Properties and Phase Behavior of Water-Tween-Kerosene Microemulsions and Prediction of Their Viscosity

Microemulsion systems are of interest to researchers due to their low energy requirements and thermodynamic stability in a wide range of applications, including enhanced oil recovery, gas absorption, drug delivery, and chemical reaction environments. In this research, the viscosity of microemulsions was characterized and then predicted. Tween 20 and Tween 80 were used as surfactants and n-butanol as co-surfactant. Different types of prepared Winsor microemulsions were described using the phase diagram and then were evaluated regarding their viscosity, particle size, and electrical conductivity. The mean droplet size and viscosity of the microemulsion were 8-200 nm and 10.4-39.1 cp, respectively. Finally, a new equation is suggested to predict microemulsion viscosity as a function of the ratio of the dispersed phase fraction to the surfactant fraction.

Automated summary

Microemulsion systems are attracting attention from researchers because of their low energy requirements and thermodynamic stability in a wide range of applications. The viscosity of microemulsions was characterized and predicted in this study, using Tween 20 and Tween 80 as surfactants and n-butanol as co-surfactant. Different types of Winsor microemulsions were described using the phase diagram and evaluated for viscosity, particle size, and electrical conductivity. The mean droplet size and viscosity of the microemulsion were 8-200 nm and 10.4-39.1 cp, respectively. Finally, a new equation was proposed to predict microemulsion viscosity based on the ratio of dispersed phase fraction to surfactant fraction.