Professional Documents
Culture Documents
S255∼S258
Ho-Soon Yang
Department of Physics, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735
Byung-Chun Choi
Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 608-737
Jeong-Bae Kim
School of Computer Aided Science, Inje University of Education, Kimhae 621-749
K. S. Hong∗
Busan Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Busan 609-735
A cylindrical-shape sample cell was prepared to investigate the dependence of salt amounts in
a water-in-crude oil emulsion system by measuring the dielectric properties in the frequency range
from 10−2 Hz to 107 Hz with an impedance analyzer. High-sensitivity complex dielectric constant
measurements were obtained after calibration with several fluids having known dielectric constants.
From complex dielectric spectra, we observed two regions for frequency characteristics: conduction
relaxation in the low-frequency region due to diffusion by charge transport caused by impurities
such as resins and asphaltenes in the continuous phase, and the dielectric-relaxation mechanism in
the high-frequency region due to the modified Debye type where the relaxation time was in linear
proportion to the salt content in the disperse phase of the water-in-crude oil emulsion system.
gregates or inverse micelle structures. It is reasonable to Table 1. Dielectric constants of the standard samples at
believe that these polar compounds are the source of the 20 ◦ C.
dielectric dispersions measured in crude oil [12], and the
Medium Dielectric constant (ε0 ) References
measured spectra show relaxation behavior in the mega-
hertz region and a low-frequency conductivity. If the Air 1.0005 ± 0.0002 [12]
conductivity of the disperse phase is high enough, con- n-heptane 1.924 ± 0.01 [13]
duction phenomena interfere with dipolar relaxation and Carbon tetrachloride 2.238 ± 0.002 [14]
the total dielectric relaxation of the system results from Chloroform 4.82 ± 0.02 [15]
overlapping of the dielectric relaxation of dipolar origin. Monochlorobenzene 5.699 ± 0.008 [14], [15]
In this paper, we calibrated the sample cell by mea- 1,2-dichloroethane 10.65 ± 0.05 [13], [14]
suring dielectric-constants of known samples. We investi-
gated dielectric relaxation behavior in salt-water/crude-
oil emulsions and the relationship between salt content
the samples as a function of frequency, and found that
and electrical parameters by using an impedance ana-
capacitances of the samples used were almost indepen-
lyzer.
dent of measuring frequency. The numerical calibration
depends on accurate data of the real and imaginary parts
of the complex dielectric constant. The real part of the
II. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS dielectric constant is determined from the measured ca-
pacitance, Cmeas . The imaginary part of the dielectric
constant of low-loss fluids involves large uncertainties;
1. The impedance cell and the estimation of
complex dielectric constant
hence, an accurate linear regression model is difficult to
obtain.
are not unity. Since diffusion occurs in these emulsion frequency region due to diffusion by charge transport
systems, two polarization mechanisms are possible: the caused by impurities such as resins and asphaltenes in
dielectric relaxation due to continuous/disperse-phase the continuous phase, and the dielectric-relaxation mech-
interfacial polarizations which do not involve long-range anism in the high-frequency region due to the modified
mobile droplets, characterized by τ1 and m, and the con- Debye type. In the high-frequency region, it was ob-
ductivity relaxation or carrier response associated with served that the relaxation time, τ1 , was in linear pro-
conducting charges moving in the continuous phase, de- portion to the salt content in the disperse phase of the
scribed by τ2 and n, where τ1 and τ2 are the relaxation water-in-crude-oil emulsion system.
times in the order of µs and ms, respectively. Therefore,
the total complex dielectric constant can be described as
ε s − ε∞ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ε∗ (ω) = ε∞ +
1 + (iωτ )m
σ0 This work was supported by Korea Science and Engi-
+ [1 + (iωτ )n ]. (4)
ε0 ω neering Foundation Grant R05-2003-000-10451-0.
