xv, 116 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Aqueous solutes next to hydrophobic interfaces arc prevalent in a multitude of chemical and biological systems throughout the world. Their presence ranges from environmental processes such as soil and water remediation to biological processes such as ion transport, membrane formation, and enzyme activity. In these and other examples, the interface is an integral part of the system. Understanding these chemically complex systems requires that a molecular level picture be built as a starting basis. In this dissertation, vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy (VSFS), a surface selective non-linear optical technique, is used to obtain a fundamental understanding of the interfacial properties of carboxylic acid based surfactants and polymers at the oil-water interface. Interfacial studies of the solvating environment around a carboxylate headgroup surfactant are presented first. By utilizing different VSFS polarization schemes, the carboxylate vibrational stretching region was used to monitor the headgroup environment. Results showed the oil-water interface provides a unique environment for adsorption and structuring, and distinct differences exist from the air-water and solid-water interface. With the information gained in the first study, the binding of metal ions to carboxylate headgroups is investigated using VSFS. Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Mn 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Zn 2+ were used to perturb the headgroup vibrations to further our understanding of the types of interactions and the binding strength between the ion and headgroup. The results show each ion to have a different interaction characteristics with the strongest being bi-dentate in nature and the weakest having ionic character. The final work presented involves moving VSFS studies towards macromolccular assemblies at the oil-water interface to model inherently complex biomolecular systems. These studies present adsorption structure and dynamics of poly(acrylic-acid) as a function of pH, molecular weight, concentration, and the presence of mono and divalent salts. Poly(acrylic-acid) was found to have ordered adsorption characteristics that were highly dependent on the pH and the presence of aqueous salts. This dissertation includes unpublished co-authored materials. / Committee in charge: Thomas Dyke, Chairperson, Chemistry; Geraldine Richmond, Advisor, Chemistry; John Hardwick, Member, Chemistry; Jeffrey Cina, Member, Chemistry; 1. Andrew Berglund, Member, Chemistry; John Conery, Outside Member, Computer & Information Science

Orientador: Antonio Carlos Bannwart / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica e Instituto de Geociencias / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T11:22:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_GuilhermeRosariodos_M.pdf: 4731485 bytes, checksum: 22f7c73b5cfe98d8ceda0b200e009a5f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Um dos problemas cruciais no atual cenário da indústria nacional de petróleo é a medição das vazões de óleo, gás e água produzidos por cada poço. Este problema se agrava no contexto da produção de óleos pesados sob condições offshore em águas profundas, dadas as condições adversas desse ambiente, alta viscosidade do óleo, formação de emulsões com água, dificuldade natural para sua elevação e escoamento, entre outras. Excetuando os casos em que um poço é testado, quando então sua produção pode ser determinada na superfície, não se dispõe atualmente de sistemas e métodos de medição simples, confiáveis e não-intrusivos para as vazões de cada poço. O presente trabalho investiga a utilização de técnicas de ultra-som para fins de monitoramento do filme de água em escoamentos gás-líquido e líquido-líquido. O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver uma ferramenta de medição de espessura instantânea do filme líquido em escoamentos gás-líquido e líquido-líquido utilizando técnicas de ultra-som. A medição do tempo de trânsito do sinal acústico ultra-sônico através de uma camada de material - líquido, gás ou sólido - permite a obtenção da espessura local e instantânea dessa camada, a partir do conhecimento da velocidade de propagação do som nesse meio, através de calibração prévia. Assim, por meio de diversos experimentos com diferentes pares de fluidos e padrões de escoamento, pretende-se definir as melhores condições para utilização do ultra-som para esse fim. Os tempos de trânsito podem ser detectados através dos picos de amplitude gerados quando os pulsos refletidos atingem o receptor. A utilização do ultra-som é uma técnica não intrusiva e não-invasiva, isto é, não causa perturbações ao escoamento, possibilitando ainda medições in situ em tempo real de grandezas de escoamentos múltifásicos presentes inclusive na indústria do petróleo. Este estudo mostrou ser possível a aplicação da técnica de ultra-som paia escoamentos gás-líquido, uma vez que a diferença de impedância acústica permite que grande ,parte do pulso incidente seja refletida na interface entre os dois meios líquidos. Em escoamentos líquido-líquido, o monitoramento da espessura de filme é mais difícil, sendo necessário o uso de recursos computacionais mais robustos. A pequena diferença de impedância acústica entre os líquidos, muitas vezes, dificulta a captação do pulso correspondente à interface entre os meios líquidos. Um outro fator agravante é a presença de emulsões em escoamentos líquido-líquido ou óleos com viscosidades maiores. Nessas situações, a atenuação do pulso refletido na interface entre os dois meios líquidos é ainda maior. / Abstract: One of the most important problems in the current scenario of petroleum industry is the flow rate measurements of oil, gas and water produced by each well. This problem becomes more complicated in the context of heavy oils production under offshore conditions in deepwater, due to the adverse environment, high oil viscosity, formation of emulsion with water, difficulties for its lift and flow, etc. Excepting the cases in which a well is being tested, when its flow rate can be determined at the surface, it does not exist any simple, reliable and non-intrusive system or measurement method for flow rate of an individual well. The present work looks over an application of ultrasonic techniques for monitoring of water film in gas-liquid and liquid-liquid flows. The specific purpose of this work is to develop a toei for instantaneous thickness measurement of liquid film in gas-liquid and liquid-liquid flows by ultrasonic techniques. The transit time measurement of an acoustic signal through a material layer (solid, liquid or gas) allows its local and instantaneous evaluation, knowing the ultrasound propagation speed for each medium from previous calibration. ln this way, through several experiments with different fluid pairs and flows pattems, it intends to establish the better conditions for application of the ultrasound technique. The transit times can be detected through the amplitude peaks generated when the reflected pulses reach the receiver. The ultrasound application is a non-invasive and non-intrusive technique, that is, it does not cause any disturbance in the flow, allowing in situ measurements in real time of many parameters of multiphase flows inc1uding the petroleum industry. This study showed the possibility of applying a pulse-echo technique t6 the gas-liquid flows, because the acoustic impedance difference allows the majority of incidem,t ultrasound be reflected in the gas-liquid interface. The monitoring of liquid films thickness is more difficult in liquid-liquid flows, being necessary the use oi rugged computational resources. The low difference of acoustic impedance between liquids can make more difficult the reception of a pulse which corresponds to the liquid-liquid interface. Another difficulty occurs when emulsions are formed or the oil is highly viscous. ln these situations, the attenuation of reflected ultrasound from the liquid-liquid interface is still larger. / Mestrado / Explotação / Mestre em Ciências e Engenharia de Petróleo

