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PETROMAKS-Maksimal utnyttelse av petroleumsreserver

An Integrated Approach to Interfacial / Surface Processes in Crude Oil Systems

Awarded: NOK 9.2 mill.

Processes at interfaces and surfaces are very central and important for the whole petroleum industrial value chain from recovery to refining. We need to update and modernize our knowledge about how different surface assemblies influence the wettability in the reservoar (for improved recovery), how film properties and interfacial compositions of emulsions influence the separation efficiency and corresponding oil/water quality, how different surface geometries of corrosion inhibitors at steel surfaces preve nt corrosion, how certain heavy crude oil component facilitate a natural transport of gas hydrate etc. All these phenomena are related to a basic understanding and characterization of surface assemblies in gas/oil/water systems. However, per today the cha racterization is rather indirect and primitive and need a substantial scientific lift in order to push the technological frontiers. The Ugelstad Laboratory has during the past four years invested heavily in advanced and modern instrumentation for chara cterization of molecules and molecular assemblies in bulk (oil or water) and on solid surfaces. The purpose of this proposal is to bring forward and modernize the characterization of surface conditions and surface concentrations within the whole oil and g as industry. We will underline and present the use of instrumentation, novel to this field, such as QCM, AFM, Langmuir-Blodgett + BAM, Raman spectrometry, spectrofluorimeter and SANS as essential for further use in the whole petroleum value chain.

Funding scheme:

PETROMAKS-Maksimal utnyttelse av petroleumsreserver