Can water float on oil?

The floatability of water on oil surface was studied. A numerical model was developed from the Young-Laplace equation on three interfaces (water/oil, water/air, and oil/air) to predict the theoretical equilibration conditions. The model was verified successfully with an oil/water system. The stabili...

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Main Authors: Phan, Chi, Allen, Benjamin, Peters, Luke, Thu, Le, Tade, Moses
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2012
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15855
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author Phan, Chi
Allen, Benjamin
Peters, Luke
Thu, Le
Tade, Moses
author_facet Phan, Chi
Allen, Benjamin
Peters, Luke
Thu, Le
Tade, Moses
author_sort Phan, Chi
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The floatability of water on oil surface was studied. A numerical model was developed from the Young-Laplace equation on three interfaces (water/oil, water/air, and oil/air) to predict the theoretical equilibration conditions. The model was verified successfully with an oil/water system. The stability of the floating droplet depends on the combination of three interface tensions, oil density, and water droplet volume. For practical purposes, however, the equilibrium contact angle has to be greater than 5° so the water droplet can effectively float. This result has significant applications for biodegrading oil wastes.
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format Journal Article
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:14:05Z
publishDate 2012
publisher American Chemical Society
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-158552017-09-13T16:01:26Z Can water float on oil? Phan, Chi Allen, Benjamin Peters, Luke Thu, Le Tade, Moses The floatability of water on oil surface was studied. A numerical model was developed from the Young-Laplace equation on three interfaces (water/oil, water/air, and oil/air) to predict the theoretical equilibration conditions. The model was verified successfully with an oil/water system. The stability of the floating droplet depends on the combination of three interface tensions, oil density, and water droplet volume. For practical purposes, however, the equilibrium contact angle has to be greater than 5° so the water droplet can effectively float. This result has significant applications for biodegrading oil wastes. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15855 10.1021/la204820a American Chemical Society restricted
spellingShingle Phan, Chi
Allen, Benjamin
Peters, Luke
Thu, Le
Tade, Moses
Can water float on oil?
title Can water float on oil?
title_full Can water float on oil?
title_fullStr Can water float on oil?
title_full_unstemmed Can water float on oil?
title_short Can water float on oil?
title_sort can water float on oil?
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15855