Hello, Defoamers: a case study on accessing foreign resources, Moscow libraries, and teamwork.
Hello, Defoamers!
The assignment itself is published here.
The case is divided into stages; the first, second, and fourth are theoretical, while the third is practical.
In short, and in my own words, the stages are as follows:
- Learn everything about drilling fluids and the foams that form in them.
- Learn about silicone defoamers in drilling fluids and select the components for a defoamer based on polydimethylsiloxane.
- Create at least 6 defoamer samples and test their stability over a two-week period.
Check how the prepared defoamers affect a model surfactant solution. - Write a report on the work done and propose options for improving and scaling up the defoamer preparation process.
It’s written in a clear and accessible way, but it’s easier said than done. It requires many sources: articles and books.
And time. A lot of time.
Access to foreign educational resources
A video was offered as a bonus for the case.
Since the video strongly recommended using foreign sources when working on the case—and since access to them could be useful for my other projects (in Microbiology and Cryonics) — I decided to reach out to the Higher School of Economics (HSE) to request access to the electronic resources of foreign libraries.
The thing is, our Senior School is part of the HSE University’s distributed lyceum, which means we are entitled to the same access to foreign scientific literature that HSE students have.
I wrote a letter to the HSE Lyceum. It mentions the Cryonics project because I had started writing it earlier.
Hello,
I am Egor Kugno, a student of the Medical Class at school 2107.
The Medical Class is part of what’s called the Senior School, and the Senior School is part of the HSE Distributed Lyceum.
When I enrolled, we were told that all students of the Distributed Lyceum have the right to access the electronic library of foreign scientific journals.
I am writing an individual project (on cryonics and its derivatives) and would like to learn more about cryoprotectants
(specifically foreign ones, since it seems they are not yet produced in our country).
Could you please tell me: Can I get access to the scientific electronic library? If so, what do I need to do?
Thank you.
In their reply, they advised me to contact the HSE library directly, which I did. I received this polite response from the Library:
Egor, good afternoon!
As a student of the Distributed Lyceum, you can register with our Library and get access to our electronic resources.
To register, you will need:
1. A list of students from your school (unfortunately, it has not been sent yet);
2. Signed and filled scans of the registration form and the consent for personal data processing (attached) sent from you to my email.
Sincerely, Deputy Director for Service and Book Storage Pokrovsky Blvd 11, R212
I asked:
Please tell me, is the list mandatory? What I mean is, if the school hasn’t sent it yet,
it’s probably because I’m the only one who has asked for it. I’ve already sent my own certificate (a mini-list, if you will),
and I will print and sign the consent forms by Monday.
…and they answered, «Yes. It’s mandatory.»
I decided not to bother my teachers about it for now.
As I’ve written before, I believe it’s not worth getting too hung up on patents, and at this stage, foreign sources might even be counterproductive — there’s already a sea of articles on defoaming in Russian alone. Nevertheless, I’ll try to get myself access to the HSE electronic library in the 11th grade.
Moscow libraries
I had been procrastinating a bit on the Defoaming project, as I was gathering literature for my Cryonics project and writing one on Microbiology… and the New Year holidays were already just around the corner.
And what happens in Moscow right before the New Year?
That’s right!
The Moscow libraries organize giveaways of withdrawn books.
Of course, I couldn’t miss out, and… drumroll, please!
Picture 1. This is my checkout list from the library’s book giveaway.
The highlighted title at the bottom is «The Fragile Miracle»—the rare book on foam that became central to my research.
In one of the libraries, I managed to find an incredibly rare book on the project’s topic!
It’s a book about Foam
Picture 2. This is it—the book itself! «The Fragile Miracle» by A. P. Merkin and P. R. Taube.
Finding this Soviet-era popular science book felt like striking gold for my project.
With extremely interesting content:
Picture 3. The book’s content was even more relevant than I could have imagined.
The preface itself complains about the lack of books on foam, while the table of contents (left) features
an entire chapter dedicated to my exact topic: «How to Suppress Foam?»
Luck? I agree. But as they say, seek and you shall find.
Honestly, after reading the book, you get the impression that foam suppression is humanity’s greatest challenge.
If we solve this problem, we can finally start living the good life!
Inspired, I got back to the project with tripled energy.
Distribution of case work
Our team divided the work into three parts.
I took on the most fundamental and complex part for myself: determining the composition of the drilling fluid and the reasons for foam formation within it.
Olga was tasked with answering the question, «What is foam, and what are the physicochemical processes of its formation?»
Sergey was assigned the task of reviewing the main types of defoamers and identifying the primary components of silicone-based defoamers.
As usual, I decided to try and understand everything myself.
As the team captain, I might have to present our defense or presentation, so it’s best that I have a command of all the material.
And so, I began the search for sources.
Foam suppressants in drilling fluids. Moscow Pre-Professional Olympiad for Schoolchildren.
1. Vote with your head, not your heart—or you lose. Calculations, risks, and comfortable conditions. Final case selection→
2. Hello, Defoamers: a case study on accessing foreign resources, Moscow libraries, and teamwork→
3. Oil drilling for dummies. Cyberleninka is here to help.
Bloomberg vs. Rosnedra. Calculating the drilling fluid volume for all of Russia→
4. Foam and its formation processes.
Composition of drilling fluid and the causes of foaming→
5. Drilling fluid components→
6. Types of defoamers and their impact on foam formation in drilling fluids.
An analysis of silicone defoamer components→
7. Performance requirements for silicone defoamers in drilling fluids: selecting fillers and emulsifiers→
8. Optimal component ratio and process parameters for the production of a polydimethylsiloxane-based defoamer→
9. Manufacturing process for a polydimethylsiloxane-based antifoam.
Trial formulations for stability testing→
10. Physical and chemical operating conditions for drilling fluids.
Featuring alkyl sulfates and lignosulfonates→
11. Unused material from a case study: a collection of online Info on defoamers→
Other articles about my school projects→
This article in Russian→