Journal
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Volume 208, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.petrol.2021.109720
Keywords
Crude oil; Coalescence; Demulsifier; Water separation
Categories
Funding
- Saudi Aramco [1958]
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The separation of water droplets from water-in-crude-oil emulsions is crucial in the petroleum industry. A new experimental method involving optical-access flow, Near-Infrared laser illumination, and high-speed video imaging can help select the optimal demulsifier concentration by quantifying coalescence probability.
The separation of water droplets from water-in-crude-oil emulsions is a vital process in the petroleum industry. Various components in crude oil, such as asphaltene, stabilize the water-oil interface, which inhibits the coalescence of water droplets. To enhance the oil-water separation, specific demulsifiers are often added to destabilize the emulsion and enhance the coalescence of the water droplets. In this work, we propose a new method to select an effective demulsifier and optimal concentration for a water-in-crude oil emulsion. This new experimental design involves an optical-access flow in a long 500 mu m-square micro-fluidic channel, illuminated by a Near-Infrared laser and imaged with a B/W high-speed video camera. We can quantify the coalescence probability by using monodisperse droplets and identifying coalescence by their change in size. Coalescence probability is an indicator for selecting the optimal concentration and type of demulsifier.
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