod impact strength was also observed by increasing the MWNT content. From rheological and mechanical tests it was concluded that the mechanical and rheological percolation threshold is at 1.5 wt%.     

A Rheological Study of Xanthan Polymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery

This study explored the potential application of xanthan gum as a polymer-flooding agent for oil recovery applications in a specific Devonian oil field. Rheological measurements using oscillatory and steady shear were carried out to examine the change in shear viscosity when the polymer was applied under reservoir conditions. The xanthan rheological properties were described by the Herschel–Bulkley and Ostwald models to characterize its non-Newtonian behavior. As expected, the results showed that higher xanthan concentrations raised the polymer viscosity and increased the degree of shear thinning. Addition of alkalis caused the viscosity of the xanthan solutions to decrease, but they maintained their shear-thinning properties. Polymer solutions in typical oil field brine increased in viscosity by ca. 400% for 720 hours storage time. On the other hand, as expected, the solutions lost their viscosity gradually with increasing temperature. However, at reservoir temperature (68°C), the polymer solutions kept more than 60% of their initial viscosity. In oscillatory deformation tests it was observed that all the measured viscoelastic properties were influenced by temperature and confirmed that xanthan solution behaved as a weak-gel. An order-disorder transition exists within the xanthan-brine solutions which responds to changes in solution concentration, temperature and alkalis.     

Rheological behavior of silver nanowire conductive inks during screen printing

The rheological behavior of silver nanowire (AgNW) suspensions adapted for screen printing inks was investigated. Aqueous silver nanowire inks consisting of AgNW (length of 30 μm, and diameter of 40 and 90 nm), dispersant and binder were formulated. The effect of AgNW content on the rheological behavior of the ink and the build-up of ink structure after screen printing were examined as they depend on applied shear and temperature. Rheological measurements under conditions that mimic the screen printing process were done to assess viscoelastic properties induced by flow alignment of the wires and the subsequent recovery of the low shear structure. The Stretched Exponential model (SEmo) was used to model the recovery process after screen printing to obtain the characteristic time of the recovery or build-up process. The characteristic time was determined at several temperatures to obtain the activation energy of recovery. The domination of Brownian motion or non-Brownian motion behavior can be characterized by a Peclet number, which is the ratio of shear rate to the rotational diffusion coefficient. The Peclet number and the dimensionless concentration of wires were used to assess the recovery mechanism. The steady viscosity at low and high shear rates was also treated by an activation energy analysis.     

Electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile fibers from ionic liquid solution

We developed a temperature-controlled electrospinning apparatus specially for the polymers/IL system with high viscosity and surface tension and investigated the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide ([BMIM][Br]) solutions. The rheological behaviors, surface tensions and conductivities of PAN/[BMIM]/[Br] solutions at different temperatures indicated that appropriately increasing the temperature is beneficial to their spinnability. It is also shown that PAN/[BMIM]/[Br] with a concentration of 3 wt%, 4 wt% and 5 wt% can be electrospun to fibers by increasing their temperatures to 70°C, 75°C or 85°C, respectively. A rotating drum composed of a dacron mesh was used as a collector in order to avoid the contraction of the wet fibers. This present study provides an alternative method for electrospinning polymer fibers.     

Effect of monomer-treated inorganic fillers on mechanical,rheological, and thermal properties of LLDPE nanocomposites

This article discusses the role of nanoscale calcium carbonate (nCC) surface treatment in affecting the mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The mechanical tests indicated that nCC could simultaneously reinforce and toughen LLDPE. In addition, the composite sample with methacrylic acid (MA)-treated nanoparticles shows further increased mechanical properties as compared to unmodified nanoparticles. In the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), a small amount of MA could increase markedly the mechanical properties of LLDPE/nCC composites. The results of rheological property analysis indicated that the viscosity increased with increasing amount of the filler, especially at low shear rates, but showed a substantial reduction with increasing concentration of the reactive monomer. The thermal behavior of these materials is evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The addition of a small amount of MA and DCP enhances the stabilization of the blends.     

