Crude Oil Emulsions Research Articles

Novel synthesized polymeric surfactants additives based on phenethylamine as an emulsion breaker for water droplet coalescence in naturally Egyptian crude oil emulsion

This work aims to prepare three non-ionic surfactants (DI, DII, and DIII) based on phenethylamine in different ratios of propylene oxide to ethylene oxide (PO/EO) in just two steps as novel polymeric additives to break down naturally crude oil emulsions. The first step was the propoxylation process followed by the ethoxylation process in the second step. FTIR, NMR, and mass spectroscopic techniques were used to validate their chemical composition, and gel permeation chromatography was used to determine their molecular weights. Their activities at the formation water/crude oil interface were inspected to study their adsorption by measuring the dynamic interfacial tension (IFT). Their relative solubility number (RSN), hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance (HLB), and partition coefficient (PC) were also assessed for the three prepared polymeric surfactants. The rheological properties of the dehydrated crude oil, untreated and treated crude oil emulsion were evaluated. The performance of synthesized polymeric emulsion breakers was reported at different concentrations. The demulsification mechanism was photoed using an optical polarizing microscope. Data of IFT, HLB, RSN, and PC participated in elucidating the demulsification performance of the prepared polymeric surfactants. This study showed that the highest coalescence rate of water droplets at 120 min and 500 ppm was achieved by DIII. Emulsion viscosity was reduced by as much as one order of magnitude and reached the oil viscosity in the presence of the DIII. The demulsifying mechanism was observed to go through three phases: adsorption & flocculation, coalescence & the creation of a channel, and separation.

Low‐Molecular‐Weight Polymer with CO2‐Switchable Surface Activity

AbstractThe introduction of external CO2 could reversibly convert tertiary amines into quaternary ammonium salts, enabling demulsification/emulsification switching of emulsions or latexes. However, CO2‐switchable oligomeric or low‐molecular‐weight polymeric surfactants are rarely researched. In this study, 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and stearyl methacrylate are chosen to synthesize a switchable oligomeric surfactant (OS). The conductivity of OS aqueous solution (0.2 wt%) increased from 14.0 to 329 μS cm−1 by adding and removing CO2, which proved a good performance of OS in response to the CO2 stimulus. The most important finding was that the crude oil emulsion containing OS was reversibly degraded and re‐formed by the alternate CO2 and N2 treatment. In contrast to that, the investigated PS latex system underwent apparent stratification after the N2 bubbling, but it regained a homogeneous phase upon the N2 bubbling. The particle size of PS latex varied between 245 nm and 130 μm, and zeta potential changed from −43.2 to −5.8 mV, which demonstrated that the PS latex stability might break and recover by addition and removal of CO2. This work is expected to open a new window for the CO2‐stimulated reversible emulsification of emulsions or polymer latexes.

Two effects of wax crystals on stabilizing water-in-oil emulsions

Research shows that the wax crystals precipitated in crude oil emulsions can not only form a three-dimensional network, but also be adsorbed at the oil-water interface, which prevents the coalescence of water droplets and thus enhances the stability of the water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. A deeper exploration on the crystallization behavior of wax crystals at the interface and the specific roles of wax crystals and droplets played during the network formation process in the W/O model oil emulsions was conducted in this study through interfacial experiments, microscopic observation and rheological measurement. The results show that the emulsifier can promote the crystallization of paraffin wax at the interface if the wax molecules are able to co-crystallize with the emulsifier. It helps to form an elastic interfacial film, preventing the water droplet coalescence. The droplets covered with wax crystals can participate in the network forming process and play a leading role. It is further discovered that the crystals formed by the binding of the wax molecules and the emulsifier molecules become spherical and not prone to overlap with each other. By contrast, no crystallization of paraffin wax will take place on the surface of droplets when there is no co-crystallization effect between the paraffin wax and the emulsifier. Under this circumstance, the wax crystals are slender and needle-like, and are easily overlapped with each other. As a result, the wax crystals play a dominant role in the network forming process.

