CO2 and temperature effects on the asphaltene phase envelope as determined by a quartz crystal resonator

Knowledge of the asphaltene phase envelope (APE) is crucial for oil companies, especially when enhanced oil recovery is applied. An innovative quartz crystal resonator (QCR) technique was employed to assess the phase behavior of asphaltene under reservoir conditions. The effect of CO2 injection coupled to temperature changes on the APE of a recombined oil with a very low asphaltene content (0.235% w/w of C7 asphaltene in dead oil) are reported. It has been shown that QCR is an appropriate and highly sensitive nondestructive experimental technique for detecting asphaltene flocculation. Pressure onsets were found to be dependent on the depressurization rate.Knowledge of the asphaltene phase envelope (APE) is crucial for oil companies, especially when enhanced oil recovery is applied. An innovative quartz crystal resonator (QCR) technique was employed to assess the phase behavior of asphaltene under reservoir281167806787sem informaçãosem informação(2012), http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/key_world_energy_stats-1.pdf, International Energy Agency. 2011 Key World Energy Statistics. (accessed Aug 27)Speight, J.G., (1999) The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, pp. 215-241. , 3 rd ed. CRC Press: New YorkFan, T., Buckley, J.S., Rapid and Accurate SARA Analysis of Medium Gravity Crude Oils (2002) Energy Fuels, 16, pp. 1571-1575Andersen, S.I., Speight, J.G., Petroleum resins separation, character, and role in petroleum (2001) Pet. Sci. Technol., 19, pp. 1-34Durand, E., Clemancey, M., Lancelin, J.-M., Verstraete, J., Espinat, D., Quoineaud, A.-A., Effect of Chemical Composition on Asphaltenes Aggregation (2010) Energy Fuels, 24, pp. 1051-1062Hammami, A., Phelps, C.H., Monger-Mcclure, T., Little, T.M., Asphaltene Precipitation from Live Oils: An Experimental Investigation of Onset Conditions and Reversibility (2000) Energy Fuels, 14, pp. 14-18Guo, B., Song, S., Chacko, J., Ghalambor, A., Flow Assurance (2005) Offshore Pipelines, pp. 169-214. , Gulf Professional Publishing: Burlington, VT, Chapter 15Zekri, A.Y., Almehaideb, R.A., A Novel Technique to Treat Asphaltene Deposition in Carbonate Rocks (2001) Soc. Pet. Eng. J.Joshi, N.B., Mullins, O.C., Jamaluddin, A., Creek, J., McFadden, J., Asphaltene Precipitation from Live Crude Oil (2001) Energy Fuels, 15, pp. 979-986Vargas, F.M., Gonzalez, D.L., Hirasaki, G.J., Chapman, W.G., Modeling Asphaltene Phase Behavior in Crude Oil Systems Using the Perturbed Chain Form of the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) Equation of State (2009) Energy Fuels, 23, pp. 1140-1146Gonzalez, D.L., Vargas, F.M., Hirasaki, G.J., Chapman, W.G., Modeling of CO2-induced asphaltene precipitation (2008) Energy Fuels, 22, pp. 757-762Deo, M., Parra, M., Characterization of Carbon-Dioxide-Induced Asphaltene Precipitation (2012) Energy Fuels, 26, pp. 2672-2679Sarma, H.K., Can We Ignore Asphaltene in a Gas Injection Project for