RIASSUNTO
ABSTRACT
Coatings have the function of resistance to environmental attack, i.e. barrier protection, abrasion, chemical, yet a number of them have not been optimized to give high resistance against wetting when it comes to dual or enhanced properties and higher durability. Moreover, the wetting phenomena in coatings are also under-appreciated when it comes to de-icing and anti-MIC properties. This talk will highlight the fabrication of durable coatings with superhydrophobic coatings that can be fabricated from electrochemical polymers, casted coatings, and thermosetting curable coatings that can display superhydrophobic coatings and their resistance to corrosion. The use of these materials in screen- mesh or gravity filtration situations has shown their efficient properties in oil and water separation. The applications of these properties could be in the preparation or augmentation of high performance properties to existing coatings as well as addressing the various needs for oil-water separation or purification in offshore-coating technology platforms. The test will also highlight unique opportunities for high-throughput testing with PETRO Case.
INTRODUCTION
Oil/gas is one of the most important extractable natural resource for energy, chemicals, and materials generation. Its downstream and refined products are used not only to power a car, generate electricity, heat homes, but is also important for the chemical industries. One of the biggest under-appreciated correlation is that plastics and materials industries, which mostly derives its feedstock from petroleum (ethylene to produce polyethylene) is highly dependent on the price of oil and gas. Chemically, oil is any nonpolar substance that could either be volatile or nonvolatile and is hydrophobic. Crude oil is an emulsion (water in oil) and stabilized by many other natural components of asphaltene, paraffin, or types of bitumen (highly viscous), etc. There are many different types of “oil” products and are classified based on their lack of miscibility with water.
The separation of oil from water has been a constant challenge to many industries. In wastewater treatment plants, water from different places is recycled by undergoing many processes to make it potable water. For oil/gas extraction, crude oil, can be produced from under the ground or from the sea floor but is accompanied by “produced water”. More recently in low permeability environments, hydraulic fracturing (HF) has unlocked the efficiency of this resource extraction industry – the success of which may actually be one of the contributing factors to the decline in oil price. Once the oil is extracted from the ground or from the sea floor the mixture of oil and water (produced or slick water) needs separation and purification prior to disposal or reinjection. In offshore operations, there is a lot of discharge that is done at the sea for this produced water and the Environmental Energy Protection (EPA) or the more stringent NORSOK standard (P-100 system 44) requirements are specific to the quality of this discarded water. Thus, there is a need to have more cost-effective solutions in oil-water separation or simply produced water purification and reutilization that are not harmful to the environment. There is also a lot of interest in fracturing - HF oil/water separation onsite as the environment regulations for water disposal or water injection necessitates separation of not only oil from water but from any other toxic ingredients derived from the well.