Abstract
The need for efficient demulsification process to treat emulsions in the petroleum industry is well acknowledged. For decades, numerous researches have been conducted to examine mechanisms of emulsification and demulsification. Untreated emulsion has both technical and commercial implications in the industry, especially in terms of treatment facilities, refining and transportation. Effective treatment is needed to ensure optimum production of hydrocarbons. The present paper is to review reported works on the formation of petroleum emulsions, demulsification treatments, characteristics of fit-for-purpose demulsifiers as well as research trends in emulsion treatment. Crude oils are naturally combined with natural surfactants having high tendency to form stable emulsion. The stable emulsion must be treated well to meet industrial requirements since crudes with a high volume of stable emulsion have a less value. Therefore, fundamental studies on natural surfactants, which contribute to the emulsion stability, are analyzed for the effective separation of emulsions into oil and water. This would involve the assessment of various reported mechanisms for the emulsification and right formulation for effective demulsification.
Highlights
Crude oil is found in association with gas and saline formation water
This literature review comprehensively strives for the development of the crude oil emulsions and demulsification process in the petroleum industry
Out of all demulsification techniques listed, the major purpose is to speed up the interfacial film thinning process by reducing the strength of the stabilizing film as well as impeding the adsorption of emulsifiers at the oil–water interface
Summary
Crude oil is found in association with gas and saline formation water. As the reservoir becomes depleted, water is coproduced with oil and the number of wells producing water with crude oil is steadily increasing. These immiscible fluids are readily emulsified by the simultaneous action of shear and pressure drop at the wellhead, chokes and valves (Matijasevic and Banhart 2006). The formation of a dispersed system involves a dispersed phase and a continuous flow (Goodarzi and Zendehboudi 2019). During the extraction and transportation of crude oil, the formation of an emulsion is undeniable. The primary reasons that enhanced the emulsion formation include the existence of surface-active agents, ionic compositions and pH of the water (Sjöblom 2001)
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