Wet crude
processing
 

OIL DEHYDRATION
 

1. INTRODUCTION

3
 

Rarely is clean oil (produced from an oil

well ( ready for sale.

Generally, what comes out of the well is

a mixture of: 

  Oil,
  Water,
  Gas, and
  Sand or solid materiel

4
 

Foreign material, such as

 
water and sand 

must e separated from the oil and gas

efore they can e sold.

!his process is "nown as:

Oil !reating or Oil

#ehydration 
5
 

!he amount of this foreign material is

referred to as
  $S%W
 
($asic Sediment and Water, content of
the oil&

'ormally, the $S%W content must e 

less than .) * +ol. 

$efore the oil will e acceptale for sale
into a pipeline
6
 

Oil treating reuires a "nowledge

of emulsions.
water-in-oil emulsion
Oil-in-water emulsion

WaterinOil Oilin Separated

/mulsion Water  Oil % Water
7
 

The objective:
 

0s to separate the oil from the water, or

to rea" the emulsion.

Generally, the emulsion must e:

  1eated ,and
  /mulsion rea"ing chemical added

!o accomplish this.

8
 

2. EMULSIONS  

9
 

Water produced with oil in the form of:

  Free water and2or
  /mulsion (water mixed
oil&

0n an emulsion:
 
One of the liuids is spread out or
dispersed  (discontinuous phase& 
throughout the other  (continuous
phase&  in the form of small (tiny&
droplets.
10
 

0n most oil 3eld emulsions are waterin

oil emulsion.

When the opposite happens,  oilin

water emulsion  is formed in case of
high water cut.

/mulsions may e:

 
!ight (di4cult to rea"&
or 
5oose (easy to rea"&

#epending on the type  and amount  of

emulsifying agent present. 11
 necessary o a+e:
 

 !wo mutually immiscile liuid

 6n emulsifying agent 0n the form
of 
   Wor"o+er 7uids  Resins
   #rilling muds  Organic
acids
 Solid particles  Organic
ases
 8ara4ns  9etallic
salts
 6sphaltenes  olloidal
salts

 Su4cient agitation to disperse 12

 

su4cient agitation always occurs as

7uid ma"es its way into the

  Well ore 
(down hole pump or gas lift
+al+es&
;p the tuing (restrictions&
  !hrough the surface cho"e 
(pressure drop&

!he degree of agitation and the nature

and amount of emulsifying agent 
determine the staility of the emulsion
13
 

Flow Chokes/Valves
Regime
Bends in
pipework  Pumps

Well bore area -

perforations
Oil Bearing Formation

Potential Shear
o!rce 14
 

15
 

16
 

E"!lion. 3 
Ter"inolo#$ 

17
 

<. Standard or Regular /mulsion

water droplets are dispersed in a
continuous surrounding ody of
crude oil.
 
=. Re+ersed or 0n+erted /mulsion
oil droplets are dispersed in a
continuous water phase.

>. ;nstale or 5oose /mulsion 

water droplets are relati+ely large in
si?e.

@. Stale or !ight /mulsion

water droplets are small si?e.
18
 

 %. EMULSI&'IN(
 )(ENTS
 

19
 

/.6 is a sustance has a surfaceacti+e

eha+ior  that:
 
8romotes the formation, and
Staility of emulsion.
/.6 are collecting on the surface of
water droplets and forming a tough 3lm 
which "eeps the droplets from Aoining.

6n emulsi3er will tend to e  insolule 

in one of the liuid phases, it thus
concentrates at the interface.
20
 

!here are se+eral ways emulsi3ers wor"

to change a dispersion phase into an
emulsion. 

<.  0t decreases the interfacial

tension of the water droplet. (ausing
smaller droplets to form&. !a"e longer
time to coalesce into larger droplets
which would settle uic"ly.
 