The biological treatment of metalworking fluids (MWFs) is a cost effective alternative to conventional waste disposal processes. While research has proven that this process is capable of treating large volumes of wastes with high organic concentrations, there are uncertainties about the mechanisms by which the treatment occurs, and there are limitations that must be overcome. There is a need to understand the importance of the mechanisms by which carbon (and hence COD) is removed from the wastewater. This will allow for waste practitioners to make better decisions for optimizing the process, and for disposing of waste (i.e sludge) that is generated. The biological treatment process is also susceptible to biocides present within formulations. These compounds either need to be removed before the treatment process, or the bioreactors need to be made more resistant to them to ensure that their presence does not hinder the reactor functioning. This study aims to answer the uncertainties about the carbon removal mechanisms involved in the treatment of oil-containing MWFs. In the first experimental chapter, it is shown that the predominant mechanism of carbon removal is oil/water separation induced by emulsifier degradation, and hence the bioprocess treatment rate is significantly affected by the biodegradability of surfactants and by the presence of cations found naturally in the water that used to prepare the emulsions. The study then provides insights into the potential that coagulation and coalescence has for removing inhibitory components commonly found in MWFs. Coagulation and coalescence is shown to effectively remove biocides with low aqueous solubility (iodopropynyl butylcarbamate) and those that partition themselves into the oil phase (o-phenyl phenate and its sodium salt). Finally, to improve the resistance of reactors to inhibitory compounds, factors influencing the development of fixed-film reactors are investigated. A micro-cosmic system is used to study the both physico-chemical effects and nutritional factors on the development of biofilm reactors. It is shown that biofilm yields can be controlled through pH adjustment, and that these yields are maximized with phosphate stimulation and ammonium limitation. It is then shown that fixed-film reactors are able to treat metalworking fluids even under conditions deemed to be inhibitory. In summary, this project provides insights into further understanding and enhancing the biological treatment of MWFs.

No description available.

No description available.

Produced water (PW) is an oil and gas extraction byproduct that contains a variety of contaminants. PW was traditionally disposed of in deep injection wells or released into the environment. However, these practices may have environmental consequences. The reuse of PW for power water injection (PWI) can help to reduce these impacts by providing a renewable source of water that can be used to maintain production pressure and increase oil recovery. Additionally, the reuse of PW can save oil companies money on water treatment, transporting and disposal costs. Ultrafiltration membranes are used to separate oil from water in produced water. However, ultrafiltration membranes are susceptible to severe fouling by oil molecules, which can reduce their performance. This research investigated the use of Pebax® coating to improve the performance of ultrafiltration membranes for oily-water mixture. The results showed that Pebax® coating can enhance the resistance of membranes to fouling to fouling. The optimal balance between fouling resistance and water flux was found to be achieved by applying very thin coating layers and using appropriate solvents (e.g., n-Butanol). The Pebax® coating creates an essentially defect-free layer on the membrane surface, as seen by the SEM images. Additionally, the coated membranes outperformed the untreated membranes in terms of fouling resistance. This result demonstrated that oil molecules showed less adhesion on the surface and penetration inside membrane pores, thus reducing fouling. Overall, the findings of this research point to PEBAX® coating as a potential means of enhancing the ability of ultrafiltration membranes to resist fouling in the process of separating oil from water. To analyze the long-term performance of coated membranes and to optimize the coating procedure, additional research is required.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.