Preparation, investigation and characterization of microemulsion used in cleaning waste liquid and drilling cuttings

ABSTRACT

In order to cleaning the drilling cutting and treating the waste liquid which were produced in oil and gas field, several kinds of microemulsion with potential applications in the cleaning system for waste liquid were prepared by using diesel oil, water, n-hexyl alcohol, and mixture surfactant. The stability and formation mechanism of optimal microemulsion were characterized by using dynamic light scattering and fluorescence probe technique. Furthermore, the effects of salinity, temperature and pH on the properties of microemulsion were investigated by setting different gradients. The cleaning efficiency was evaluated by contact angle experiment. It can be proposed that the microemulsion is suitable for cleaning the waste liquid.

KEYWORDS:

• Microemulsion
• oilfield waste
• surfactant
• pseudoternary phase diagram
• fluorescent