Spray of water-in-oil emulsified heavy oil with high water content

Abstract

The spray of water-in-oil emulsified heavy oils with water content up to 30 % was studied at temperatures of 125 to 200 °C and pressures of 4 to 10 MPa. The spray based on four series of model emulsified heavy oil shows that the effects of spray temperature and pressure on the Sauter mean diameter (SMD) of oil droplets and spray cone angle (θs) follow the traditional breakup model. The emulsification increases the viscosity and surface tension of heavy oils, hindering disintegration of liquid jet into fine droplets during spray. The combination of appropriate water content and superheated degree allows flash boiling of water to overcome the above adverse effects, resulting in a decrease in SMD and an increase in θs. In the spray of the upgraded emulsified heavy oil obtained by visbreaking in high-pressure steam environments, the SMD of oil droplets could be lowered to 39 μm, which is only half of the corresponding value of the raw heavy oil.