Emulsion conductance

The test procedures described above (see Basic Protocols 1 and 2) have recently been simplified by utilizing advanced techniques such as ultrasonic and infrared spectroscopy. The purchase of one of these advanced analytical instruments is recommended for emulsion manufacturers that frequently conduct emulsion stability tests and require automated analysis of a large number of samples. 

Coalescence of Conducting Emulsion Drops in a Turbulent Flow 451... 

By combining the data from all previous (and other) curves, an isoconduc-tivity map is constructed as indicated in Fig. 16 (left). The bold line is the inversion geometrical locus, i.e., the frontier between high (O/W) and low (W/O) conductivity emulsions, which is quite easy to determine according to the shape of the curves. 

If oil and water are mixed as an emulsion, dehydration becomes much more difficult. Emulsions can form as oil-in-water or water-in-oil if mixed production streams are subjected to severe turbulence, as might occur in front of perforations in the borehole. Emulsions can be encouraged to break (or destabilise) using chemicals, heat or just gentle agitation. Chemical destabilisation is the most common method and laboratory tests would normally be conducted to determine the most suitable combination of chemicals. 

An emulsion may be defined as a mixture of particles of one liquid with some second liquid. The two common types of emulsions are oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/0), where the term oil is used to denote the water-insoluble fiuid. These two types are illustrated in Fig. XIV-1, where it is clear that the majority or outer phase is continuous, whereas the minority or inner phase is not. These two emulsion types are distinguished by their ability to disperse oil or water-soluble dyes, their dilution with oil or water, and their conductivity (O/W emulsions have much higher conductivity than do W/0 ones see Ref. 1 for reviews). 

The conductivity of a dilute emulsion can be treated by classic theory (see Maxwell [6]) assuming spherical droplets... 

Suppose that the specific conductivities of an oil and a liquid phase are 2 x 10 and 2 x 10 0 cm , respectively. Calculate and plot versus the specific conductivities of O/W and W/0 emulsions formed from these phases. 

Microemulsion Polymerization. Polyacrylamide microemulsions are low viscosity, non settling, clear, thermodynamically stable water-in-od emulsions with particle sizes less than about 100 nm (98—100). They were developed to try to overcome the inherent settling problems of the larger particle size, conventional inverse emulsion polyacrylamides. To achieve the smaller microemulsion particle size, increased surfactant levels are required, making this system more expensive than inverse emulsions. Acrylamide microemulsions form spontaneously when the correct combinations and types of oils, surfactants, and aqueous monomer solutions are combined. Consequendy, no homogenization is required. Polymerization of acrylamide microemulsions is conducted similarly to conventional acrylamide inverse emulsions. To date, polyacrylamide microemulsions have not been commercialized, although work has continued in an effort to exploit the unique features of this technology (100). 

M ass Process. In the mass (or bulk) (83) ABS process the polymerization is conducted in a monomer medium rather than in water. This process usually consists of a series of two or more continuous reactors. The mbber used in this process is most commonly a solution-polymerized linear polybutadiene (or copolymer containing sytrene), although some mass processes utilize emulsion-polymerized ABS with a high mbber content for the mbber component (84). If a linear mbber is used, a solution of the mbber in the monomers is prepared for feeding to the reactor system. If emulsion ABS is used as the source of mbber, a dispersion of the ABS in the monomers is usually prepared after the water has been removed from the ABS latex. 

Elastomeric Fibers. Elastomeric fibers are polyurethanes combiaed with other nonelastic fibers to produce fabrics with controlled elasticity (see Fibers, elastomeric). Processing chemicals must be carefully selected to protect all fibers present ia the blend. Prior to scouriag, the fabrics are normally steamed to relax uneven tensions placed on the fibers duriag weaving. Scouriag, which is used to remove lubricants and siting, is normally conducted with aqueous solutions of synthetic detergents and tetrasodium pyrophosphate, with aqueous emulsions of perchloroethylene or with mineral spidts and sodium pyrophosphate. 

The aqueous emulsion polymerization can be conducted by a batch, semibatch, or continuous process (Fig. 5). In a simple batch process, all the ingredients are charged to the reactor, the temperature is raised, and the polymerization is mn to completion. In a semibatch process, all ingredients are charged except the monomers. The monomers are then added continuously to maintain a constant pressure. Once the desired soflds level of the latex is reached (typically 20—40% soflds) the monomer stream is halted, excess monomer is recovered and the latex is isolated. In a continuous process (37), feeding of the ingredients and removal of the polymer latex is continuous through a pressure control or rehef valve. 

Between the 1920s when the initial commercial development of mbbery elastomers based on 1,3-dienes began (5—7), and 1955 when transition metal catalysts were fkst used to prepare synthetic polyisoprene, researchers in the U.S. and Europe developed emulsion polybutadiene and styrene—butadiene copolymers as substitutes for natural mbber. However, the tire properties of these polymers were inferior to natural mbber compounds. In seeking to improve the synthetic material properties, research was conducted in many laboratories worldwide, especially in the U.S. under the Rubber Reserve Program. 

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