Investigation into the mechanisms of formation and prevention of barium sulphate oilfield scale

The performance of barium sulphate oilfield scale inhibitors (SIs) is affected by a number of factors, including temperature, pH and brine composition. This thesis focuses mainly on the effect of varying brine composition – in particular, Ca2+ and Mg2+ divalent cations on SI inhibition efficiency (IE) and minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) levels. The molar ratio of Ca2+/Mg2+ in field formation waters is known to vary widely and is typically between 1 and 10. Since Ca2+ tends to improve the performance of phosphonate scale inhibitors and Mg2+ “poisons” them, then the effect of Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio is of great practical importance in SI applications. This occurs since Ca2+ has the ability to be incorporated into the growing barium sulphate lattice whereas Mg2+ cannot. The effect of divalent ions on polymeric SIs is rather less and different SIs respond in different ways, as reported in detail here. In this work, the possible mechanisms of scale inhibition are discussed with regard to different generic SI types, e.g. sulphonated polymers, phosphonates, etc. A range of 9 phosphonate and 9 polymeric SIs are tested. The SIs tested are categorised into Type 1 and Type 2 scale inhibitors, with regard to their sensitivity to Ca2+ and Mg2+ cations. Furthermore, they are all sub-categorised into further sub-types – Type A and Type B – depending on their compatibility at higher levels of calcium, [Ca2+] = ~1000–2000ppm. At the end of this work, all SIs are given categorisation codes, e.g. Type 1A, Type 2B etc., depending on this classification. In series of additional experiments, the effect of varying pH on IE/MIC is examined; the degree of SI depletion from solution is monitored during static IE experiments (these are referred to as SI consumption experiments); and ESEM images and EDAX analyses of scale deposits are obtained. The relation between IE and SI chemical molecular structure is also explained. Of the SIs tested, only three are classed as Type 1 because MIC is primarily affected by BaSO4 Saturation Ratio, not molar ratio Ca2+/Mg2+. Conversely, the MIC of all other SIs tested is primarily affected by molar ratio Ca2+/Mg2+; these are classed as Type 2. There are notable differences between the SI consumption profiles ([SI] remaining vs. time) of Type 1 and Type 2 SIs. Generally Type 1 SIs are not consumed significantly and maintain good IE and a high % of SI in solution over long periods, e.g. 96 hours; whereas Type 2 species are consumed rapidly, sometimes to ~ 0% in solution and IE also declines rapidly. There are two exceptions to this general observation – HEDP and HPAA. Non-ICP analytical methods for SI assay, including C18/Hyamine and Pinacyanol techniques can be applied for the assay of non-ICP detectable SIs such as MAT during static IE/consumption experiments. The IE of all SIs depends on their chemical structure. Chemical structures of SI-metal complexes presented in this thesis illustrate that SI molecules containing multiple amino methylene phosphonate functional groups have the greatest tendency to be Type 1 (e.g. OMTHP, DETPMP, and PMPA). This relies upon the inclusion of nitrogen atoms within the main carbon chain of SI molecules

Experiential dimensions in internet marketing : an exploratory investigation

This paper examines the dimensions of an experience in product marketing conceptualised by Pine II and Gilmore (1998) &ndash; customer participation and customer connection &ndash; by extending the study of the dimensions to the online context. In online marketing, the business aim is to hold attention, have visitors more deeply penetrate a Website, purchase, and return to the site, among other objectives. The paper analyses and synthesises findings from a three-part study of Internet use, the WebQUAL Audit, and presents the proposition that the dimensions suggested by Pine II and Gilmore as attractors to many experiential offerings in the physical world, may not be applicable in the online environment populated by commercial Websites. The paper also suggests a future research agenda to reconcile the requirements of users and the perspective of Web designers and other contributors to commercial Websites as discussed in the literature review presented.<br /

The contextual nature of the market orientation and organisational performance relationship: an Australian and New Zealand study

As part of a broader study of the relationship between traditional and online marketing mix elements and organisational performance, the study reported in this paper utilised structural equation modelling to examine the relationship between market orientation and organisational performance. The study found that there was an insignificant relationship between market orientation and organisational performance, thereby lending support to studies conducted in the UK, Ghana, and the US (since the studies in the US by Narver and Slater (1990)), which found that there may be a contextual nature to the relationship between the two constructs. The study, therefore, does not support Pulendran et al. (2000).<br /

