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Aging Effects on Surface Properties and Coalescence of Bitumen Droplets
Author(s) -
Moran K.,
Sumner R. J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450850511
Subject(s) - coalescence (physics) , oil sands , asphalt , surface tension , chemistry , mineralogy , materials science , thermodynamics , composite material , physics , astrobiology
The coalescence of emulsified bitumen droplets is examined, from the perspective of material surface properties, at temperatures of 22°C and 40°C over exposure periods of up to 8 h. The study was undertaken to better understand the nature of oil sands ore conditioning in the water‐based bitumen extraction processes of Syncrude Canada Ltd. Measurements of the bitumen droplet electrophoretic mobility showed only a slight degree of variation with temperature. The mechanical stress‐strain behaviour of the droplets was investigated using a micropipette‐based technique. These results indicate that the interfacial dilational elasticity of bitumen droplets depends on temperature and droplet age, while the tension is relatively invariant to duration of exposure. Interaction experiments between emulsified bitumen droplets quantify a coalescence probability that correlates with dilational elasticity at their surfaces.