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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R74758/01
Title: OPEN - Oil production engineered nanometrically (barium cation sensors)
Principal Investigator: Sermon, Professor P
Other Investigators:
Gillies, Dr D Danks, Dr T Heyes, Professor DM
Danil de Namor, Professor AF
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
BP Sansa
Department: Health and Medical Sciences
Organisation: University of Surrey
Scheme: LINK
Starts: 05 June 2002 Ends: 04 June 2004 Value (£): 107,288
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Co-ordination Chemistry Oil & Gas Extraction
Surfaces & Interfaces
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The main aim of this project is to design robust immobilised receptors or sequestering agents that are able to interact selectively with Ba(II) in the presence of other ionic species found in the oil reservoir. This work will employ novel synthetic procedures to incorporate, for example, calixarene derivatives into solid supports. The solvation properties of the bound ligands and the Ba(II) complexes will be measured, as an essential precursor to the development of effective selectivity protocols. The thermochemical behaviour of the reactants (Ba(II) and ligand) and the product (Ba(II) complex) will be determined. Various techniques will be explored, such as 1 H NMR titrations, conductance measurement, potentiometry and calorimetry (macro and micro), to obtain quantitative information on the strength of complexation of these receptors with the cation from the availability of stability constants (to determine the selectivity factor for one cation relative to another), enthalpy and entropy data. Temperature effects on the complexation process will be studied by heat capacity measurements. Atomistic-level characterisation will be carried out by NMR, particularly at high pressure, and by molecular modelling. How these receptor properties are changed by immobilisation and how their complexation of Ba(II) is amplified by inclusion in a so[-gel matrix will be explored. The nanocomposite sensor material will be interfaced with optical fibres and will then be tested under laboratory (UniS) and real oil field conditions by BP and Sensa Ltd.
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Organisation Website: http://www.surrey.ac.uk