Mechanistic Investigation on Dynamic Interfacial Tension Between Crude Oil and Ionic Liquid Using Mass Transfer Concept

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a new kind of solvents that have recently gained an upsurge in attention in light of their unique potential for different applications. With respect to this, in the present study, applicability of an IL called 1-octadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C18mim] Cl]) as a new class of surfactant was investigated. Different interfacial tension (IFT) measurements were performed to find the effect of IL concentration and temperature on the IFT of water/crude oil system. The observed trend was explained based on mass transfer mechanisms including diffusion and convective mass transfer. In addition, the effect of rotational speed, ranging between 3000 and 9000 rpm, on the IFT was examined with the hypothesis that it can modify the convective mass transfer. Finally, since it has been reported that the Marangoni effect enhances the mass transfer flux in the surfactant solutions, two different methods of IFT measurements including the spinning drop and pendant drop methods were applied to investigate the effects of convective mass transfer on the equilibrium IFT.