Demulsification of Light Malaysian Crude Oil Emulsions Using an Electric Field Method

Abstract

The creation of oil emulsions due to mechanical strength and natural surfactants during production is undesirable. The challenges associated with transporting and refining oil have led researchers to probe into practical demulsification methods. An in-depth understanding of crude oil rheology and operating conditions to treat emulsion is necessary. The main objective of the current study was to investigate the rheological behavior and demulsification rate of crude oil emulsions. The rheological behavior of a crude oil emulsion was studied by manipulating its temperature (30 °C–90 °C), shear rate (0.1–1000 s–1), and water volume fraction (20%, 30%, and 40%). For emulsions of various water content, the rheological studies followed the non-Newtonian shear thinning behavior, which was explained effectively by the Herschel–Bulkley model. Experimental results also indicated that the measured viscosity of emulsion decreased significantly with temperature, while increasing water volume fraction increased viscosity. The rates of demulsification of water in crude oil emulsion in direct current fields were investigated under various conditions by using an electrochemical cell. The separation rate of water increased along with the applied field, water content, and salt concentration. Results of this study indicated that emulsion separation was governed by the magnitude of the applied electric field as well as the type of electrode.

An Overview of Recent Advances in State-of-the-Art Techniques in the Demulsification of Crude Oil Emulsions

“…The authors concluded that crude oil demulsification using an alternating electric field was very effective for W/O emulsions. The rate of demulsification of W/O emulsions in direct current fields was reported by Mohammadian et al [143], who showed that the rate of water separation increased with the direct current fields. The authors concluded that the demulsification of crude oil emulsions was guided by the magnitude of the applied electric field and the type of electrode.…”

Trending approaches on demulsification of crude oil in the petroleum industry

“…Adding a demulsifier resulted in a better outcome compared to the addition of demulsifiers after emulsification. Moreover, a study was carried out to demulsified light Malaysian crude oil emulsion by utilizing electrical technique; there was undesirable production of crude oil emulsion through natural surfactants and mechanical strength [41]. Nevertheless, the problems emanating from refining oil and its transportation have propelled the use of practical demulsification techniques.…”

The Effect of H2S Pressure on the Formation of Multiple Corrosion Products on 316L Stainless Steel Surface

“…The solutions were added to an autoclave and deoxygenated by purging with nitrogen gas for two hours before the beginning of each experiment. All experiments were conducted at 60°C and pH 3.0 ± 0.5 to simulate the crude oil conditions in Southeast Asia especially around Malaysian region (30°C–90°C and pH 2–6) [ 9 ].…”