A model of wax deposition under oil-gas two-phase stratified flow in horizontal pipe

A model of wax deposition based on molecular diffusion mechanism, for oil-gas two-phase stratified pipe flow is developed. In the model, unidirectional fully developed flow analyses of momentum, heat and mass transfer are presented. And, a cube cage model is used to describe the wax deposit structure considering the effect of oil flow shear on the deposit. Calculation of wax deposit is compared well with a flow loop experiment. In particular, the model could give the wax deposit forming a crescent shape at the cross section of pipe, which is observed in different experiments. Furthermore, the cause of forming a crescent shape is revealed, which is indicated by the non-uniform circumferential distribution of mass flux for wax deposition along the pipe wall wetted by the oil. The mass flux from oil bulk flow to the oil-deposit interface is closely related to three parameters, diffusivity at oil-deposit interface, the temperature gradient at the oil-deposit interface at different time, and the slope of the wax solubility curve at oil-deposit interface temperature

A model of wax deposition under oil-gas two-phase stratified flow in horizontal pipe

A model of wax deposition based on molecular diffusion mechanism, for oil-gas two-phase stratified pipe flow is developed. In the model, unidirectional fully developed flow analyses of momentum, heat and mass transfer are presented. And, a cube cage model is used to describe the wax deposit structure considering the effect of oil flow shear on the deposit. Calculation of wax deposit is compared well with a flow loop experiment. In particular, the model could give the wax deposit forming a crescent shape at the cross section of pipe, which is observed in different experiments. Furthermore, the cause of forming a crescent shape is revealed, which is indicated by the non-uniform circumferential distribution of mass flux for wax deposition along the pipe wall wetted by the oil. The mass flux from oil bulk flow to the oil-deposit interface is closely related to three parameters, diffusivity at oil-deposit interface, the temperature gradient at the oil-deposit interface at different time, and the slope of the wax solubility curve at oil-deposit interface temperature

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of PAHs at a Fe₃O₄@GO@Ag@PDA Composite Substrates

A method for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensing of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is reported. Fe3O4@PDA@Ag@GO is developed as the SERS substrate prepared by classical electrostatic attraction method based on the enrichment of organic compounds by graphene oxide (GO) and polydopamine (PDA) and the good separation and enrichment function of Fe3O4. The morphology and structure of the SERS substrate were represented by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the UV–visible absorption spectrum (UV–vis spectra). The effect of different temperatures on SERS during synthesis was investigated, and it was found that the best effect was achieved when the synthesis temperature was 90 °C. The effect of each component of Fe3O4@PDA@Ag@GO nanocomposites on SERS was explored, and it was found that Ag NPs are of great significance to enhance the Raman signal based on the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism; apart from enriching the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through π–π interaction, GO also generates strong chemical enhancement to the Raman signal, and PDA can prevent Ag from shedding and agglomeration. The existence of Fe3O4 is favored for the fast separation of substrate from the solutions, which greatly simplifies the detection procedure and facilitates the cycle use of the substrate. The experimental procedure is simplified, and the substrate is reused easily. Three kinds of PAHs (phenanthrene, pyrene and benzanthene) are employed as probe molecules to verify the performance of the composite SERS substrate. The results show that the limit of detection (LOD) of phenanthrene pyrene and benzanthene detected by Fe3O4@PDA@Ag@GO composite substrate are 10−8 g/L (5.6 × 10−11 mol/L), 10−7 g/L (4.9 × 10−10 mol/L) and 10−7 g/L (4.4 × 10−10 mol/L), respectively, which is much lower than that of ordinary Raman, and it is promising for its application in the enrichment detection of trace PAHs in the environment

Incorporating Graphene Oxide into Alginate Polymer with a Cationic Intermediate To Strengthen Membrane Dehydration Performance