Modelling the Visibility of Baltic-Type Crude Oil Emulsion Dispersed in the Southern Baltic Sea

This paper analyses the radiance reflectance modelling of a sea area and the case of a water column polluted with an oil emulsion in relation to various depths of the occurrence of an oil-in-water emulsion in all azimuth and zenith angles. For the radiance reflectance modelling, the simulation of large numbers of solar photons in water was performed using a Monte Carlo simulation. For the simulations, the optical properties of seawater for the open sea typical of the southern Baltic Sea were used and Petrobaltic-type crude oil (extracted in the Baltic Sea) was added. Oil pollution in the sea was considered for oil droplet concentrations of 10 ppm, which were optically represented by spectral waveforms of absorption and scattering coefficients, as well as by angular light scattering distribution determined using the Mie theory. The results of the radiance reflectance modelling in the whole spectrum of both angles, azimuth and zenith, allowed us to select 555 nm as the optimal wavelength for oil emulsion detection. Moreover, the parameter contrast was defined and determined using radiance reflectance results for eight light wavelengths in the range of 412-676 nm. The contrast is discussed in relation to the various thicknesses of polluted water layers. Changes in contrast for a thickness layer 5 m under the sea surface were noted, whereas for thicker layers the contrast remained unchanged.

Effect of non-ionic surfactants on the transport properties of an emulsified heavy oil

Recent studies in emulsion design are focused on developing systems that reduce the viscosity and interfacial tension of crude oils, to enhance heavy crude oil recovery.In this work, water-heavy crude oil emulsions (W/O) were evaluated at a ratio of 30/70 (w/w %); then, they were modified with three different non-ionic surfactants (viscosity reducers). The W/O/SAE10 emulsion at a 29/70/1 (w/w %) ratio was the most efficient in the heavy crude oil emulsification, improving its flow behavior, since this emulsion exhibits a Newtonian behavior with a viscosity of 150 cP at 35.0 °C. The interfacial tension analysis was carried out at atmospheric conditions. W/O/SAE10 emulsion exhibited interfacial tension values of 9.13 mN m−1, drop sizes of 150 to 200 nm and unimodal and polydispersed distributions. The addition of a non-ionic surfactant to the W/O emulsions showed a favorable effect on the rheological behavior, stress, droplet size, distribution, and transport properties of the emulsified systems.

Novel epigallocatechin gallate-based polyether surfactants: Synthesis, characterization and demulsification properties

Natural polyphenols such as tannins, procyanidins, and cardanol are widely used in the field of surface chemistry. To further explore the application of the other natural polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) derived from green tea was employed. EGCG is an ideal choice to achieve a hyperbranched surfactant. A precursor (EGA) was first obtained by the reaction among the EGCG, formaldehyde, and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). EGA surfactants were synthesized in the high-pressure kettle by anionic polymerization with EGA, propylene oxide (PO) and ethylene oxide (EO). The good consistency between the designed PO/EO ratios of EGA surfactants and the theoretical values were proved by 1H NMR spectra. The increase of micelle size with the increase of surfactant concentration and NaCl concentration was observed both by dynamic light scattering and TEM. Result shows EGA surfactants with higher absolute value of ∆G°ads and high interfacial activity have potential demulsification applications. As a result, toward aging oil emulsions of the South China Sea Oilfield, the surfactants exhibited excellent demulsification performance. The dehydration ratio reached 94.3% at a low concentration of 100 mgL−1 for 100 min at 70°C, while the commercial demulsifier SP169 only reached 86.9%. This emulsion could be dehydrated completely at even higher temperature at 80°C as well as higher dosage in 150 mgL−1. Meanwhile, the demulsification ratios of crude oil emulsions and aging oil emulsions produced from Bohai Oilfield reached 94.0% and 95.0%, respectively. Coming from the waste oil after demulsification, aging oil emulsions have more additives than crude oil emulsions, therefore the former is more stable. In addition to the above high interfacial activity, this excellent demulsification performance may result from the assistance of polyphenol structure and multiple branches of EGA surfactants. The demulsification of three above emulsions demonstrated that although there exist great differences in properties of emulsions, EGA surfactants exhibit the universality of efficient demulsification.

The demulsification of crude oil emulsion driven by a natural lotus leaf grafted with nano-SiO2

An environmentally friendly LLP@SiO2 demulsifier was prepared by coating nano-SiO2 on the natural lotus leaf powder (LLP) via a simple hydrothermal method. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscope (FT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS) and thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) were employed to characterize the demulsifier. The effect of the LLP@SiO2 dosage, temperature, settling time, pH value and salt concentration on the demulsifying process was studied in detail. The bottle test results showed that the demulsification efficiency (DE) reached 83.78% within 1 min when the dosage was 600 mg/L at 70 °C. The DE could increase to 91.91% if the settling time was prolonged to 60 min. The LLP@SiO2 demulsifier had excellent acid and salt tolerance, and the high salinity also could improve the demulsification performance. It showed that the DE could maintain at 91.91% even at strong acid condition of pH = 2 and it increased to 94.33% when the salinity was increased to 20,000 mg/L. In addition, the possible demulsification mechanism was systematically studied by the interfacial activity, interfacial tension (IFT), wettability and microexamination.

