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Updated: Aug 19, 2025
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In Situ Visualization of the Phase Behavior of Oil Samples Under Refinery Process Conditions
Published on: February 21, 2017
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Species Distribution in Bicontinuous Phase Systems for Enhanced Oil Recovery Probed by Single-Sided NMR
Manuel I Velasco1,2, Agustín Iborra3,4, Juan M Giussi4
1Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CórdobaX5000HUA, Argentina.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|December 1, 2022
Summary
Single-sided NMR precisely measures dimensions and species distribution in complex Winsor III systems. This fast method aids applications like enhanced oil recovery by revealing how salinity affects phase composition.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Multiphase aqueous-organic systems, known as Winsor III systems, are complex multicomponent mixtures.
- These systems are crucial in various industrial applications, including enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
- Understanding species distribution and phase behavior is key to optimizing these systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel application of benchtop low-field single-sided Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) for analyzing Winsor III systems.
- To determine species distribution and phase dimensions at both macroscopic and microscopic levels.
- To investigate the influence of aqueous phase salinity on species distribution within the bicontinuous phase.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing benchtop low-field single-sided NMR spectroscopy.
- Performing spatially resolved NMR relaxation and diffusion experiments.
- Analyzing polymer-based bicontinuous systems with varying salinity.
Main Results:
- Single-sided NMR can resolve phase dimensions with micrometric precision, indicating bicontinuous phase stability.
- Species distribution within the Winsor III system was successfully determined.
- Increased aqueous phase salinity led to a decrease in organic components within the bicontinuous phase.
- Additives and polymers were predominantly found in the bicontinuous phase.
Conclusions:
- Benchtop low-field single-sided NMR is a rapid and effective tool for characterizing complex multiphase systems.
- The methodology provides critical insights into phase stability and species distribution, relevant for EOR and other emulsion/microemulsion applications.
- Salinity is a significant factor influencing the composition of the bicontinuous phase, impacting overall system behavior and recovery efficiency.
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