Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A patterned functional substrate for enhancing the wettability of oil droplets

  • Research
  • Published:
Colloid and Polymer Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The water content in the oil recovery fluid is elevated by water injection mining, and the exploration of the microscopic adhesion behavior of oil droplets has become a hot research topic for multiphase flow systems in the petrochemical field. By revealing the oil droplet–wall interaction mechanism, the purpose of enhancing the oil droplet coalescence efficiency and regulating the direction of oil droplet movement is realized. In this paper, the evolution of oil droplet spreading on patterned substrates with different hemispherical structure sizes is investigated through numerical simulations using a volume of the fluid model. The factors that influence the motion behavior of oil droplets, such as initial velocity, structure size, and intrinsic contact angle, are analyzed in detail to propose a functional surface that enhances the adhesion and wetting spreading of oil droplets in water. The simulation results demonstrate that appropriately increasing the roughness dimension of the surface can prolong the drainage time, inhibit adhesion, alter the adhesion shape, and facilitate control of the oil droplet direction. It was found that the maximum infiltration depth of oil droplets increased with the increase of the initial velocity and increased with the increase of the spacing factor, and the wetting angle exhibited the opposite trend and decreased with the increase of the microstructure diameter. The spreading degree of oil droplets under different intrinsic contact angles in the studied surface roughness range is investigated and demonstrates that the apparent contact angle decreases at higher roughness scales on lipophilic surfaces and increases slowly with increasing structure size when the wall surface is more oleophobic. The results of this study provide a basis for further research on droplet infiltration spread and the improvement of oil–water separation efficiency.

Graphical Abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available within the article.

References

  1. Chen ASC, Flynn JT, Cook RG, Casaday AL (1991) Removal of oil, grease, and suspended solids from produced water with ceramic crossflow microfiltration. SPE Prod Eng 6:131–136. https://doi.org/10.2118/20291-PA

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Li J, Gu Y (2005) Coalescence of oil-in-water emulsions in fibrous and granular beds. Sep Purif Technol 42:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2004.05.006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Han Y, He L, Luo X et al (2017) A review of the recent advances in design of corrugated plate packs applied for oil–water separation. J Ind Eng Chem 53:37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2017.04.029

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Sharifi H, Shaw JM (1996) Secondary drop production in packed-bed coalescers. Chem Eng Sci 51:4817–4826. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2509(96)00321-1

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kenawy FA, Kandil M, Fouad A-A (1997) Produced water treatment technology, a study of oil/water separation in gravity type cross flow pack separators for qualitative separation. SPE Prod Facil 12:112–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wemco, Pacesetter separators (1986) P.O. Box 15619, Sacramento, CA 95852 USA

  7. Li R, Ninokata H, Mori M (2011) A numerical study of impact force caused by liquid droplet impingement onto a rigid wall. Prog Nucl Energy 53:881–885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.03.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Adamson AW, Gast AP (1997) Physical chemistry of surfaces, 6th edition

  9. Bird JC, Dhiman R, Kwon H-M, Varanasi KK (2013) Reducing the contact time of a bouncing drop. Nature 503:385–388. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12740

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Cox RG (1986) The dynamics of the spreading of liquids on a solid surface. Part 2. Surfactants J Fluid Mech 168:195–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gong W, Yan Y, Chen S, Giddings D (2017) Numerical study of wetting transitions on biomimetic surfaces using a lattice Boltzmann approach with large density ratio. J Bionic Eng 14:486–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(16)60414-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gunjal PR, Ranade VV, Chaudhari RV (2005) Dynamics of drop impact on solid surface: experiments and VOF simulations. AIChE J 51:59–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.10300

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kim H, Lee C, Kim MH, Kim J (2012) Drop impact characteristics and structure effects of hydrophobic surfaces with micro- and/or nanoscaled structures. Langmuir 28:11250–11257. https://doi.org/10.1021/la302215n

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lopez J, Miller CA, Ruckenstein E (1976) Spreading kinetics of liquid drops on solids. J Colloid Interface Sci 56:460–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9797(76)90111-9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Pasaogullari U, Wang C (2004) Liquid water transport in gas diffusion layer of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. J Electrochem Soc 151

  16. Rioboo R, Bauthier C, Conti J et al (2003) Experimental investigation of splash and crown formation during single drop impact on wetted surfaces. Exp Fluids 35:648–652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-003-0719-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Chaidron G, Soucemarianadin A, Attané P (1999) Study of the impact of drops onto solid surfaces. 1235–1255