Imidazolium‐based poly(ionic liquid)s for demulsification of water in crude oil emulsions

Imidazolium‐based ionic liquids (ILs) and their corresponding poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) as powerful demulsifiers for water separation from the crude oil emulsions were used. Vinyl imidazolium‐based ILs were prepared and then polymerized according to the free radical homo‐polymerization. NMR and FT‐IR analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of ILs and their corresponding polymers. Demulsifying properties of different synthetic ILs, including [C12‐VIM][Br], [C10‐VIM][Br], [C8‐VIM][Br], [C6‐VIM][Br], [C4‐VIM][Br], and [Benzyl‐VIM][Br]) and their analogous poly(ionic liquid)s were evaluated and compared with each other. The influence of the important parameters on the emulsion breaking such as demulsifier concentration, the alkyl chain length of the synthesized demulsifiers, and the operating factors such as the stirring rate, stirring time, and temperature were investigated through the bottle test. Maximum dehydration efficiencies around 99.2% for [C12‐VIM][Br] at 400 ppm and 100% for P[C12‐VIM][Br] at 50 ppm were achieved after 4 hours at 70°C, 15 minutes stirring time, and 800 rpm stirring rate. After demulsification of the crude oil emulsions, the interfacial tension decreased from 22.18 ± 0.1 to 0.83 ± 0.2 mN/m for [C12‐VIM][Br] and from 20.18 ± 0.2 to 0.70 ± 0.2 mN/m for P[C12‐VIM][Br]. The average diameter of the water droplets increased from 2‐10 ± 0.63 to 30‐140 ± 0.51 for [C12‐VIM][Br] within 20 minutes. In addition, the residual water content decreased from 20% to 0.04% for [C12‐VIM][Br] within 24 hours.

Evaluation of triethanolamine-cashew nutshell liquid derivatives as crude oil emulsion breakers

Three bio-based crude oil emulsion breakers have been prepared from agricultural waste by chemical treatment of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) extract with triethanolamine via a one-pot reaction at 120 ℃. The triethanolamine-ester derivatives were characterized by Fourier Transform–InfraRed spectroscopy. Their effectiveness as crude oil emulsion breakers were investigated experimentally using the bottle test method. The effect of solvent type, water content, and concentration of the emulsion breaker, was used to study the demulsification process and determine their demulsification efficiency at a temperature of 60 ℃ for a contact time of 180 min. A commercial demulsifier, PhaseTreat 4633 (PT-4633) was used as a benchmark. Performance evaluation of the prepared emulsion breakers revealed their effectiveness in descending order as: triethanolamine dianacardate (TED) > triethanolamine trianacardate (TET) > triethanolamine anacardate (TEA). The data reveals that their emulsion breaking efficiency increases with increasing emulsion water content, and concentration. PT-4633 exhibited better demulsification efficiency than the triethanolamine-esters in xylene across the concentration and water content studied. Improved water separation was however observed for the triethanolamine-esters in butanol, as triethanolamine trianacardate (TET) performed better than PT-4633 at 10 ppm to 20 ppm at 30% water content with a water separation of 83.33% and 80% respectively. The evaluated triethanolamine ester derivatives exhibited better emulsion breaking potentials in butanol than xylene at shorter times, which may be due to the synergistic effect of butanol. Therefore, butanol could be used as a sustainable solvent substitute for xylene in demulsifier formulations.