Small business perceptions of postal and online survey research

Concerns over the overall cost of marketing research and the cost per usable response have in large measure caused marketing practitioners to turn to online marketing research techniques, either as a solus technique, or in a mixed mode application. However, the use of e-mail and mixed mode surveys such as postal invitations to complete online questionnaires present both familiar and new issues, as the extant literature illustrates. This paper examines an earlier study before reporting findings from the present study, which employs a method that ascertains the probability of commissioning four survey research methods, described in scenarios and delivered using e-mail and the World Wide Web (Web). It is evident that while perceptions of e-mail, the Internet, and privacy have changed since early use of the Internet and more particularly the World Wide Web, and there is acknowledgement in the literature concerning the lower costs and faster response speeds of online marketing research, small businesses do appear to discriminate in favour of targeted online survey methods over postal surveys, portrayed as scenarios in this study, but that this perception does not apply to all hybrid survey modes.<br /

Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles: a social marketing approach. Final Summary Report

Commissioned by Defra

Lessons from the 2012 Election Administration and Voting Survey

Since our country’s inception, collecting appropriate data on elections and the administration of elections has been somewhat problematic, due to the fact that multiple levels of government are involved in running elections in the U.S. and because of difficulties in obtaining comparable information from the different states and localities. Beginning with the 2004 elections, the Election Assistance Commission has conducted national surveys of election administrators in an effort to facilitate a better understanding of how U.S. elections are run. We rely on these data for the 2012 and 2008 elections to offer some baseline assessments of how (rather than for whom) Americans voted in the most recent presidential elections, as well as how the way in which Americans vote might be changing.The Democracy Fun

Sustainable lifestyles: sites, practices and policy

Author's draft. Final version published in Environment and Planning A. Available online at http://www.envplan.com/A.htmlPro-environmental behaviour change remains a high priority for many governments and agencies and there are now numerous programmes aimed at encouraging citizens to adopt sustainable forms of living. However, although programmes for addressing behaviour change in and around the home are well developed, there has been significantly less attention paid to activities beyond this site of practice. This is despite the environmental implications of consumption choices for leisure, tourism and work-related activities. Notwithstanding the extensive literatures which have explored environmental practices at a wide range of specific sites, there has been little research on the relationships between sites of practice and environmental behaviours. Using data from a series of in-depth interviews, this paper identifies two major challenges for academics and practitioners concerned with understanding and promoting more environmentally-responsible behaviour. First, attention must shift beyond the home as a site of environmental practice to consider the ways in which individuals respond to exhortations towards ‘greener’ lifestyles in other high-consumption and carbon-intensive contexts, particularly leisure and tourism. Second, in broadening the scope of environmental practice, policy makers need to re-visit their reliance on segmentation models and related social marketing approaches. This is in the light of data that suggest those with strong environmental commitments in the home are often reluctant to engage in similar commitments in other sites of practice

‘Helping People Make Better Choices’: exploring the behaviour change agenda for environmental sustainability

This paper examines the emergence of market-orientated approaches to public participation in environmental issues through an exploration of recent empirical research into ‘sustainable lifestyles’ as a practical tool for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour. Using the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, current social marketing policies seek to encourage behaviour change amongst citizens by identifying population segments with similar commitments to environmental practices as the basis for behaviour change initiatives. However, the use of static ‘lifestyle groups’ implies that that citizens replicate sustainable practices across different consumption contexts and this paper explores this line of argument through the use of data collected as part of a recent UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funded research project on sustainable lifestyles and climate change. Through a series of focus group discussions, participants explored notions of sustainable practices using the home and leisure contexts as framing devices to explore issues of environmental responsibility and climate change. The emphasis placed on practices and context reveal that the comfortable notions of environmental responsibility and sustainable consumption in the home are often in conflict with the discourses of consumption reduction associated with climate change in leisure and tourism contexts. In many cases, these ‘paradoxes’ are explicitly referred to, reflected-upon and discussed by participants who demonstrate that notions of sustainable practice are mediated by practice and spaces of consumption. Accordingly, the paper argues that in conceptualising market-based approaches to behaviour change around the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, researchers and policy makers need to address the role of context and recognise the importance of consumption spaces and the conflicts that may arise between these

Developing and testing a model of knowledge utilisation through marketing research

Little research has examined the return on marketing research, be that financial or knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, there has been insufficient research into the factors affecting the conduct of marketing research. This paper investigates and reports on a conceptual model proposed by Yaman (2000), which explores knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and utilisation through marketing research. The study specifically explores and attempts to replicate the model&rsquo;s conceptual structure. The data were collected electronically via emails and an HTML web-form questionnaire, with a sample of 182 being obtained. Using structural equation modelling, the results obtained indicated an adequate fit for a modified Yaman model to the data from this particular sample.<br /