Provided herein are various methods for forming alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions and blended alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions, and such compositions themselves. The methods of various embodiments include obtaining a C.sub.8-C.sub.30 hydrocarbon mixture, optionally treating the mixture to concentrate the mixture in sulfonatable aromatics, and sulfonating the mixture to form the alkylaromatic sulfonates. The mixture or treated mixture may be blended with linear alkyl benzene (LAB) compositions and sulfonated, and/or the alkylaryl sulfonates may be blended with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) compositions, to form the blended alkylaromatic sulfonates of some embodiments. These compositions and processes for making them may be tailored to serve a variety of end uses, such as detergents in cleaning solutions or for enhanced oil recovery operations, and/or as low foaming and/or hydrotropic additives in detergent formulations, and the like.

Provided herein are various methods for forming alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions and blended alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions, and such compositions themselves. The methods of various embodiments include obtaining a C.sub.8-C.sub.30 hydrocarbon mixture, optionally treating the mixture to concentrate the mixture in sulfonatable aromatics, and sulfonating the mixture to form the alkylaromatic sulfonates. The mixture or treated mixture may be blended with linear alkyl benzene (LAB) compositions and sulfonated, and/or the alkylaryl sulfonates may be blended with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) compositions, to form the blended alkylaromatic sulfonates of some embodiments. These compositions and processes for making them may be tailored to serve a variety of end uses, such as detergents in cleaning solutions or for enhanced oil recovery operations, and/or as low foaming and/or hydrotropic additives in detergent formulations, and the like.

Provided herein are various methods for forming alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions and blended alkylaromatic sulfonate compositions, and such compositions themselves. The methods of various embodiments include obtaining a C.sub.8-C.sub.30 hydrocarbon mixture, optionally treating the mixture to concentrate the mixture in sulfonatable aromatics, and sulfonating the mixture to form the alkylaromatic sulfonates. The mixture or treated mixture may be blended with linear alkyl benzene (LAB) compositions and sulfonated, and/or the alkylaryl sulfonates may be blended with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) compositions, to form the blended alkylaromatic sulfonates of some embodiments. These compositions and processes for making them may be tailored to serve a variety of end uses, such as detergents in cleaning solutions or for enhanced oil recovery operations, and/or as low foaming and/or hydrotropic additives in detergent formulations, and the like.

In order to evaluate the compatibility of coals used in coke production and to produce cokes with desired strength by blending coals in consideration of the compatibility, the invention provides a technique which evaluates the adhesion strength obtained when two kinds of coals are carbonized based. on properties of the coals. Surface tensions of two kinds of semicokes obtained by heat treating two kinds of coals are measured. Based on the difference between the two measured values of surface tension, the quality of the adhesiveness between the two kinds of coals is evaluated.

In order to evaluate the compatibility of coals used in coke production and to produce cokes with desired strength by blending coals in consideration of the compatibility, the invention provides a technique which evaluates the adhesion strength obtained when two kinds of coals are carbonized based on properties of the coals. Surface tensions of two kinds of semicokes obtained by heat treating two kinds of coals are measured. Based on the difference between the two measured values of surface tension, the quality of the adhesiveness between the two kinds of coals is evaluated.

The invention relates to a system and a process for analyzing the interaction between a drop of fluid which is immiscible in an ambient medium and a surface, this surface being another drop of fluid or else alternatively a solid surface. The system also comprises processing means suitable for determining, according to data collected by an image acquisition and processing device, a value of interfacial tension of the drop after a contact between the drop and the surface, and a value of pressure difference between the internal pressure of the drop and the pressure in the ambient medium without having to know the position of the apex of the drop. The invention also relates to a device for forming drops and bringing drops into contact and to a device for forming a drop of fluid and bringing a drop of fluid into contact with a solid surface for the purpose of analyzing them by means of the appropriate system.

Interfacial tension determination is provided. In one possible implementation, temperature information associated with a plurality of points in two fluids is accessed after the fluids have been subjected to a temperature gradient. The temperature information is then analyzed to locate a thermal jump which can be used to determine an interfacial tension between the two fluids. In another possible implementation, a test chamber for determining an interfacial tension between several fluids includes a cell configured to house the fluids. The cell is configured to hinder leakage of energy from the cell. The test chamber also has a gradient apparatus configured to maintain a temperature gradient across the fluids and a plurality of sensors configured to measure temperatures at various locations in the fluids.

Provided are a physical property measurement method, a physical property measurement device, and a probe that can simply measure physical properties of a surface layer portion of an object. A physical property measurement method includes a step of bringing a probe into contact with a surface layer portion of a liquid or gel-like object and maintaining a contact state, a step of measuring a height of the object rising along the probe in contact with the object, and a step of calculating viscous properties or elastic properties of the surface layer portion of the object using the measured height of the object rising along the probe.

A measuring assembly for determining interfacial tension includes a vessel with a chamber for receiving a carrier liquid. A sample liquid is supplied to the chamber drop by drop via a supply device. A magnetic field source generates an inhomogeneous magnetic field with a vertical magnetic field gradient in the chamber. A measuring device detects at least one section of a contour of a drop of the sample liquid formed in the chamber during operation of the measuring assembly.

An apparatus and a method arranged for measuring a rheological and/or interfacial property comprising: a pressure unit arranged for providing a quantity of a gas at a predetermined pressure to a surface of the fluid; a detection unit arranged for detecting a surface deformation of the fluid, due to the pressurized gas at a plurality of locations at the surface of the fluid; a reference register comprising reference data related to surface deformations of respective fluids, and related to known rheological and/or interfacial properties of the respective fluids; a determining unit arranged for: receiving the detected surface deformation from the detection unit; accessing the reference data of the reference register; determining respective correlations between the detected surface deformation, and the surface deformations of the respective fluids from the accessed reference data; and identifying a fluid of the respective fluids of the reference data based on a maximum correlation among the determined respective correlations; and an output unit arranged for outputting the rheological and/or interfacial property respectively corresponding with the fluid identified by the determining unit. A method for measuring a rheological and/or interfacial property of a fluid.