In vitro lipolysis and physicochemical characterization of unconventional star anise oil towards the development of new lipid-based drug delivery systems

Lipid-based drug delivery systems are widely used for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, following oral intake, lipid excipients often undergo gastrointestinal lipolysis, which drastically affects drugs solubility and bioavailability. That's why developing new lipid excipients which are resistant to digestion would be of great interest. We studied here the potential role of the unconventional Chinese star anise whole seedpod oil (CSAO) as an alternative multifunctional lipid excipient. Pancreatic lipase-mediated digestion of the extracted crude oil emulsion was assessed in vitro. Pancreatic lipase, being a strict sn-1,3-regioselective lipase, showed a high (16-fold) olive oil to CSAO activity ratio, which could be attributed to fatty acids composition and triglycerides intramolecular structure. For the sake of comparison, the non-regioselective lipase Novozyme® 435 exhibited higher activity than pancreatic lipase on CSAO emulsion, perhaps due to its ability to release fatty acids from the internal sn-2 position of TAGs. Apart counteracting lipolysis, CSAO oil also showed additional biopharmaceutical benefits including moderate antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Altogether, these findings highlight for the first time the potential use of star anise unconventional whole seedpod oil as a multifunctional lipid excipient for the development of new lipid formulations.

Demulsification of a Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion with a Corn Oil Based-Demulsifier using the Response Surface Methodology: Modelling and Optimization

In this study, the Sany-glass test was used to evaluate the performance of a new surfactant prepared from corn oil as a demulsifier for crude oil emulsions. Central composite design (CCD), based on the response surface methodology (RSM), was used to investigate the effect of four variables, including demulsifier dosage, water content, temperature, and pH, on the efficiency of water removal from the emulsion. Besides, analysis of variance was applied to examine the precision of the CCD mathematical model. The results indicate that demulsifier dose and emulsion pH are two significant parameters determining demulsification. The maximum separation efficiency of 96% was attained at an alkaline pH and with 3500 ppm demulsifier. According to the RSM analysis, the optimal values for the input variables were 40% water content, 3500 ppm demulsifier, 60 °C, and pH 8.

Morphology and Rheology of Heavy Crude Oil/Water Emulsions Stabilized by Microfibrillated Cellulose

The application of microfibrillated cellulose and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to obtain heavy crude oil emulsions in water has been considered. First of all, the optimal concentration of cellulose...

Demulsification of water-in-crude oil emulsion using natural lotus leaf treated via a simple hydrothermal process

Looking for efficient, environmentally-friendly, and low-cost demulsifiers for the separation of oil–water emulsion is the goal of oil industry. In current work, natural lotus leaf was used as raw material to prepare a HLLF demulsifier by a simple hydrothermal method without the addition of any chemical reagent. The HLLF demulsifier was utilized to demulsify the water-in-crude oil (W/O) emulsions. Effect of the demulsifier dosage, settling time, temperature and treatment method of HLLF on the demulsification efficiency (DE) was investigated. Encouragingly, the demulsification of the W/O emulsions could occur quickly, and the optimal DE was up to 88.17% with 1000 mg/L of dosage and 90 min of settling time at 70℃. Besides, it could effectively demulsify two types of crude oil emulsions from different oilfields. The possible demulsification mechanism was systematically investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), three-phase contact angle (CA), dynamic interfacial tensions (IFT), self-assembly of interfacial film and microscopic analysis. The CA value for HLLF was 81.53° and its IFT was 25.65 mN/m with the dosage of 500 mg/L at room temperature. The prominent demulsification ability of HLLF was attributed to the micro-nano structure on its surface, which may soften or destroy the rigid interfacial film to enhance the film drainage. The finding suggests that HLLF is a promising demulsifier for the separation of W/O emulsion, which exhibits a great application prospect in oil industry.

Polydopamine-anchored polyether on Fe3O4 as magnetic recyclable nanoparticle-demulsifiers

Environmentally friendly and cost-efficient recyclable demulsifiers are critical for dewatering of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. Here, a novel facile synthesis of magnetic-recyclable demulsifiers is reported. Three kinds of commercial polyether demulsifiers (AE1910, SP169, and AR321) are used and anchored onto Fe3O4 nanoparticle surfaces using mussel-inspired polydopamine as an adhesive. Infrared spectra, transmission electron microscopy imaging, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction are employed. The results confirm successful polydopamine coating on nanoparticle surfaces (Fe3O4@PDA) and follow the binding of polyether demulsifiers (Fe3O4@PDA@AE1910). A water contact angle of 91.3° measured on Fe3O4@PDA@AE1910 indicates particle amphiphilicity for promising interfacial activity. A low interfacial tension (∼1.0 mN⋅ m−1) and a rapid adsorptive behavior are observed for the oil-water interface with the presence of Fe3O4@PDA@AE1910. The three kinds of nanoparticles report high demulsification efficiency of 98.00 %, 91.63 %, and 94.33 % for crude oil emulsions. They also record 98.25 %, 90.27 %, and 98.66 % for water/n-decane emulsions for Fe3O4@PDA@AE1910, Fe3O4@PDA@SP169, and Fe3O4@PDA@AR321, respectively. These nanoparticles can be magnetically recovered and reused. As high as 77.81 % remaining demulsification efficiency is reached after eight cycles of treating water/n-decane emulsion and three cycles of treating crude oil emulsions by using Fe3O4@PDA@AE1910. The findings indicate a promising application of polydopamine-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticle to prepare various magnetic recyclable nanoparticle demulsifiers in dewatering of W/O emulsions. Compared with previous reports, the synthetic process is simple, and the synthetic condition is temperate and environmentally friendly, which may advance the application of recyclable nano-demulsifiers in the oil field.

