Abstract
Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the unconventional methods used in Canada to extract heavy oil; however, a stable water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion is generated during production. The emulsion is then pumped into a high-temperature separator, after adding a diluent, a reverse emulsion breaker (REB), and an emulsion breaker (EB) to separate the oil and water and comply with the sales oil specifications. This work is focused on understanding the demulsification processes under high-temperature (80–120 °C) and high-pressure (700–900 kPa) conditions. Compressibility, crumpling film or drop detachment ratios, and interfacial tension (IFT) were used to evaluate the demulsifiers. REBs were found to decrease IFT and cause the interfacial film to be reversible. These effects showed a dependency with the temperature, and their magnitude varied with the chemistry of the REB. Effective REBs formed complexes with natural anionic surfactants present in the oil phase, weakening the irreversible fil...
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