Liquid Crystal Domain Formation and Structure in Humic Substances + Water + Hydrocarbon Mixtures

• Author / Creator

  LIN, Li

• The liquid crystal phase state has long-range order in one or two dimensions and is an intermediate phase state between the unordered liquid state and the solid crystalline state with long-range order in three dimensions. Liquid crystals, comprising spherical liquid crystalline shells surrounding homogeneous fluid, were first found in water-free petroleum resources and resource fractions in 2010 [1]. From that time, researchers have focused on determining their properties, their fate in industrial production, transport, and refining processes, and their composition [2, 3]. Chemical analysis of liquid crystal enriched samples from Athabasca bitumen suggests that the liquid crystalline material may comprise humic or fulvic acids/salts or humins [4]. In this work, the formation of liquid crystal domains with homogeneous organic or aqueous cores and humic substance-rich liquid crystalline shells dispersed in aqueous or hydrocarbon liquids in hydrocarbon-water emulsions is explored using cross-polarized light microscopy. As liquid crystal domains diffract light, they are typically identified and characterized by light patterns in images arising from passing light through a polarizer, then through the sample, and then through a second orthogonally oriented polarizer. For these cases, a Maltese cross pattern is expected. As artifacts arise with this methodology, care must be taken to eliminate or mitigate them through baseline measurements, control experiments, and calibration. So far, processes leading to the formation of liquid crystal-rich domains with organic cores/ aqueous cores and humic substance-rich liquid crystalline shells dispersed in aqueous solutions and aqueous cores with humic substance-rich liquid crystalline shells dispersed in organic solutions have been demonstrated. Formation processes leading to these domains dispersed in hydrocarbon liquids, have yet to be identified. Although more researches are needed, the results contribute to the understanding of hydrocarbon resources’ properties and the development of improved separation and refining processes for hydrocarbon resources.

   

• Subjects / Keywords

  • O/W emulsion
  • bitumen
  • heavy oil
  • liquid crystals
  • humic acids
  • biplex structure

• Graduation date

  Fall 2020

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-c96b-e213

• License

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