MLchartDataset catalogue

HLB number

Term · Oil and gas · MLC-T-OAG-001836

The Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance number, a value from 0 to 20 that indicates the degree to which a surfactant is hydrophilic (water-loving) or lipophilic (oil-loving). A low HLB number (3-6) indicates an oil-soluble surfactant, suitable for water-in-oil emulsions, while a high HLB number (8-18) indicates a water-soluble surfactant, suitable for oil-in-water emulsions. This number guides the selection of emulsifiers for drilling fluid formulations.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-OAG-001836
FieldOil and gas
SubjectDrilling Fluids
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-OAG-001836",
  "term": "HLB number",
  "field": "Oil and gas",
  "definition": "The Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance number, a value from 0 to 20 that indicates the degree to which a surfactant is hydrophilic (water-loving) or lipophilic (oil-loving). A low HLB number (3-6) indicates an oil-soluble surfactant, suitable for water-in-oil emulsions, while a high HLB number (8-18) indicates a water-soluble surfactant, suitable for oil-in-water emulsions. This number guides the selection of emulsifiers for drilling fluid formulations.",
  "subject": "Drilling Fluids",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oil-and-gas/hlb-number/"
}

Record 1,969 of 4,468 in Oil and gas terminology (MLC-0103). Request the full dataset.