Study of the effect of the HLD parameter on the inversion point of oil/water emulsions

• Grant number: 22/02290-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Agreement: Equinor (former Statoil)
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Carlos Bannwart
• Grantee: Nathália Meschiatti Magioli
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos de Energia e Petróleo (CEPETRO). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM)
• Associated research grant: 17/15736-3 - Engineering Research Centre in Reservoir and Production Management, AP.PCPE

Abstract

This research project aims to study the effect of the HLD parameter (hydrophilic/lipophilic difference) on the inversion point of oil/water emulsions, a continuation of works that have been developed in the emulsion area in the research group in recent years. This approach brings the application of new concepts in the petroleum area with regard to the inversion of emulsions and a possibility of applying this concept in the field.Most studies use model oils, usually paraffinic-based mineral oils with additives that mimic the chemical function of natural petroleum components, such as asphaltenes and resins (surfactants). Although these systems are not representative of petroleum, with regard to chemical composition, they represent the first step in understanding the variables that affect the rheological behavior, stability and phase inversion of emulsions, due to their simple and well-defined composition.In this work, it will be investigated how the phenomenon of the inversion point of emulsions prepared with model oils with viscosity similar to the well viscosity is affected by the chemical composition of both phases (oil and water). For this, a theory known as Hidrophilic/Lipophilic Difference (HLD) will be applied, which takes into account the composition of the system as a whole. In this work, all studies will be focused on small-scale laboratory tests using HLD scanning procedure by microemulsion formation method and Winsor classification. (AU)