Cited by 57Petroleum Processing and AnalysisSurfactants and Colloidal SystemsEnhanced Oil Recovery Techniques

Emulsion Stabilization, Breaking, and Inversion Depends upon Formulation: Advantage or Inconvenience in Flow Assurance

Abstract

Emulsion type and stability are directly linked to the physicochemical formulation, which controls the interfacial interactions of the surfactant with the oil and water phases. During petroleum production processes, emulsions have to be stabilized, broken, or inverted and the formulation has to be adjusted to attain the required property. This is, in particular, the way to reach a proper rheology that insures the flow. If the formulation is not controlled, unwelcome changes, such as phase inversion, can take place and plug the porous medium or the pipeline through which a multiphase system is transported. Three specific cases still under development are discussed as critically depending upon formulation: displacement in porous medium during surfactant flooding for enhanced oil recovery, heavy crude oil emulsified transport in the pipeline, and control of the gas hydrate slurry in deep subsea transportation.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1021/ef3001604

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25 of 25 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The optimum condition for demulsification is when the HLD is 0.

    “The optimum condition for demulsification is when the HLD is 0.”
  • The usual technique to dehydrate crude oil is to break the W/O emulsion by adding a hydrophilic demulsifier surfactant that migrates at the drop interface and combines with the natural surfactants to attain an exact HLD = 0 mixture formulation.

    “The usual technique to dehydrate the crude oil is to break the W/O emulsion by adding a hydrophilic demulsifier surfactant that migrates at the drop interface and combines with the natural surfactants to attain an exact HLD = 0 mixture formulation (Salager and Forgiarinni, 2012).”
  • A lower RSN (less water soluble) demulsifier works better than a demulsifier with high RSN in resolving the emulsion for a crude oil with high asphaltene content.

    “Both references support the result that a lower RSN (less water soluble) demulsifier works better than a demulsifier with high RSN in resolving the emulsion for a crude oil with high asphaltene content.”
  • To promote good destabilization at the interfacial phase, the demulsifier must competitively adsorb at the interface, remove, and break up the asphaltenic aggregates and reduce the interfacial tension between the hydrocarbon aqueous phases and hence facilitate droplet coalescence kinetics.

    “To promote good destabilization at the interfacial phase, the demulsifier must competitively adsorb at the interface, remove, and break up the asphaltenic aggregates and reduce the interfacial tension between the hydrocarbon aqueous phases”

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Authors
Salager, J.-L., & Forgiarini, A. M.
Affiliations
Universidad de Los Andes (VE)
Corresponding author
  • Salager, Jean-Louis
  • Forgiarini, Ana María
Venue
Energy & Fuels
Published
2012-04-11
Volume
26
Issue
7
Pages
4027-4033
ISSN
  • 0887-0624 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-5029
OpenAlex
W2316393129
Cited by
57
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2
FWCI
3.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Energy & Fuels (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Analytical Chemistry › Petroleum Processing and Analysis
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Surfactants and Colloidal Systems
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Ocean Engineering › Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques
Keywords
emulsion stabilization, demulsification, phase inversion, surfactant formulation, interfacial interactions, flow assurance, rheology, surfactant flooding, enhanced oil recovery, pipeline transport, multiphase flow

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