Light-Oils? (2003) Soc. Pet. Eng. J.Daridon, J.L., Cassiěde, M., Nasri, D., Pauly, J., Carrier, H., Probing Asphaltene Flocculation by a Quartz Crystal Resonator (2013) Energy Fuels, 27, pp. 4639-4647Abudu, A., Goual, L., Adsorption of Crude Oil on Surfaces Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) under Flow Conditions (2009) Energy Fuels, 23, pp. 1237-1248Farooq, U., Sjöblom, J., Øye, G., Desorption of Asphaltenes from Silica-Coated Quartz Crystal Surfaces in Low Saline Aqueous Solutions (2011) J. Dispersion Sci. Technol., 32, pp. 1388-1395Tavakkoli, M., Panuganti, S.R., Vargas, F.M., Taghikhani, V., Pishvaie, M.R., Chapman, W.G., Asphaltene Deposition in Different Depositing Environments: Part 1. Model Oil (2014) Energy Fuels, 28, pp. 1617-1628Daridon, J.L., Cassiěde, M., Paillol, J.H., Pauly, J., Viscosity Measurements of Liquids under Pressure by Using the Quartz Crystal Resonators (2011) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 82, p. 095114Verdier, S., Carrier, H., Andersen, S.I., Daridon, J.L., Study of Pressure and Temperature Effects on Asphaltene Stability in Presence of CO2 (2006) Energy Fuels, 20, pp. 1584-1590Castillo, J., Canelon, C., Acevedo, S., Carrier, H., Daridon, J.L., Optical Fiber Extrinsic Refractometer to Measure RI of Samples in a High Pressure and Temperature Systems: Application to Wax and Asphaltene Precipitation Measurements (2006) Fuel, 85, pp. 2220-2228Zahabi, A., Gray, M.R., Dabros, T., Kinetics and Properties of Asphaltene Adsorption on Surfaces (2012) Energy Fuels, 26, pp. 1009-1018(2012), http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry, NIST Chemistry WebBook. (accessed Aug 27)Kanazawa, K.K., Gordon, J.G., Frequency of a Quartz Microbalance in Contact with Liquid (1985) Anal. Chem., 57, pp. 1770-1771Muramatsu, H., Tamiya, E., Karube, I., Computation of Equivalent Circuit Parameters of Quartz Crystals in Contact with Liquids and Study of Liquid Properties (1988) Anal. Chem., 60, pp. 2142-2146Cassiěde, M., Daridon, J.L., Paillol, J.H., Pauly, J., Impedance analysis for characterizing the influence of hydrostatic pressure on piezoelectric quartz crystal sensors (2010) J. Appl. Phys., 108, p. 034505Cassiěde, M., Daridon, J.L., Paillol, J.H., Pauly, J., Electrical behavior of a quartz crystal resonator immersed in a pressurized fluid (gas or liquid) (2011) J. Appl. Phys., 109, p. 074501Freeman, P.I., Rowlinson, J.S., Lower critical points in polymer solutions (1960) Polymer, 1, pp. 20-26Hoepfner, M.P., Limsakoune, V., Chuenmeechao, V., Maqbool, T., Fogler, H.S., A Fundamental Study of Asphaltene Deposition (2013) Energy Fuels, 27, pp. 725-735Hoepfner, M.P., Favero, C.V.B., Haji-Akbari, N., Fogler, H.S., The Fractal Aggregation of Asphaltenes (2013) Langmuir, 29, pp. 8799-8808Maqbool, T., Balgoa, A.T., Fogler, H.S., Revisiting Asphaltene Precipitation from Crude Oils: A Case of Neglected Kinetic Effects (2009) Energy Fuels, 23, pp. 3681-3686Kashchiev, D., Firoozabadi, A., Induction time in crystallization of gas hydrates (2003) J. Cryst. Growth, 250, pp. 499-515The authors acknowledge PETROBRAS for providing samples of dead oil

