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Microgravity simulators: improving oil field assessments To support oil and gas exploration, researchers sent hydrocarbon mixtures into space to obtain accurate data on how each component behaves. The group—led by Guillaume Galliero from the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, France—wanted to study the effect of temperature on the movement of individual hydrocarbons in mixtures under typical reservoir conditions. Eliminating the effects of gravity allowed them to collect more accurate data than has previously been obtained. The team showed that thermodiffusion has a large impact on the distribution of hydrocarbon reservoirs under the ground. They state that thermodiffusion should therefore be considered in computer models that assess analytical data collected at potential underground reservoirs. This would allow oil and gas companies to more accurately predict the suitability of the hydrocarbons at potential drilling sites.

Density and compressibility are primordial parameters for the optimization of diesel engine operation. With this objective, these properties were reported for waste cooking oil biodiesel and its blends (5% and 10% by volume) mixed with diesel. The density measurements were performed over expanded ranges of pressure (0.1 to 140 MPa) and temperature (293.15 to 353.15 K) compatible with engine applications. The isothermal compressibility was estimated within the same experimental range by density differentiation. The Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) profile of the biodiesel was determined using a Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The storage stability of the biodiesel was assessed in terms of the reproducibility of the measured properties. The transferability of this biodiesel fuel was discussed on the basis of the standards specifications that support their use in fuel engines. Additionally, this original set of data represents meaningful information to develop new approaches or to evaluate the predictive capability of models previously developed.

New density data for diethyl adipate (DEA) over 12 isotherms [(293.15 ≤ T≤ 403.15) K] and 15 isobars [(0.1 ≤ p≤ 140) MPa] are reported. This paper presents also the calibration procedure we propose for a new experimental equipment. Data reliability has been verified over the pressure and temperature experimental intervals by comparing our experimental results for toluene and 1-butanol with previous literature data. A total of 732 experimental data points have been measured in the framework of this work. The experimental uncertainty is estimated to be ± 0.5 kg·m −3(around 0.05 %). The pressure and temperature dependencies of diethyl adipate densities were accurately represented by the Tammann−Tait equation with standard deviations of 0.3 kg·m −3. These data were used to analyze the isothermal compressibility and the isobaric thermal expansivity for this fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]