Nanopolishing by colloidal nanodiamond in elastohydrodynamic lubrication

In this paper, the feasibility of using explosion synthesized diamond nanoparticles with an average particle size (APS) of 3–5 nm with a concentration of 1 % by weight for improving lubrication and friction in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) was investigated. Owing to the orders of magnitude increase in the viscosity of the lubricant in the EHL contact zone, diamond nanoparticles in the lubricant polish the surfaces at the nanoscale which decreases the composite roughness of contacting surfaces. The reduced composite roughness results in an increased film thickness ratio which yields lower friction. In the numerical analysis, governing equations of lubricant flow in the full elastohydrodynamic lubrication were solved, and the shear stress distribution over the fluid film was calculated. Using an abrasion model and the shear stress distribution profile, the material removal by the nanofluid containing nanoparticles and the resultant surface roughness were determined. The numerical analysis showed that in full EHL regime, the nanolubricant can reduce the composite roughness of moving surfaces. Experimental results from prior studies which exhibited surface polishing by such nanolubricants in boundary, mixed, and full elastohydrodynamic lubrication were used for comparison to the numerical model.     

High energy dissipation-based process to improve the rheological properties of bentonite drilling muds by reducing the particle size

Drilling mud is a multi-phase fluid that is used in the petroleum drilling process. Bentonite is the most important constituent of drilling mud; it endows the drilling mud with its rheological behaviors, such as viscosity, yield stress, and shear thinning. The process of manufacturing microscale bentonite at the nanoscale level is very promising for commercializing nano-based drilling mud. In contrast to the conventional method using the impeller, bentonite was manufactured in its nanoparticle state in the present work through ultrasonic and homogenizer processes in the solution state. In case of the ultrasonic process, the viscosity increase in the low shear rate region before and after processing of the 5 wt% bentonite-based mud and the rheological properties in the presence of polymer additive were compared. In case of the homogenizer process, the rheological properties of 3 wt% bentonite-based mud employed through the homogenizer process and 5 wt% mud prepared generally were compared. Both processes reported improvement of rheological properties, in which shear thinning behavior strongly occurred when particle size decreased through FE-SEM, TEM image analysis, and particle size analyzer. A regularized Herschel-Bulkley model suitable for rheological quantitative explanation of drilling mud including yield stress was selected. The homogenizer process has the potential to be applied in the petroleum drilling industry for large-scale production, and the mechanism was confirmed by numerical analyses. In conclusion, we presented a simple and easy-to-apply process to rapidly produce nano-based drilling mud.     

Upgrading poly(butylene succinate)/wood fiber composites by esterified lignin

Aliphatic chains were introduced into the macromolecule of kraft lignin using aliphatic chlorides as esterification reagents. The hydrophobicity of esterified lignin (EL) was enhanced as compared to the original lignin. EL was further used as a macromolecular coupling agent in poly(butylene succinate)/chemi-thermomechanical pulp fiber composites. As a result, the composites with enhanced mechanical performance were obtained, and the tensile strength, impact strength, and bending strength were increased by 25.1, 22.4, and 19.3%, respectively, under 2 wt% EL-treatment (synthesized by palmitoyl chloride, –COCl/–OH = 1.5:1) in comparison with those of the specimen without any coupling agent treatment. Furthermore, the composite prepared with EL-treated fibers shows significant lower water absorption ratio than that of untreated one. A significant increase in storage modulus (E′) was observed upon the incorporation of treated fibers. Furthermore, the improved interfacial bonding between treated fibers and matrix was verified by SEM images. The shear viscosity of composite was increased by the incorporation of EL, but in general, the rheological behaviors of composites are not significantly changed.     

Steady Shear Rheological Behavior,Mechanical Properties,and Morphology of the Polypropylene/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on polypropylene (PP) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) have been prepared through melt blending. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations indicate that nanotubes were dispersed almost homogeneously throughout the matrix; however, some aggregates were also observed at high nanotubes loading. Rheological studies showed that at low shear rates, there is an increase in steady shear viscosity and shear stress of samples with increasing of nanotubes concentration. However, at high shear rates nanocomposites behave like pure PP. The activation energy of flow showed an increasing trend and has a maximum at 1wt% MWNT content. It was found that incorporation of nanotubes causes a remarkable decrease in surface and volume resistivity values of the polymeric matrix. The presence of CNTs improved the tensile and flexural properties of the polymeric matrix.     