Demulsification of crude oil emulsion using carbonized cotton/silica composites

As a substitute for conventional oilfield chemicals, biomass-based composite materials have received extensive attention. In this study, degreasing cotton (DC) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as raw materials to synthesize carbonized cotton coated with SiO2 (CC@SiO2). CC@SiO2 was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray spectroscopy (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The effect of vital factors such as CC@SiO2 dosage, settling time and temperature on the demulsification performance was investigated. The optimal demulsification efficiency (DE) could reach 90.38% after demulsifying with 400 mg/L of CC@SiO2 at 65 ℃ for 120 min. The demulsification mechanism was studied by investigating the dynamic interfacial tension (IFT), interfacial activity and wettability. Additionally, the flocculation and aggregation of water droplets and separation of oil-water in emulsion were observed by the optical microscope. The current work indicates that CC@SiO2 is a simple, high-efficient demulsifier for the separation of the water-containing crude oil, which shows a good application prospect in oil industry.

Effect of in Situ Formed Emulsions on Enhanced Extra-Heavy Oil Recovery by Surfactant Flooding

Thermochemical flooding is becoming more popular nowadays as a subsequent EOR method after thermal recovery in extra-heavy oil reservoirs. During this process, in-situ emulsions could happen due to interfacial active components existing in heavy crude oil. The enhanced oil recovery is inevitably related with the formation of emulsions, which is one of the main mechanisms and deserves a thorough study. Also, the features of relative permeability curves during thermochemical flooding should be investigated further, because they are very important but usually are difficult to obtain since physical reactions could happen.Based on core-flooding experiments, combined with careful observation of produced crude oil emulsion morphology, this paper compared and analyzed the features of relative permeability curves and displacement efficiency at different conditions, and the mechanisms of extra-heavy oil production by surfactant displacement is then investigated. The surfactant used are provided by the oilfield at a varied mass fraction of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% and under temperature of 100, 150 and 180 °C. The relative permeability data were processed with JBN method.The experimental results show that both the oil and water relative permeability increase as the temperature increases. As surfactant concentration increases, the relative permeability of the aqueous phase decreases as opposite to oil. The ultimate recovery increased with the increase of temperature and surfactant concentration. Except for the oil viscosity reduction by surfactant, it is interesting to note that the formation of crude oil emulsions (mainly O/W emulsions) are observed to be positively impacting the oil recovery factor. As surfactant concentration increases, larger size of dispersed phase in the emulsions were observed in the effluent corresponding to a higher oil recovery factor. This work is of great significance for heavy oil research and field development.

Effect of sodium fluosilicate particles in acidification flowback fluid on emulsification stability of crude oil

Emulsification in the flowback fluid after the acidification of oil wells is too severe to be treated by electric dehydration. To study the emulsification mechanism of acidified flowback fluid, an emulsion of acidified crude oil was prepared according to the conventional treatment process of oil-well acidification. Fine white solid particles were formed after the neutralization of residual acid by NaOH. The main component of the white solid particles was sodium fluosilicate, as determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The particle size range was measured and observed by laser particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, with the smallest observed particle size being ~1 μm. Then, based on the actual conditions of acidized oil wells, the drainage capacity of different solid particles in the crude oil emulsion was evaluated. The results showed that the emulsion with sodium fluosilicate particles added in the intermediate layer was the most stable, indicating that sodium fluosilicate was the main factor hindering the treatment of acidification flowback liquid. In addition, when the gum and asphaltene contents in the crude oil sample are high, the maximum voltage of the emulsion can be increased by appropriately increasing the experimental temperature, thus improving the effect of electric dehydration.

