Oil/Water Emulsions Stabilized by Nanoparticles of Different Wettabilities

Abstract

A state-of-the-art, portable dispersion characterization rig (P-DCR) is used to investigate the effect of nanoparticles (NP) on oil-water emulsion formation and stabilization. Spherical silica NP of different wettabilities were used to investigate their effect on separation kinetics of solid stabilized emulsions in terms of solid particle concentration, wettability, initial dispersion phase, water-cut, and shearing time. The main findings of the study include the following: NP, even at concentrations as low as 0.005% or 0.01% (by weight), can significantly increase separation time of oil/water emulsions from a few minutes to several hours or even days. The P-DCR is recommended as an effective inline tool to measure emulsion stability in the field.