After evaluating all the frequency-dependent complex-
dielectric-constant data fitted with Eq. (4), we found
that the carrier polarization mechanism was weakly dis- REFERENCES
persive, while the interfacial polarization mechanism was
somewhat more dispersive. From the calculated values
[1] N. A. Mishchuk, A. Sanfeld and A. Steinchen, Adv. Col.
of τ1 and τ2 in the emulsion system, we observed that
Int. Sci. 112, 129 (2004) and references therein.
the relaxation time τ1 was in linear proportion to salt [2] B. P. Binks, Modern Aspects of Emulsion Science (Cam-
content while τ2 was independent of the salt content in bridge, The Royal Soc. Chem, 1998).
the emulsion systems. These facts suggest that the high- [3] J. Sjöblom, N. Aske, I. H. Auflem, O. Brandal, T. E.
frequency dielectric relaxation is not related to resins Havre, O. Saether, A. Westvik, E. E. Johnsen and H.
and asphaltenes in the continuous phase, but is related Kallevik, Adv. Col. Int. Sci. 100, 399 (2003).
to the salt in the disperse phase. Since τ1 and σ do not [4] K. Kumar, A. D. Nikolov and D. T. Wasan, Ind. Eng.
depend on salt content, salt cannot move from disperse Chem. Res. 40, 3009 (2001).
phase to continuous phase and can be trapped strongly [5] N. Aomari, R. Gaudu, F. Cabioch and A. Omari, Col.
to droplets. A dielectric response relation, which is con- Surf. A 139, 13 (1998).
sidered as a generalization to the Cole-Cole dielectric ex- [6] O. V. Gafonova and H. W. Yarranton, J. Col. Int. Sci.
241, 469 (2001).
pression, has been proposed. The influence of the charge-
[7] C. S. Kim, B. E. Jun, H. H. Baek, D. J. Kim, Y. H.
carrier contribution on the complex dielectric constant is Hwang, H. K. Kim, G. S. Jeen and J. N. Kim, J. Korean
significant, as is demonstrated when both interfacial and Phys. Soc. 42, S1038 (2003).
carrier polarization mechanisms are simultaneously con- [8] J. S. Kim, H. S. Lee and C. H. Jeong, J. Korean Phys.
sidered. Soc. 42, S1042 (2003).
[9] J. Oh, J. A. Seo, G. S. Jeen, H. K. Kim, Y. H. Hwang
and S. Kojima, J. Korean Phys. Soc. 44, 527 (2004).
[10] B. Kim, C. Lee and I. Yu, J. Korean Phys. Soc. 44, 908
IV. CONCLUSIONS (2004).
[11] C. Boned, J. Peyrelasse, M. Clausse, B. Lagourette,
A cylindrical-shape sample cell was prepared to in- J. Alliez and L. Babin, Colloid Polym. Sci. 257, 1073
vestigate the dependence of salt amounts in a water- (1979).
[12] R. C. Weast and M. J. Astle, Handbook of Chemistry and
in-crude-oil emulsion system by measuring the dielec-
Physics (CRC, Boca Raton, 1981).
tric properties in the frequency range from 10−2 Hz to [13] A. A. Maryott and E. R. Smith, Table of Dielectric Con-
107 Hz with an impedance analyzer. The characteris- stants of Pure Liquids (National Bureau of Standards,
tics of the measurement cell are optimized to give high New York, 1951).
sensitivity. High-sensitivity complex-dielectric-constant [14] F. Buckley and A. A. Maryott, Table of Dielectric Dis-
measurements were obtained after calibration with sev- persion Data for Pure Liquids and Dilute Solutions (Na-
eral fluids having known dielectric constants. From com- tional Bureau of Standards, New York, 1958).
plex dielectric spectra, we observed two regions for fre- [15] Y. Y. Akhadov, Dielectric Properties of Binary Solutions
quency characteristics: conduction relaxation in the low- (Pergamon, Oxford, 1980).