Fabrication of New Demulsifiers Employing the Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate and their Demulsification Efficiency for Heavy Crude Oil Emulsions.

Two novel amphiphilic polyethylene amine terephthalate have been prepared via the glycolsis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The product, bis (2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET), was converted to the corresponding dialkyl halide, bis(2-chloroethyl) terephthalate (BCET), using thionyl chloride (TC). This dialkyl compound was used for alkylation of dodecyl amine (DOA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) or pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) to form the corresponding polyethylene amine terephthalate, i.e., DOAT and DOAP, respectively. Their chemical structure, surface tension, interfacial tension (IFT), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were determined using different techniques. The efficiency of the prepared polyethylene amine terephthalate to demulsify water in heavy crude (W/O) emulsions was also determined and found to increase as their concentrations increased. Moreover, DOAT showed faster and higher efficiency, and cleaner separation than DOAP.

Effects of secondary emulsification of ASP flooding produced fluid during surface processes on its oil/water separation performances

Effects of secondary emulsification of field ASP flooding produced fluid by centrifugal pumps and electrostatic field on its oil/water separation performances were evaluated. Secondary emulsification of certain ASP flooding produced fluid with high surfactant content by centrifugal pumps drastically downgraded its oil/water separation performances, increasing the residual water-cuts after 24h static settling at 60 °C respectively by 70% for original o/w emulsion and 1080% for w/o emulsion. Certain w/o emulsion produced by ASP flooding with high surfactant content was susceptible to secondary emulsification in high strength electrostatic field with up to 660% increase of residual water-cut after 24h static settling at 60 °C. Mechanisms governing the effects of secondary emulsification on the oil/water separation performances of ASP flooding produced fluid were discussed. In comparison with produced fluid by water flooding and polymer flooding, the oil/water interfacial tension in ASP flooding produced fluid is much lower, making oil droplets in water and water droplets in oil significantly more sensitive to shear and high strength electrostatic field. Energy dissipation rate, surfactant content and the volume ratio of dispersed phase in the emulsion were identified to be the most important factors affecting the secondary emulsification of ASP flooding produced fluid in turbulent flow. Water in oil emulsion extracted from high water-cut o/w or w/o/w ASP flooding produced fluid was found to have significantly higher water phase surfactant content than the original crude oil emulsion and is much more susceptible to secondary emulsification in turbulent flow than the original reverse emulsion. Surfactant content, content of dual wettability micron and submicron sized particles and the strength of electrostatic field were found to be major factors affecting the secondary emulsification of ASP flooding produced w/o emulsion in AC electrostatic field. As interfacial tension between oil and water in w/o emulsion produced by ASP flooding can be 1 to 2 orders lower than that in the w/o emulsion produced by water flooding and polymer flooding, strength of electrostatic field in electrostatic treaters has to be optimized as per the surfactant content in the ASP flooding produced w/o crude oil emulsion they treat.

Dehydration of heavy crude oil emulsions using novel imidazolium-based poly ionic liquids

Sea water/ heavy crude oil emulsions are highly stable and cause serious industrial problems. Amphiphilic poly ionic liquids (ILs) as environmentally safe chemicals can be used as highly efficient demulsifiers to for W/O emulsions. In the present work, two imidazolium-based poly ionic liquids (IMPIL-1 and IMPIL-2) were prepared via one pot modified Debus-Radziszewski reaction by the interaction of triethylenetetramine or diethylenetriamine with glyoxal and formaldhyde in aqeous acetic acid solution. The prepared PILs were after that reacted with glycidyl 4-nonylphenyl ether through the epoxy ring opening to produce two amphiphilic PILs. 1HNMR, DLS and drop shape analyzer were utilized to verify their chemical structures and surface properties of the prepared PILs. The surface properties of AIMPIL-1 and AIMPIL-2 and their ability to reduce the IFT of sea water/ crude oil interface recommended their application as demulsfiers for W/O emulsions. Factors affecting the demulsification properties like relative solubility index, Demulsifier dose and separation time were investigated. The results confirmed the high efficiency of AIMPIL-1 and AIMPIL-2 to act as demulsifiers for W/O emulsions with a priority to the less aminated AIMPIL-1 that reached 100% for emulsion compositions (30/70 and 10/90 vol%).