  18. Zhang X, Basaran OA (1997) Dynamic surface tension effects in impact of a drop with a solid surface. J Colloid Interface Sci 187:166–178. https://doi.org/10.1006/jcis.1996.4668

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Cassie ABD, Baxter S (1944) Wettability of porous surfaces. Trans Faraday Soc 40:546–551

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Wenzel RN (1936) Resistance of solid surfaces to wetting by water. Ind Eng Chem 28:988–994. https://doi.org/10.1021/ie50320a024

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Brutin D, Starov VM (2018) Recent advances in droplet wetting and evaporation. Chem Soc Rev 47(2):558–585

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Guo C, Zhao D, Sun Y et al (2018) Droplet impact on anisotropic superhydrophobic surfaces. Langmuir 34:3533–3540. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b03752

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kim E, Baek J (2012) Numerical study of the parameters governing the impact dynamics of yield-stress fluid droplets on a solid surface. J Nonnewton Fluid Mech 173–174:62–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnnfm.2012.02.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Abolghasemibizaki M, Mohammadi R (2018) Droplet impact on superhydrophobic surfaces fully decorated with cylindrical macrotextures. J Colloid Interface Sci 509:422–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2017.09.030

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Rioboo R, Voué M, Vaillant A, Coninck JD (2008) Drop impact on porous superhydrophobic polymer surfaces. Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids 24(24):14074–14077

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Kannan R, Sivakumar D (2008) Drop impact process on a hydrophobic grooved surface. Colloids Surf, A 317:694–704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2007.12.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Yarin AL (2006) Drop impact dynamics: splashing, spreading, receding, bouncing. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 38:159–192. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.fluid.38.050304.092144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Tang C, Qin M, Weng X et al (2017) Dynamics of droplet impact on solid surface with different roughness. Int J Multiph Flow 96:56–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2017.07.002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Chen K, Sun T (2017) Effects of microstructure design on aluminum surface hydrophobic and ice-retarding properties. Asia-Pac J Chem Eng 12:307–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Josserand C, Thoroddsen ST (2016) Drop impact on a solid surface. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 48:365–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Malouin BA, Koratkar NA, Hirsa AH, Wang Z (2010) Directed rebounding of droplets by microscale surface roughness gradients. Appl Phys Lett 96:234103. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3442500

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kwon DH, Huh HK, Lee SJ (2013) Wetting state and maximum spreading factor of microdroplets impacting on superhydrophobic textured surfaces with anisotropic arrays of pillars. Exp Fluids 54:1576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-013-1576-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Lou J, Shi S, Ma C et al (2022) Polygonal non-wetting droplets on microtextured surfaces. Nat Commun 13:2685. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30399-0

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Quan Y, Zhang L-Z (2014) Numerical and analytical study of the impinging and bouncing phenomena of droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces with microtextured structures. Langmuir 30:11640–11649. https://doi.org/10.1021/la502836p

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Fan B, Bandaru PR (2017) Anisotropy in the hydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics of patterned surfaces. Appl Phys Lett 111:261603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Hirt CW, Nichols BD (1981) Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries. J Comput Phys 39:201–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9991(81)90145-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Brackbill JU, Kothe DB, Zemach C (1992) A continuum method for modeling surface tension. J Comput Phys 100:335–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9991(92)90240-Y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Han Y, He L, Zhao Y et al (2018) The influences of special wetting surfaces on the dynamic behaviors of underwater oil droplet. Colloids Surf A 543:15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2018.01.049

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52204074), the Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province of China (Grant No. 21JR7RA221), and the Hongliu Excellent Young Talents Support Program of Lanzhou University of Technology (Grant recipient, Kai Guo).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, People’s Republic of China

    Kai Guo & Xiaoya Liu

  2. College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, People’s Republic of China

    Yuling Lü, Limin He, Xiaoming Luo & Donghai Yang

Authors
  1. Kai Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaoya Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yuling Lü
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Limin He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xiaoming Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Donghai Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Kai Guo: conceptualization and writing—original draft. Xiaoya Liu: formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, and validation. Yuling Lü: visualization. Limin He: funding acquisition, supervision. Xiaoming Luo: writing—review. Donghai Yang: editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kai Guo.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Guo, K., Liu, X., Lü, Y. et al. A patterned functional substrate for enhancing the wettability of oil droplets. Colloid Polym Sci 302, 151–162 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-023-05185-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-023-05185-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation