Nanofluid in Hydrophilic State for EOR Implication Through Carbonate Reservoir

More than 50% of oil is trapped in petroleum reservoirs after applying primary and secondary recovery methods for removal. Thus, to produce more crude oils from these reservoirs, different enhanced oil recovery (EOR) approaches should be performed. In this research, the effect of hydrophilic nanoparticles of SiO₂ at 12 nm size, in (EOR) from carbonate reservoir is systematically investigated. Using this nanoparticle, we can increase viscosity of the injection fluid and then lower the mobility ratio between oil and nanofluid in carbonate reservoirs. To this end, a core flooding apparatus was used to determine the effectiveness and robustness of nanosilica for EOR from carbonate reservoirs. These experiments are applied on the reservoir carbonate core samples, which are saturated with brine and oil that was injected with nanoparticles of SiO₂ at various concentrations. The output results depict that, with increasing nanoparticle concentration, the viscosity of the injection fluid increases and results in decreased mobility ratio between oil and nanofluid. The results confirm that using the nanoparticle increases the recovery. Also, increasing the nanoparticle concentration up to 0.6% increases the ultimate recovery (%OOIP), but a further increase to 1.0 does not have a significant effect.     

Batch and continuous fixed-bed column biosorption of thorium(IV) from aqueous solutions: equilibrium and dynamic modeling

Biosorption of thorium(IV) from aqueous solution by Cystoseira indica alga was investigated in batch and fixed-bed column experiments. In the batch study the effects of pH and initial concentration were investigated. The optimum pH for Th(IV) biosorption was found to be 3.5. The experimental isotherms obtained at different pH conditions were analyzed using three two-parameter models and three three-parameter models. Among the two-parameter models the Langmuir model and among the three-parameter models the Redlich–Peterson model vividly described the equilibrium data. The results showed that C. indica alga is a homogeneous biosorbent and Th(IV) biosorption is a favorable and physical process. The maximum biosorption capacity from the Langmuir model was 151.3, 195.7 and 120.6 mg/g at pH 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5, respectively. The continuous isotherm obtained from the column data was modeled by the Langmuir model and the maximum biosorption capacity was 283.8 mg/g. The experimental data were fitted by the use of an analytical and a numerical model, namely Clark and mass transfer models. The results showed that the mass transfer model adequately described the experimental data. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the value of k _in has more effect than the axial dispersion coefficient (D _z) on the shape of breakthrough curve.     

Preparation of a solid-state ion-selective electrode based on polypyrrole conducting polymer for magnesium ion

In this study, a potentiometric sensor based on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE) coated with polypyrrole doped with Titan yellow dye (PPy/TY) was prepared for potentiometric determination of magnesium ion in aqueous solutions. The structural characteristics of magnesium sensor electrode (PGE/PPy/TYMg) were studied using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared along with energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Under the optimal conditions, the electrode reveals a good Nernstian behavior with slope of 28.27 ± 0.40 mV per decade over the concentration range of 1.0 × 10^?5–5.0 × 10^?2 M and a detection limit of 6.28 × 10^?6 M. The potentiometric response of fabricated electrode toward magnesium ion was found to be independent of the pH of the test solution in the pH range of 4.5–8.0. The electrode showed fast response time (<10 s) and good shelf lifetime (>2 months). The prepared magnesium sensor electrode can also be used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Mg²⁺ with EDTA with distinguished end point. The electrode revealed good selectivity with respect to many cations including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The introduced magnesium electrode was used for measurement of Mg²⁺ ion in real samples without any serious interferences from other ions.     

Effect of block lengths on the association behavior of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA–PEG–PLA) micelles in aqueous solution

A series of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(ethylene glycol) triblock copolymers with a PLA–PEG–PLA architecture were synthesized by a ring-opening polymerization (ROP) process. The copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR and GPC. The total number average molecular weights were in the range of 4,700–50,000, whereas the degrees of polymerization of the PLA and PEG blocks varied from 15 to 359 and from 68 to 136, respectively. The self-association of these copolymers in aqueous environment was studied by emission fluorescence spectroscopy of anilinonaphthalene probe and the critical association concentration (CAC) of the copolymers was measured. It was found that the micellization process of these copolymers was mainly determined by the length of the hydrophobic LA block, while the length of the hydrophilic PEG block had little effect. Furthermore, the low CAC values of the copolymers suggest that the copolymers form stable supramolecular structures in aqueous solutions.     

Synthesis and characterization of a newly designed di-copper(II)-based complex and study of its artificial enzyme catalytic activity

A di-copper(II) complex of the formula [(dien)Cu(μ-1,6-DAH)Cu(dien)(NO₃)₂](NO₃)₂, where μ-1,6-DAH = 1,6-diaminohexane, has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography, X-ray powder diffraction, thermal gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analyses, cyclic voltammetry, infrared, ultraviolet visible spectroscopies and elemental analysis methods. It was crystallized in a monoclinic system, space group P2₁/n, with a = 8.0297(8) Å, b = 12.4937(14) Å, c = 15.3786(15) Å, β = 102.739(8) Å and z = 2. Each copper(II) has a square-based pyramidal coordination geometry with four N atoms building the basal plane (three from dien and one from μ-1,6-DAH). TGA study of the complex revealed the compound to be stable up to 245 °C. Electrochemical behavior of complex and enzyme-like catalytic activity of this complex, as a potential functional model for the active site of tyrosinase, was studied extensively. Kinetic studies show that the complex has the maximum enzymatic activity at pH 8, temperature of 40 °C and ionic strength of 50 mM.     

Influence of polymeric coating on capillary electrophoresis of iron oxide nanoparticles

In this work, electrophoresis was successfully used to separate three different polymer-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with similar sizes (nominally 50 nm) using high-pH borate buffer system. The coating polymers were dextran, polyethylene glycol, or carboxymethyl dextran. The results showed that the migration time of carboxymethyl dextran coated nanoparticles is the longest due to relatively more negative surface charges. Investigation of the effects of buffer concentration, pH, electric field strength and the capillary temperature, on electrophoretic properties of samples was also carried out. The results showed that pH, electric field strength and the capillary temperature had indirect relations with both of the migration time and the separation resolution of three different polymer-coated nanoparticles while the buffer concentration had a direct relation.     

Application of a cohesive zone element for the prediction of damage in nano/micro coating

Many tools in production technology are nowadays coated to obtain a satisfactory lifetime and degradation resistance. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to investigate antiadhesive and wear resistant coatings made of ceramics, plastics and metals produced by High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering (HPPMS) technique [1]. A cohesive zone element technique (CZ) is applied to model the interactions of the coatings and the substrate surfaces (see [2]). This goes along with the investigations of the delamination and failure behavior of the involved surfaces. To illustrate the applicability of the model, several structural simulations are performed. The developed CZ element model is capable of modeling the separation, the contact and also the irreversible reloading conditions in both normal and tangential directions [3]. The model is further developed to be applicable for different structures including different bonding behaviors, with a higher stability. The talk concludes with a detailed discussion of the numerical results of different material and interface properties. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Application of the single comparator method to instrumental photon activation analysis

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Instrumental photon activation analysis (IPAA) is nondestructive and multi-elemental analysis method like instrumental neutron activation...     

Introducing Organic Gas Steam-Liquid Extraction as a New Preconcentration Method for Benzene,Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene Determination in Water Samples by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - In this study, for the first time, the organic gas steam-liquid extraction by a special hand-made cell was used as a simple and inexpensive preconcentration...