Start
Mar 20, 2019 - 16:00
End
Mar 20, 2019 - 17:00
Venue
Room No. 240, first floor, next to Chem. Engg. deptl. office
Event Type
Speaker
Prof. Gerald G Fuller, Stanford University
Title
Spontaneous Emulsification of Oil/Water Interfaces in the Presence of Asphaltenes
Abstract: Complex molecules from crude oil, such as asphaltenes, may cause several difficulties in oil recovery and oil spills because they can adsorb onto oil/water interfaces where they create a viscoelastic network. This causes not only a stabilization of the oil/water emulsion, but has also been observed to cause the spontaneous formation of micron-sized droplets near the oil/water interface. In this presentation, we investigate the spontaneous emulsification phenomenon in the presence of asphaltenes and probe parameters that may affect this phenomenon by observing isolated drops of water immersed in asphaltene/hydrocarbon solutions within a co-flow microfluidic device. The results indicate that the initial internal pressure of the drop strongly influences the rate at which the drop will shrink due to spontaneous emulsification. However, the viscoelastic skin formation by the asphaltenes inhibits increases in this pressure that normally accompanies a decrease in drop radius. An understanding of this phenomenon has strong implications in the oil industry, as it may affect problems ranging from oil refining to oil spill cleanups.Bio: Professor Gerald G. Fuller is the Fletcher Jones II Professor in the School of Engineering of Stanford University. He works in the area of complex fluids (polymers, suspensions, emulsions, biological fluids). The research in their laboratory has resulted in a number of techniques in optical rheometry such as high-speed polarimetry (birefringence and dichroism) and various microscopy methods (fluorescence, phase contrast, and atomic force microscopy). Professor Fuller’s teaching and research has been recognised through several awards and distinctions. The teaching awards include Cox Medal for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research at Stanford University and Pearson Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at UCSB. He was awarded the Bingham Medal Award by The Society of Rheology (1997) and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005.