Electrostatic destabilization of water-in-crude oil emulsions: Application to a real case and evaluation of the Aibel VIEC technology

Less, Simone; Hannisdal, Andreas; Bjørklund, Erik; Sjöblom, Johan

doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2008.03.004

Cited by 62 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…However, nowadays one of the most effective and utilized method from viewpoint of energy efficiency is electrostatic demulsification. The combination of high energy efficiency, since it permits a reduction of the use of heat, and also the fact that it avoids the use of chemical demulsifiers makes this technique environmentally friendly [18][19][20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electro-coalescence of water drops in oils under pulsatile electric fields

Mousavi

Ghadiri

Buckley

2014

Chemical Engineering Science

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For the separation of disperesed water drops from oils an electric field may be used to enhance their coalescence. However, this process could cause some undesirable phenomena such as secondary droplets formation, reducing the separation efficiency. Here the effect of pulsatile electric fields (PEF) on the secondary droplets formation has been investigated. In the presence of a very low frequency PEF or DC electric field three distinct drop-drop and drop-interface interaction patterns are observed: complete coalescence, partial coalescence and rebound without coalescence. The first is the ideal pattern not leaving any secondary droplets. It has previously been shown that an increase in the electric field strength and/or a decrease in the interfacial tension result in non-ideal patterns in dropinterface coalescence. The application of PEF shifts the coalscence pattern from a non-ideal to an ideal one in both drop-drop and drop-interface coalescences. Three waveform types, i.e. square, sinusoidal and sawtooth waves have been applied to the coalescence process. It is shown that the sawtooth waveform is the most effective in reducing the secondary droplets formation in dropinterface coalescence, followed closely by the sinusoidal one. The observation of videos sequences suggests that a threshold frequency exists above which a non-ideal pattern switches to an ideal one. For drop-drop coalescence this threshold frequency depends on the PEF amplitude and the size of primary drop pairs, as for bigger primary drop pairs and larger amplitudes of PEF the threshold frequency would be higher. When using pulsatile electric fields higher field strengths can be applied for systems having a high water content without causing field breakdown, as compared to constant DC field. This is useful in optimizing the electro-coalescence process.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electro-coalescence of water drops in oils under pulsatile electric fields

Mousavi

Ghadiri

Buckley

2014

Chemical Engineering Science

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“…The sedimentation rate of the water droplets is controlled by the terminal velocity of the smallest drops. Therefore, the only way to speed up the separation process is to force small water droplets to coalesce into larger ones by applying electric field [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Study of the Collision and Coalescence of Water Droplets in an Electric Field

Mohammadi

Shahhosseini

Bayat³

2013

Chem Eng & Technol

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The coalescence of binary water droplets in oil exposed to an external electric field is simulated using a model including both electrostatic and hydrodynamic sections. Available mathematical models for electric dipole-dipole force are presented in the first part of the model. Volume of Fluid approach is applied in the second part of the model. The simulation results were in good agreement with the published experimental observations. The results indicated that an improvement in electrocoalescence speed could be achieved. It was also revealed that the skew angle of the electric field, the oil viscosity, and the initial drops distance influence the electrocoalescence. Moreover, a correlation was developed to predict electrocoalescence kinetic as a function of the participant parameters.

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“…Additionally, the electric fields promote the quick fusion of small water droplets into larger ones. The deformation and elongation of the droplets result in rapid coalescence [136]. Although electrical demulsification has been deemed a substitute for thermal and chemical demulsification, the method for adapting the technique to different emulsions with varying properties is not fully understood [137].…”

Section: Electrical Demulsificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2019

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The processing of crude oil often requires the extraction of a large amount of water. Frequently, crude oil is mixed with water to form water-in-crude oil emulsions as the result of factors such as high shear at the production wellhead and surface-active substances that are naturally present in crude oil. These emulsions are undesirable and require demulsification to remove the dispersed water and associated inorganic salts in order to meet production and transportation specifications. Additionally, the demulsification of these crude oil emulsions mitigates corrosion and catalyst poisoning and invariably maximizes the overall profitability of crude oil production. Recently, there has been growing research interest in developing workable solutions to the difficulties associated with transporting and refining crude oil emulsions and the restrictions on produced water discharge. Therefore, this paper reviews the recent research efforts on state-of-the-art demulsification techniques. First, an overview of crude oil emulsion types, formation, and stability is presented. Then, the parameters and mechanisms of emulsification formation and different demulsification techniques are extensively examined. It is worth noting that the efficiency of each of these techniques is dependent on the operating parameters and their interplay. Moreover, a more effective demulsification process could be attained by leveraging synergistic effects by combining one or more of these techniques. Finally, this literature review then culminates with propositions for future research. Therefore, the findings of this study can help for a better understanding of the formation and mechanisms of the various demulsification methods of crude oil to work on the development of green demulsifiers by different sources.

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Electrostatic destabilization of water-in-crude oil emulsions: Application to a real case and evaluation of the Aibel VIEC technology

Cited by 62 publications

References 7 publications

Electro-coalescence of water drops in oils under pulsatile electric fields

Electro-coalescence of water drops in oils under pulsatile electric fields

Numerical Study of the Collision and Coalescence of Water Droplets in an Electric Field

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

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