Rheological behaviour of ethylene glycol-titanate nanotube nanofluids

Experimental work has been performed on the rheological behaviour of ethylene glycol based nanofluids containing titanate nanotubes over 20–60 °C and a particle mass concentration of 0–8%. It is found that the nanofluids show shear-thinning behaviour particularly at particle concentrations in excess of ~2%. Temperature imposes a very strong effect on the rheological behaviour of the nanofluids with higher temperatures giving stronger shear thinning. For a given particle concentration, there exists a certain shear rate below which the viscosity increases with increasing temperature, whereas the reverse occurs above such a shear rate. The normalised high-shear viscosity with respect to the base liquid viscosity, however, is independent of temperature. Further analyses suggest that the temperature effects are due to the shear-dependence of the relative contributions to the viscosity of the Brownian diffusion and convection. The analyses also suggest that a combination of particle aggregation and particle shape effects is the mechanism for the observed high-shear rheological behaviour, which is also supported by the thermal conductivity measurements and analyses.     

The Thermal Stability and Rheological Properties of Alkylated Carboxymethyl Starch

Several alkylated carboxymethyl starches (CMS) with different alkyl chain lengths were prepared. The influence of the number of alkyls on the thermal stability and rheological properties, such as thickening properties, salt-tolerance, temperature sensitivity and time-dependent rheological behavior, are discussed. The initial decomposition temperature (IDT) of alkylated CMS reached 263°C ～293°C which, as compared to the IDT for CMS itself (230°C), indicated that the thermal stability of CMS was improved after being alkylated. The solution viscosities of the alkylated carboxymethyl starch increased with the increasing of alkyl length. With the alkyl chain length increasing from C₂ to C₈, the viscosity increased from 400 mPa·s to 38000 mPa·s. The weak hydrophobic aggregation of the alkyl groups did not improve the shear-resistance and relative hysteresis area. But the temperature sensitivity of alkylated CMS was improved as the chain length of the alkyl groups increased, as the activation energy (E_a) value decreased from 2.082 kJ·mol^?1 to 0.077 kJ·mol^?1; Improving the rigidity of the molecular chains and reducing the network structure of the hydrophobic contribution to the viscosity of the solution are benefits for improving the salt-tolerance and shear-resistance of the aqueous solution.     

Preparation and Thermal Properties of Boron-Containing o-Cresol-Formaldehyde Resin/Octa(aminophenyl)-POSS Nanocomposites

The boron-containing o-cresol-formaldehyde resin (BoCFR) and octa(aminophenyl) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OAP-POSS) were synthesized, and the BoCFR/OAP-POSS nanocomposite prepared via an in-situ method. The curing process of the resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The thermal properties and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. The results show that the maximal mechanical loss temperature (T_p) increased with increasing OAP-POSS content. When the content of OAP-POSS was 10 wt% the T_p was over 200°C, 27°C higher than the pure BoCFR. The BoCFR/OAP-POSS nanocomposite had better thermal stablitity than the pure BoCFR. The residual weight of the o-cresol-formaldehyde resin was only 6.13 wt% at 600°C. But the residual weight of the pure BoCFR was 55.73 wt% at 600°C, and the residual weights of the BoCFR nanocomposites were all higher than pure BoCFR. The residual weight of the BoCFR nanocomposite was 63.2 wt% at 600°C and 21.83 wt% at 900°C when the OAP-POSS content was 10 wt%. The weight loss of BoCFR/OAP-POSS nanocomposite can be divided primarily into two temperature stages, from 430°C to 550°C and from 550°C to 900°C. The main thermal degradation reaction follows first order kinetics.     

Shear Stress in a Couette Flow of Liquid-Particle Suspensions

The mechanisms of momentum transfer and shear stress of liquid-particle suspensions in two-dimensional Couette flow are studied using direct numerical simulation by lattice-Boltzmann techniques. The results obtained display complex flow phenomena that arise from the two-phase nature of the fluid including a nonlinear velocity profile, layering of particles, and apparent slip near the solid walls. The general rheological behaviour of the suspension is dilatant. A detailed study of the various momentum transfer mechanisms that contribute to the total shear stress indicates that the observed shear thickening is related to enhanced relative solid phase stress for increasing shear rates.     

Preparation of cholesterol oxidase nanoparticles and their application in amperometric determination of cholesterol

Highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles were deposited on gram quantities of non-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in a fluidized bed reactor at 300 °C. (Methylcyclopentadienyl) trimethylplatinum and oxygen were used as precursors. The results of TEM analysis showed that ~1.3 nm Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed on non-functionalized MWCNTs. The porous structures of MWCNTs did not change with the deposition of Pt nanoparticles. For comparison, the commercial 3 wt% Pt/C catalyst was also characterized. The ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT was used for the hydrogenation of xylose to xylitol. The ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT showed the best catalytic performance with 100 % conversion of xylose and 99.3 % selectivity to xylitol, compared to commercially available Pt/C, Ru/C, and Raney Ni catalysts. The stability of ALD produced Pt/MWCNT catalyst was higher than that of the commercial Pt/C, due to the presence of surface defects on the MWCNTs and the strong metal–support interaction for the ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT catalyst.     

