Thermal-recovery methods (e.g., steam injection) are commonly used to recover bitumen from oil sands. The injected steam contacts the oil sand and forms an interface. The steam changes to water, transferring its heat to bitumen across this interface. The heated bitumen will have a lower viscosity, which allows for oil to be mobilized and recovered from the reservoir.Studies that explain hot-water/bitumen interfaces are crucial for understanding thermal-recovery methods. The strength and energy of hot-water/bitumen interfaces are expected to play important roles in the recovery of bitumen from oil sands. However, measurements on hot-water/bitumen interfaces are scarce in the literature. A relevant measurement would be the contact angle and interfacial tension (IFT) of the water/bitumen interfaces at different temperatures. In this paper, it has been attempted to reveal and present the results of several water/bitumen contact-angle and IFT measurements. The measurements cover a temperature range from ambient to 100 o C for a given pressure.The experiments are run in X-ray transparent cells, and images are taken using a microcomputed-tomography (microCT) scanner. The results of contact angle and the IFTs of the hot-water/bitumen interface are produced by using the axisymmetric drop shape-analysis (ADSA) method.

Background Malignant pleural effusion continues to be a common problem in patients with metastatic disease. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of bleomycin pleurodesis with povidone-iodine pleurodesis through a chest drain as palliative treatment for recurrent malignant pleural effusion. Methods Sixty cancer patients (36 males and 24 females) with recurrent malignant pleural effusion were enrolled in a prospective randomized trial. Thirty patients received povidone-iodine pleurodesis and 30 received bleomycin pleurodesis. Age, sex, side of the primary pathology, treatment outcome (recurrence and relapse time), and complications were analyzed. Results The mean age was 59.63 ± 7.68 years in the povidone-iodine group and 57.97 ± 9.27 years in the bleomycin group ( p = 0.452). The complications were identical in both groups: 2 (6.7%) patients had chest pain, 2 (6.7%) had fever, and one (3.3%) had hypotension. There was a good response to therapy in 20 (66.7%) patients in the bleomycin group and 25 (83.3%) in the povidone-iodine group ( p = 0.136). Conclusion The results of this study indicate that povidone-iodine should be considered as a selective chemical agent to perform pleurodesis in patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusion because it has the same effect but costs less than bleomycin.