High pressure solubility data of carbon dioxide in (tri-iso-butyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate + water) systems

Ionic liquids are attracting great attention nowadays due to their interesting properties which make them useful in a broad range of applications including reaction media or separation/capture of environmentally hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide. In many cases, for practical and/or economical reasons, the use of aqueous solutions of ILs would be preferable to their use as pure compounds. In this work, high pressure equilibrium data for the {carbon dioxide (CO2) + tri-iso-butyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate [iBu3MeP][TOS] + water system were measured at temperatures ranging from (276 to 370) K and pressures up to 100 MPa. Measurements were performed using a high-pressure cell with a sapphire window that allows direct observation of the liquid–vapour transition. Mixtures with different IL concentrations were studied in order to check the influence of the amount of IL on the solubility of CO2 in the aqueous mixture. The results show that the presence of IL enhances the solubility of CO2 in the (IL + water) system revealing a salting-in effect of the IL on the solubility of CO2. The appearance of a three phase region was observed for IL concentrations higher than 4 mol% of IL in water when working at pressures between 4 and 8 MPa and temperatures between (280 and 305) K. In this range, the upper limit of the VLE region observed is shown to increase with the temperature being almost independent of the IL initial concentration in the mixture.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)FEDERCICECO, University of Aveir

New ELISA for B Cell-Activating Factor

Item does not contain fulltextWorkshop Theory and Methodology - 26th ISAGA Conference, 18 juli 1995Valencia, Spain : [S.n.]24 p

Increased Levels of BAFF and APRIL Related to Human Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Despite great efforts to improve diagnosis and treatment, tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Lack of concrete immune markers is still the obstacle to properly evaluate active TB. Therefore, identification of more validated biomarkers and phenotypic signatures is imperative. In particular, T cell-related biomarkers are more significant. METHODOLOGY: To understand the nature of CD4(+) T cell-derived signatures involved in infection and disease development, we examined and analyzed whole genome expression profiles of purified CD4(+) T cells from healthy individuals (HD), two distinct populations with latent infection (with low or high IFN-γ levels, LTB(L)/LTB(H)) and untreated TB patients. Following, we validated the expression profiles of genes in the peripheral CD4(+) T cells from each group and examined secretion levels of distinct cytokines in serum and pleural effusion. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our bio-informatic analyses indicate that the two latent populations and clinical TB patients possess distinct CD4(+) T cell gene expression profiles. Furthermore, The mRNA and protein expression levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF), which belongs to the TNF family, and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) were markedly up-regulated at the disease stage. In particular, the dramatic enhancement of BAFF and APRIL in the pleural effusion of patients with tuberculosis pleurisy suggests that these proteins may present disease status. In addition, we found that the BAFF/APRIL system was closely related to the Th1 immune response. Our study delineates previously unreported roles of BAFF and APRIL in the development of tuberculosis, and these findings have implications for the diagnosis of the disease. Our study also identifies a number of transcriptional signatures in CD4(+) T cells that have the potential to be utilized as diagnostic and prognostic tools to combat the tuberculosis epidemic

Epithelial-immune cell interplay in primary Sjogren syndrome salivary gland pathogenesis

In primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS), the function of the salivary glands is often considerably reduced. Multiple innate immune pathways are likely dysregulated in the salivary gland epithelium in pSS, including the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway, the inflammasome and interferon signalling. The ductal cells of the salivary gland in pSS are characteristically surrounded by a CD4(+) T cell-rich and B cell-rich infiltrate, implying a degree of communication between epithelial cells and immune cells. B cell infiltrates within the ducts can initiate the development of lymphoepithelial lesions, including basal ductal cell hyperplasia. Vice versa, the epithelium provides chronic activation signals to the glandular B cell fraction. This continuous stimulation might ultimately drive the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. This Review discusses changes in the cells of the salivary gland epithelium in pSS (including acinar, ductal and progenitor cells), and the proposed interplay of these cells with environmental stimuli and the immune system. Current therapeutic options are insufficient to address both lymphocytic infiltration and salivary gland dysfunction. Successful rescue of salivary gland function in pSS will probably demand a multimodal therapeutic approach and an appreciation of the complicity of the salivary gland epithelium in the development of pSS. Salivary gland dysfunction is an important characteristic of primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS). In this Review, the authors discuss various epithelial abnormalities in pSS and the mechanisms by which epithelial cell-immune cell interactions contribute to disease development and progression

Modeling of strain rates and temperature effects on the yield behavior of amorphous polymers

Three molecular theories are used to predict the yield behavior of amorphous polymers for a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. These include the state transition theory of Ree-Eyring, the conformational change theory of Robertson and the disclinations theory of Argon. For each of these models, the yield stress behavior of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is described over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures. According to experimental values for polycarbonate (PC), the Ree-Eyring model seems to be the suitable theory at high strain rates for the prediction of the yield stress of amorphous polymers