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Drag reduction is observed as reduced frictional pressure losses under turbulent flow conditions and hence, substantially increases the flowrate of the fluid. Practical application includes water flooding system, pipeline transport and drainage system. Drag reduction agent, such as polymers, can be introduced to increase the flowrate of water flowing, reducing the water accumulation in the system and subsequently lesser possibility of heavy flooding. Currently used polymer as drag reduction agents is carboxymethylcellulose, to name one. This is a synthetic polymer which will seep into the ground and further harm our environment in excessive use of accumulation. A more environmentally-friendly drag reduction agent, such as the polymer derived from natural sources or biopolymer, is then required for such purpose. As opposed to the synthetic polymers, the potential of biopolymers as drag reduction agents, especially those derived from a local plant source, are not extensively explored. The drag reduction of a polymer produced from a local plant source within the turbulent regime will be explored and assessed in this study using a rheometer where a reduced a torque produced can be perceived as a reduction of drag. This technique of assessment for drag reduction ability is also unique as many literatures on drag reduction rely heavily on flow loop data which sometimes, require time and high cost for the fabrication of the flow loop. The new method proposed is less time consuming and is more practical which is producing carboxymethylcellulose from the banana peel. The cellulose powder was converted to carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) by etherification process using sodium monochloroacetate and sodium hydroxide. The carboxymethylation reaction then was optimized against the reaction temperature. Then, the biopolymers will be rheologically characterized where the viscoelastic effects and the normal stresses produced by these biopolymers will be utilized to further relate and explain the drag reduction phenomena. The research is structured to focus on producing the biopolymer and also assess the drag reduction ability of the biopolymer produced. Various temperatures when synthesizing the biopolymers will be studied as a drag reduction agent to obtain the optimum value of which the biopolymer works the best. The rheological behavior of the biopolymers will also be analyzed and relate to the drag reduction ability. The results are intended to expand the currently extremely limited experimental database for biopolymers in turbulent flow. TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax +1-972-952-9435

No abstract

In the industry, stubborn emulsion still constitutes up to 20% of the total emulsion volume. The existing remediation strategies for emulsion treatment rely heavily on the study of heavy crude oil emulsion. However, minimal information is available on integrating interfacial rheology with emulsion stability on waxy crude oil emulsion. The proposed research provides a study to the development of integration between interfacial rheology and emulsion stability so that it can be a quick assessment but an accurate method to measure emulsion stability. The primary objectives of the research are to provide an extensional study to the design development of a comprehensive interfacial rheology protocol for the assessment of emulsion stability by developing a method of testing and monitoring the interfacial rheology and to investigate the demulsification ability of the waxy crude oil emulsion subjected to microbial treatment. The novelty of this study is to use the newly developed measurement protocol via interfacial rheology to predict emulsion stability. Application of the microbes on waxy crude oil to breakdown the water-in-oil emulsion using a rheometer will also be explored. The treatment is targeted to disintegrate the interfacial layer within the emulsion leading to better oil recovery. Rheological properties of the emulsion will be monitored upon the microbial injection to analyze the effects of the treatment on the rheology of emulsion. The outcomes from this research is that the newly developed protocol will predict emulsion stability that could resolve the stubborn emulsion issues via the developed interfacial rheology protocol, which could be time-saving and increases the production efficiency. This research paper is a study to develop a correlation on surface tension and interfacial tension between crude oil, water and a readily-mixed emulsion.