The Demulsification of Crude Emulsion of ASP Flooding by an Organic Silicone Demulsifier

Abstract

In order to enhance crude oil recovery, the dosages of alkali, surfactant, and polymer in the tertiary flooding are becoming increasingly higher, which makes the emulsion more difficult to demulsify. In this article the application of new organic silicone demulsifiers for the demulsification of produced crude emulsion of alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding with higher concentrations of alkali, surfactant, and polymer was investigated. The result indicated that organic silicone demulsifiers whose hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB) number ranged from 10 to 15 had a satisfactory effect on demulsification. The dewatering efficiency can be improved evidently by adding a demulsifier mixed with DC2 and JG31 whose volume ratio was 4:1. The dewatering efficiency for produced crude emulsion from ASP flooding could exceed 80% at 60°C in which the concentrations of alkali, polymer, and surfactant ranged from 1,200 to 9,000 mg/L, 400 to 1,000 mg/L, and 200 to 800 mg/L, respectively. The simulative industrialized experiment of the ASP flooding produced emulsion was made, the dewatering efficiency was 99.6%, and the oil content of the produced water was less than 100 mg/L.