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Part I: Design and Synthesis of Organic Materials for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Part II: Qualitative and Semi-Quantitative Study of the Behavior of Surfactant on Crude Oil Recovery Processes

Pinnawala Arachchilage, Gayani Wasana Premathilake
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1275350867

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Chemistry.
The design and synthesis of new π-conjugated organic materials are currently at the forefront of research in order to realize stable and efficient organic electronic devices. Linear hydrocarbons and carbazole based materials are examples of π-conjugated organic systems widely studied for electronic applications. Structural modifications increase the stability, improve the solubility, and improve the thin film packing and mobility compared to the parent substances. The electronic, physical, and photophysical properties of carbazole based materials in particular, can be easily modified by changing the substitution pattern on the main carbon skeleton. Carbazole containing compound 1 shows an absorption maxima at 425 nm in dichloromethane and it is weakly soluble in other common organic solvents. This compound shows very weak emission. An alcohol dimerization process known as the Guerbet reaction is used to create large alcohol structures for the production of the corresponding alkoxy sulfate surfactants. In the alcohol industry, Guerbet (dimer) alcohols are considered the “gold” standard for large, branched alcohols. These Guerbet alcohols tend to be more expensive than other alcohols when produced in high purity for various industrial applications. The high cost is mainly due to driving the reaction to completion and/or removing the unreacted monomer alcohol to produce high purity product. However, inexpensive Guerbet alcohols (GA) can be prepared by aiming for less than quantitative conversion during the alcohol dimerization process. The resultant blend of 85-95% GA and 5-15% monomer alcohol is subsequently used in the alkoxylation process to add propylene oxide and/or ethylene oxide, followed by sulfation. Obtaining both ultra-low interfacial tension and low microemulsion viscosity when the equivalent alkane carbon number of the crude oil is high requires surfactants with very large hydrophobes and branched structures. Through the use of this new Guerbet process, these surfactants can be manufactured at low cost when made as sulfates as opposed to sulfonates. For example, a C32 GA can be produced from a C16 alcohol. This is a breakthrough in lowering the cost of surfactant flooding in high-temperature, high-salinity oil reservoirs because such surfactants are very salinity and temperature tolerant and cost much less than alkoxy sulfonates. Numerous microemulsion phase behavior and core flooding experiments at high temperatures carried out using the Guerbet alkoxy sulfates with appropriate co-surfactants show ultra-low interfacial tension, low microemulsion viscosity and high oil recoveries for target reservoir crude oil. This breakthrough in surfactant technology will both greatly increase the number of oil reservoirs where chemical EOR (surfactant-polymer, alkaline-surfactant-polymer and wettability alteration processes) is applicable and greatly improve its performance and robustness.
Dr. Thomas Kinstle, PhD (Advisor)
Dr. Upali Weerasooriya, PhD (Advisor)
Dr. John Cable, PhD (Committee Member)
Dr. Alexander Tarnovskey, PhD (Committee Member)
90 p.
Chemistry
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells; Surfactant; Crude Oil Recovery Processes;

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Citations

  • Pinnawala Arachchilage, G. W. P. (2010). Part I: Design and Synthesis of Organic Materials for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Part II: Qualitative and Semi-Quantitative Study of the Behavior of Surfactant on Crude Oil Recovery Processes [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1275350867

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pinnawala Arachchilage, Gayani. Part I: Design and Synthesis of Organic Materials for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Part II: Qualitative and Semi-Quantitative Study of the Behavior of Surfactant on Crude Oil Recovery Processes. 2010. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1275350867.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pinnawala Arachchilage, Gayani. "Part I: Design and Synthesis of Organic Materials for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Part II: Qualitative and Semi-Quantitative Study of the Behavior of Surfactant on Crude Oil Recovery Processes." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1275350867

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1275350867
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© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.