Abstract
The destabilization of crude oil emulsions by polyoxyethylene nonylphenols as inhibitors has been investigated at a water-to-oil volume ratio of 1:1, as a function of the HLB (hydrophilic−lipophilic balance) and concentration. The results show that the stability of crude oil emulsion begins to level off after a critical surfactant concentration, which seems to correspond to their critical micelle concentration (CMC). A stability minimum was found after the stability plateau region, which corresponds to the inversion of emulsion from W/O to O/W. Furthermore, the inhibitor with HLB = 14.2 has the highest efficiency for demulsification with the highest separation rate and the lowest inversion point, whereas inhibitors with higher HLB are less effective, which may be due to the network formation by their very long oxyethyl headgroups and interactions with indigenous components of the crude oil.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call