Two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) in hybrid membranes provides fast water transfer across its surface due to the abundant oxygenated functional groups to afford water sorption and the hydrophobic basal plane to create fast transporting pathways. To establish more compatible and efficient interactions for GO and sodium alginate (SA) polymer chains, cations sourced from lignin are employed to decorate GO (labeled as cation-functionalized GO (CG)) nanosheets via cation−π and π–π interactions, providing more interactive sites to confer synergetic benefits with polymer matrix. Cations from CG are also functional to partially interlock SA chains and intensify water diffusion. And with the aid of two-dimensional pathways of CG, fast selective water permeation can be realized through hybrid membranes with CG fillers. In dehydrating aqueous ethanol solution, the hybrid membrane exhibits considerable performance compared with bare SA polymer membrane (long-term stable permeation flux larger than 2500 g m^–2 h^–1 and water content larger than 99.7 wt %, with feed water content of 10 wt % under 70 °C). The effects of CG content in SA membrane were investigated, and the transport mechanism was correspondingly studied through varying operation conditions and membrane materials. In addition, such a membrane possesses long-term stability and almost unchanged high dehydration capability

A ZIF-71 Hollow Fiber Membrane Fabricated by Contra-Diffusion

As a subclass of metal–organic framework materials, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have exhibited great potential for numerous applications because of their special three-dimensional structure. Up to now, utilizing ZIF membranes for liquid separations is still limited because it is very difficult to select suitable materials and to fabricate integrated membranes. In this work, a modified contra-diffusion method was carried out to prepare ZIF-71 hollow fiber membranes. The metals Zn²⁺ and the organic links imidazole would meet and react on the interface of ceramic hollow fiber through diffusion. The as-prepared ZIF-71 membrane exhibits good performance in separation of ethanol–water mixtures

Excellent Biofouling Alleviation of Thermoexfoliated Vermiculite Blended Poly(ether sulfone) Ultrafiltration Membrane

Flux and antifouling properties of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are yet to attain satisfactory status. The objective of this study is to find a method for mitigating the biofouling of poly­(ether sulfone) (PES) ultrafiltration membranes via blending of thermoexfoliated vermiculite (VMT). Flow cytometry analysis shows that the behaviors of Bacillus subtilis 168 as a Gram-positive bacterium and Escherichia coli DH5 alpha as a Gram-negative bacterium were different. Hence, cell property is a suspected contributory factor in biofilm formation. Accordingly, considering the local predominant bacterial strains, a regionally customized membrane could scientifically be an expert solution for biofouling mitigation. Fabricated composite membranes have shown a higher flux compared to control PES membrane. Among all composite membranes, the PES-VMT0.10 had the highest flux of 476.4 L/(m² h) (LMH) before fouling, and the highest flux of 210.7 LMH after three cycles of usage. In addition, the rejection rate of the PES-VMT0.15 The bovine serum albumin (BSA) sample was >77%, while that of the PES-VMT0.10 was >84%. The results of the static BSA adsorption test and the bacterial attachment test indicated that the membranes with macro-roughness on their surface showed better antibiofouling resistance. The antifouling properties of the modified membranes were also improved, because of their optimal wettability. On one hand, the hydrophilicity of membranes caused damaging both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and bacteriocidal effect. On the other hand, BSA adsorption and bacterial attachment on the membrane surface were affected by pore diameter

Fabrication of polydopamine/rGO Membranes for Effective Radionuclide Removal

In this work, a novel polydopamine/reduced graphene oxide (PDA/rGO) nanofiltration membrane was prepared to efficiently and stably remove radioactive strontium ions under an alkaline environment. Through the incorporation of PDA and thermal reduction treatment, not only has the interlayer spacing of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets been appropriately regulated but also an improved antiswelling property has been achieved. The dosage of GO, reaction time with PDA, mass ratio of PDA to GO, and thermal treatment temperature have been optimized to achieve a high-performance PDA/rGO membrane. The resultant PDA/rGO composite membrane has exhibited excellent long-term stability at pH 11 and maintains a steady strontium rejection of over 90%. Moreover, the separation mechanism of the PDA/rGO membrane has been systematically investigated and determined to be a synergistic effect of charge repulsion and size exclusion. Results have indicated that PDA/rGO could be considered as a promising candidate for the separation of Sr2+ ions from nuclear industry wastewater