Confocal microscopy as a new real-time quantification method for oil content in produced water

Fan, Jie; Sappington, Emily N.; Rifai, Hanadi S.; Rodrigues, Débora F.

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2018.03.103

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…A total of three stack images of each sample was analyzed at random positions along the length of the flow cell, and the same procedure was repeated three times for the water taken from the top, medium, and bottom of the same sample bottle. Thus, a total of nine stacks for each sample was used for statistical analysis …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Afterward, the concentration of oil content in the synthetic produced water was calculated through Matlab with the global thresholding procedure. The detailed image analysis steps were described in our previously published study . Briefly, the optimum threshold was selected through calibration from different concentrations of synthetic produced water, and then the white oil droplets on a black background were calculated using the volume of white pixels showed in the images.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, a total of nine stacks for each sample was used for statistical analysis. 7 Afterward, the concentration of oil content in the synthetic produced water was calculated through Matlab with the global thresholding procedure. The detailed image analysis steps were described in our previously published study.…”

Section: Synthetic Produced Water Preparation With Differentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, the confocal laser fluorescence microscope (CLFM) was shown to be able to quantify oil concentrations by measuring the autofluorescent signals in 3D images. 7 Because of its high sensitivity, good diagnostic potential, relatively simple instrumentation, and suitability for either laboratory-based or portable instrumentation, this method was suggested to have great potential to be used for real-time oil quantification in subsea systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, all the CLFM measurement investigations have been performed under relatively simple systems (zero salinity, neutral pH, room temperature, and no particles). 7 In real environmental discharge, the physical and chemical properties of produced water vary considerably depending on the geographic location of the field, the geological formation, the type of hydrocarbon being produced, and the treatment applied before discharge. Diverse studies have suggested that increasing salinity in the aqueous phase would destabilize the oil/water emulsion, and then increase observed oil droplet size under the microscope.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Influence of Salinity, pH, Temperature and Particles on Produced Water Oil Quantification Precision and Accuracy with Confocal Laser Fluorescence Microscopy

2018

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The present study investigates the effects of different produced water parameters, such as salinity, pH, temperature, and presence of colloidal particles, in oil quantification using confocal laser fluorescence microscopy (CLFM). The study simulates different produced water samples, which typically contains a mixture of oil, salts, and different concentrations of particles. The accuracy of the quantification was not affected by the environmental condition for any of the conditions investigated. On the other hand, under extreme environmental conditions, such as high pH (pH 8), salinity (250000 ppm), and temperatures (60 °C), the precision of the CLFM oil quantification was reduced. Changes in the average oil droplet size upon variation of the environmental conditions generally correlated with the change in CLFM measurement precision. Interfacial tension and DLVO interactions were further evaluated to gain a better mechanistic understanding of how the environmental conditions affect the size or colloidal stability of the oil droplets and therefore impact the precision of CLFM measurements. To obtain an overall understanding of the relationship of the different environmental parameters and oil droplet properties with the level of CLFM measurement precision, multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and multiple regression analysis were employed. The results showed that conditions of lower salinity, temperature, and SiO 2 concentration, as well as neutral pH (pH 7), favor smaller oil droplet sizes (close to 4 μm) in the oil-in-water emulsion and more precise CLFM measurements. The better understanding of the impact of different water chemistries on oil droplet stability will be essential for decision-makers on conditions that could impact the precision of the method. This work presents a new perspective of investigating CLFM as an oilin-water quantification technology and guidance for engineers operating this novel technology on the optimum environmental conditions to achieve the best performance of the technology.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Synthetic Produced Water Preparation With Differentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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