lipophilic | Energy Glossary

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lipophilic

1. adj. [Enhanced Oil Recovery, Drilling Fluids]

Pertaining to an attraction for oil by a surface of a material or a molecule. This term is applied to the oil-wetting behavior of treatment chemicals for oil muds. Lipophilic oil-mud additives are required because most minerals drilled and additives such as barite are naturally hydrophilic and must be rendered lipophilic.

Antonyms: hydrophilic

See: HLB numberhydrophile-lipophile balance numberlyophilicoil mudoil-wet