=.  0t forms a +iscous coating on the
droplets  surface. (which "eeps them
from coalescing into larger droplets
when they collide& 
21
 

>.   !he emulsi3ers may e polar

molecules (which align themsel+es in
such manner as to cause an electrical
charge on the surface of the
droplets&

22
 

Stabilit$ o* the e"!lion  

!he following factors are aBecting in

emulsion formation and staility:

<. !he type and amount of emulsifying

agent,
=. !emperature history of the emulsion
(aBects the formation of para4n and
asphaltenes&,
>. !he speed of migration of the
emulsifying agent to the oil water
interface, and
@. !he eha+ior in terms of the strength
23
 

0n order to rea" an emulsion, the 3lm

must  e  neutrali?ed  or destroyed  y
using treatment methods.
!reating is usually done in the 3eld
using:
 
   Carious types of euipment
<. Freewater "noc"outs.
=. Separators.
>. 1eater treaters.
@. /lectrostatic treaters.
  6dding chemicals immediately
after oil is produced. 
24
 

+. DEMULSI&IERS

25
 

#emulsi3ers  act to neutrali?e the eBect

of emulsifying agents and are:
 
surfaceacti+e agents
!heir excessi+e use:
  an decrease the surface tension of
water droplets and actually create
more stale emulsion.
!end to promote oilinwater
emulsions.
 
Sold under +arious trade names such as 
!retolite, Cisco, $ra"sit, etc. 26
 

!here are four important actions

reuired of a demulsi3er:

  Strong attraction to the oil2water

interface,
Flocculation,
oalescence, and
Solid wetting. 

When these actions are present they

promote the separation of oil and water.

27
 

Stron# attraction to the oil,-ater

inter*ace
!he demulsi3er must  ha+e the aility to
migrate rapidly through the oil phase to
the droplet interface, where it must
compete with the more concentrated
emulsifying agent. 

!he demulsi3er must  ha+e an attraction

for droplets with a similar condition.

0n this way,  large clusters of droplets

gather  which, under a microscope,
appear li"e unches of 3sh eggs. 28
 

Oil 8hase Oil 8hase

Water Water Water Water

#roplet #roplet #roplet #roplet

Without #emulsi3er !reatment the With #emulsi3er !reatment the

8liale Film 6round the Water Film $ecomes $rittle and Ruptures when
#roplet Remains 0ntact when a ollision Occurs
a ollision Occurs

#emulsi3er hemicals
29
 

&locc!lation
6t this point, the emulsi3er 3lm is still
continuous.

0f the emulsi3er is wea", the 7occulation

force may e enough to cause
coalescence.

!he demulsi3er must therefore:

  'eutrali?e the emulsi3er, and

  8romote a rupture of the droplet
interface 3lm. 
30
 

he 8rocess of Flocculation and

oalescence
#roplets ha+e
strong attraction for
each other

$arrier is ro"en 
O65/S/'/
ta"es place
ontact is made 
F5O;56!0O'

Resultant larger water drop

31
 

Coalecence
With the emulsion in a 7occulated
condition, the 3lm rupture results and
causes coalescence in rapid growth of
water drop si?e.

32
 

Soli -ettin#
!he manner in which the demulsi3er
neutrali?es the emulsi3er depends upon
the type of emulsi3ers.

0ron sul3des, clays and drilling mudDs

can e waterwet causing them to lea+e
the interface and e diBused into the
water droplet. 

8ara4ns and asphaltenes  could e

dissol+ed or altered to ma"e their 3lms
less +iscous so they will made  oilwet 
and will e dispersed in the oil. 33
 

0t would e unusual if one

chemical structure could produce
all four desirale actions.

6 lend of compounds is therefore

used to achie+e the right alance
of acti+ity. 

34
 

De"!li/er Selection
!he demulsi3ers selection should e
made with the process system in mind.

0f the treating process is a settling tan", 

a relati+ely slowacting compound  can
e applied with good results.

0f the system is an electrochemical

process  where some of the 7occulation
and coalescing action is accomplished
y the electric 3eld, there is need for a
uic"acting compound.
35
 

De"!li/er Chan#e
  6s 3eld conditions change,
0f the process is modi3ed,
Seasonal changes ring para4n
induced emulsion prolems,
Wor"o+ers contriute to solid, and
6cid2ase contents which alters
emulsion staility.

0t can not e assumed that the

demulsi3er will always e satisfactory
o+er the life of the 3eld.
36
 

0. &)CTORS )&&ECTIN(
EMULSION RE)DO3N 

37
 

Di4erential Denit$ 6.1
0.2 5icoit$ 
0.6 Inter*acial Tenion
0.% 3ater Dro7 Si8e
0.+ Salinit$ o* the 3ater 
0.0 5ol!"e Percent o* the 3ater 
0.9 E"!li*$in# )#ent
0. )#e o* E"!lion
0.; )#itation
38
 

!he di4culty of separating the

emulsi3ed water from the oil
depends on the staility of the
emulsion, and

!he staility of the emulsion, in 

turn, is dependent on se+eral
factors. 

39