Co-precipitation of asiatic acid and poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide) using rapid expansion of subcritical solutions into liquid solvents

Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) nanoparticles loaded with asiatic acid (AA) were successfully produced by rapid expansion of a subcritical solution into an aqueous receiving solution containing a dispersing agent. A mixture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and ethanol (EtOH) with a weight ratio of 1:1 was used as the solvent for AA and PLLA. Two surfactants, Pluronic F127 and sodium dodecyl sulfate were employed. The former was found to be more effective for stabilizing AA-loaded PLLA nanoparticles, as a rapid expansion into a 0.1 wt% Pluronic F127 solution produced a stable nanosuspension consisting mainly of well-dispersed, individual nanoparticles. The effects of rapid expansion-processing conditions—AA to PLLA weight ratio and pre-expansion temperature (T_pre)—on the size and morphology of composite nanoparticles, and the loading capacity and entrapment efficiency of AA in PLLA nanoparticles, were systematically investigated. It was found that AA-loaded PLLA nanoparticles with a size range of 30–100 nm were consistently fabricated by rapid expansion at T_pre of 70–100 °C and AA to PLLA weight ratios of 1:2 and 1:4, and with a constant pre-expansion pressure of 330 bar. The T_pre and AA to PLLA weight ratio had no significant effects on the size of the nanoparticles. The AA to PLLA weight ratio is a controlling parameter for both the loading capacity and the entrapment efficiency of AA in PLLA nanoparticles. The loading capacity and entrapment efficiency increased from 8–11 to 16–21 wt%, and 38–57 to 50–62 wt%, respectively, when the AA to PLLA weight ratio changed from 1:4 to 1:2. However, increasing the T_pre from 70 to 100 °C decreased both the loading capacity and entrapment efficiency of AA in PLLA nanoparticles by ~20–30%.     

Experimental investigation into the convective heat transfer and system-level effects of Al2O3-propanol nanofluid

It has been speculated that the application of nanofluids in real systems could lead to smaller, more compact heat exchangers and reductions in material cost. However, few studies have been conducted which have carefully measured the thermo-physical properties and thermal performance of these fluids as well as examine the system-level effects of using these fluids in traditional cooling systems. In this study, dilute suspensions of 10 nm aluminum oxide nanoparticles in propanol (0.5, 1, and 3 wt%) were investigated. Changes in density, specific heat, and thermal conductivity with particle concentration were measured and found to be linear, whereas changes in viscosity were nonlinear and increased sharply with particle loading. Nanofluid heat transfer performance data were generally commensurate with that measured for the baseline. For the 1 wt% concentration, a small but significant enhancement in the heat transfer coefficient was recorded for 1800 < Re < 2800, which is attributed to an earlier transition to turbulent flow. In the case of high particle loading (i.e. 3 wt%), the thermal performance was observed to deteriorate with respect to the baseline case. Discoloration of the fluid was also observed after being cycled at high flow rates and increased temperature.     

Shear Effect on Morphology of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate)/Poly(Styrene‐co‐Acrylonitrile) Blends

Abstract

The shear flow effect on the morphology of poly(butylene terephthalate)(PBT)/poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)(SAN) was studied by a parallel plate type shear apparatus. In PBT/SAN = 20/80 blend, particle size of dispersed domains was governed by both break‐up and coalescence processes, and it was much affected by shear rate. The minimum particle size was observed at a certain shear rate. This phenomenon can be explained by the shear matching effect of PBT and SAN; that is, the viscosity ratio of PBT to SAN changed with shear rate and the finest morphology was obtained at the appropriate viscosity ratio. Similar behavior was also observed for PBT/SAN = 70/30 (PBT was the matrix), even though the particle size was larger than that of PBT/SAN = 20/80. For PBT/SAN = 10/90 blend, the sample showed a complicated appearance during shearing. A translucent region correlated to the fine morphology was observed more than twice with increasing shear rate. This phenomenon could not be explained by the viscosity matching effect only. It was affected by small changes in the balance of breaking‐up and coalescence effects.