Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical model is developed to analyze the influence of the Joule heating on flow characteristics of an electroosmotic flow through square cross section micro-channels. The governing system of equations consists of three sets of equations: electric potential distribution, flow-field and energy equations. The solution procedure involves three steps. The net charge distribution on the cross section of the micro-channel is computed by solving two-dimensional Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the finite element method. Then, using the computed fluid's charge distribution, the magnitude of the resulting body force due to interaction of an external electric field... 

The effect of electrostatic field on the aggregation rate and aggregate size of asphaltene particles precipitated from three different crude oil samples suspended in a mixture of toluene and n-heptane (a model oil) was investigated. An electrode-embedded glass micro-model utilizing a high-voltage direct current power supply was utilized in this study. The asphaltene particle size and the rate of aggregation under the electric field were monitored using a high-resolution optical microscope and the average aggregate size for asphaltene particles was estimated using image processing software. To investigate the effects of structural parameters on asphaltene aggregation rate, aggregate size and... 

Streaming potential measurement is one of the electrokinetic techniques used to determine the average zeta potential of porous rock which can provide reliable information on reservoir flow behavior and wettability state of the rock surface. Streaming potential measurement using electrodes has recently been introduced in the oil reservoirs applications and there are still significant uncertainties during the measurements and interpretation of streaming potential results. The primary purpose of this work is to establish a setup to measure the streaming potential of porous media with low scattering and evaluate voltage measurements based on the paired stabilization and pressure ramping methods.... 

The electrokinetic energy conversion, electroviscous effect, and induced internal and external magnetic fields in a smart polyelectrolyte grafted "soft"nanopore with pH responsiveness are studied here using an efficient molecular theory approach. The analysis is based on writing the total free energy of the system, including the conformational entropy of the flexible, self-avoiding polymer chains and the translational entropy of the mobile species, the electrostatic interactions, and the free energy due to chemical equilibrium reactions. Then, the free energy is minimized, while satisfying the necessary constraints to find the equilibrium state of the system. The predictions of the model are...