Surface separation

Gas is produced to surface separators which are used to extract the heavier ends of the mixture (typically the components). The dry gas is then compressed and reinjected into the reservoir to maintain the pressure above the dew point. As the recycling progresses the reservoir composition becomes leaner (less heavy components), until eventually it is not economic to separate and compress the dry gas, at which point the reservoir pressure is blown down as for a wet gas reservoir. The sales profile for a recycling scheme consists of early sales of condensate liquids and delayed sale of gas. An alternative method of keeping the reservoir above the dew point but avoiding the deferred gas sales is by water injection. 

Surface sampling involves taking samples of the two phases (gas and liquid) flowing through the surface separators, and recombining the two fluids in an appropriate ratio such that the recombined sample is representative of the reservoir fluid. 

Sand production from loosely consolidated formations may lead to erosion of tubulars and valves and sand-fill in of both the sump of the A/ell and surface separators. In addition, sand may bridge off in the tubing, severely restricting flow. The presence of sand production may be monitored by in-line detectors. If the quantities of sand produced become unacceptable then downhole sand exclusion should be considered (Section 9.7). 

The repulsion between two double layers is important in determining the stability of colloidal particles against coagulation and in setting the thickness of a soap film (see Section VI-5B). The situation for two planar surfaces, separated by a distance 2d, is illustrated in Fig. V-4, where two versus x curves are shown along with the actual potential. 

In the preceding derivation, the repulsion between overlapping double layers has been described by an increase in the osmotic pressure between the two planes. A closely related but more general concept of the disjoining pressure was introduced by Deijaguin [30]. This is defined as the difference between the thermodynamic equilibrium state pressure applied to surfaces separated by a film and the pressure in the bulk phase with which the film is equilibrated (see section VI-5). 

Fig. VI-4. Illustration of the surface force apparatus with the crossed-cylinder geometry shown as an inset. The surface separations are determined from the interference fringes from white light travelling vertically through the apparatus. At each separation, the force is determined from the deflection in the force measuring spring. For solution studies, the entire chamber is filled with liquid. (From Ref. 29.)...

Other SFA studies complicate the picture. Chan and Horn [107] and Horn and Israelachvili [108] could explain anomalous viscosities in thin layers if the first layer or two of molecules were immobile and the remaining intervening liquid were of normal viscosity. Other inteipretations are possible and the hydrodynamics not clear, since as Granick points out [109] the measurements average over a wide range of surface separations, thus confusing the definition of a layer thickness. McKenna and co-workers [110] point out that compliance effects can introduce serious corrections in constrained geometry systems. 

The well defined contact geometry and the ionic structure of the mica surface favours observation of structural and solvation forces. Besides a monotonic entropic repulsion one may observe superimposed periodic force modulations. It is commonly believed that these modulations are due to a metastable layering at surface separations below some 3-10 molecular diameters. These diflftise layers are very difficult to observe with other teclmiques [92]. The periodicity of these oscillatory forces is regularly found to correspond to the characteristic molecular diameter. Figure Bl.20.7 shows a typical measurement of solvation forces in the case of ethanol between mica. 

The first case is relevant in the discussion of colloid stability of section C2.6.5. It uses the potential around a single sphere in the case of a double layer that is thin compared to the particle, Ka 1. Furthennore, it is assumed that the surface separation is fairly large, such that exp(-K/f) 1, so the potential between two spheres can be calculated from the sum of single-sphere potentials. Under these conditions, is approximated by [42] ... 

Let S o be a surface located at mid-channel between two smooth surfaces separated by a narrow gap. The curvilinear coordinate system, corresponding to this... 

Although the above description has concentrated on separation from a smooth surface, separation also occurs at sharp edges. Where separation is undesirable for a process reason, it can often be eliminated by redirecting the flow using turning vanes, ie, forcing it to hug the surface. 

Fig. 1. Potential energies of interaction between two coUoidal particles as a function of their surface-surface separation, for electrical double layers due...

Flocculation a relatively reversible aggregation often associated with the secondary minimum of a potential energy diagram. Particles are held together loosely with considerable surface separations. 

Increasing the relative humidity of the air to 45 to 60% can significantly reduce charging where rates of surface separation are relatively small and... 

In lagoons where there is liquid on the surface and a highly viscous fluid below the liquid surface, separating the water from the waste and sludge may be appropriate. The expienses for incineration of the removed sludge could be greatly reduced by removal of the water. 

An important contribution for the endo selectivity in the carho-Diels-Alder reaction is the second-order orbital interaction [1], However, no bonds are formed in the product for this interaction. For the BF3-catalyzed reaction of acrolein with butadiene the overlap population between Cl and C6 is only 0.018 in the NC-transi-tion state [6], which is substantially smaller than the interaction between C3 and O (0.031). It is also notable that the C3-0 bond distance, 2.588 A, is significant shorter than the C1-C6 bond length (2.96 A), of which the latter is the one formed experimentally. The NC-transition-state structure can also lead to formation of vinyldihydropyran, i.e. a hetero-Diels-Alder reaction has proceeded. The potential energy surface at the NC-transition-state structure is extremely flat and structure NCA (Fig. 8.6) lies on the surface-separating reactants from product [6]. 

The charged species were in all cases found to concentrate at the surface of the liquid under vacuum conditions. Little surface separation of the anions and cations was observed. For the [PFg] and [BFJ ions, the cation ring was found to prefer a perpendicular orientation to the surface, with the nitrogen atoms closest to the surface. An increase in the alkyl chain length caused the cation to rotate so that the alkyl chain moved into the bulk liquid, away from the surface, forcing the methyl group closer to the surface. For halide ionic liquids, the data were less clear and the cation could be fitted to a number of orientations. 

Sparrow, E.M. Radiant Interchange between Surfaces Separated by Non-absorbing and Non-emitting Media in Rosenhow. W.M. and Hartnett, J.P., eds Handbook of Heat Transfer (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973)... 

When the temperature has been increased to 374°C (point C), the vapor pressure has reached 218 atm—the container must be very strong The density of the vapor is now so great that it is equal to that of the remaining liquid. At this stage, the surface separating the liquid from its vapor vanishes and a single uniform... 

The sediment surface separates a mixture of solid sediment and interstitial water from the overlying water. Growth of the sediment results from accumulation of solid particles and inclusion of water in the pore space between the particles. The rates of sediment deposition vary from a few millimeters per 1000 years in the pelagic ocean up to centimeters per year in lakes and coastal areas. The resulting flux density of solid particles to the sediment surface is normally in the range 0.006 to 6 kg/m per year (Lerman, 1979). The corresponding flux density of materials dissolved in the trapped water is 10 to 10 kg/m per year. Chemical species may also be transported across the sediment surface by other transport processes. The main processes are (Lerman, 1979) ... 

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