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    13 views5 pages

    Manual-Emulsion Breaking

    Uploaded by

    Muhammad Idris Sazali

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 5
    OILFIELD CHEMICALS TRAINING MANUAL PART2 ) 2. EMULSION BREAKING e 2.1 Problem The most important objective of any oil production facility is the separation of water and other foreign materials from the produced crude. The breaking of these “crude oil and water emulsions” constitutes one of the more challenging problems in today’s oil producing industry, During the productive life of an oil or gas well, a stage is reached when water will be co: produced in unacceptable quantities. This water coexists with the hydrocarbons in the reservoir and gradually infiltrates into the hydrocarbon bearing region of the formation. Eventually water becomes part of the production from the wells regardless of the method of recovery. Figure 1 shows a simplified view of how water may be produced. In the early life of the producing field some wells that are drilled close to the oil/water contact level will begin to produce water. Other wells drilled higher in the reservoir will produce dry oil. Later, as the oil in the reservoir becomes depleted and the water expands upward, the oil-water interface level rises until the wells higher in the reservoir begin to produce water. In some ‘ cases it is possible to exclude some or most of the water by plugging back the lower part of the wellbore with cement and perforating an interval higher up in the formation. This can at least delay water encroachment for a time. Secondary or tertiary recovery methods are another cause of water encroachment. These recovery methods are employed to increase the amount of oil recovered from the reservoir, and they involve many different techniques. A number of these methods require the injection of water or steam into the reservoir, and of course, the water is often produced again with the oil April 15, 1997 ‘Naleo/Exxon Energy Chemicals, LP. Emulsion Breaking _6 2.23.4 Age of Emulsion Crude oil emulsions are systems that are not in stable equilibrium. According to the laws } of thermodynamics, such systems change continually in an effort to attain equilibrium. As 2 result, emulsions increase in stability with age, which generally increases their resistance to dehydration. 2.3 Theories of Demulsification . There are many theories that have been advanced regarding the problem of resolving crude oil emulsions. Unfortunately, these are as diverse as the emulsions they concern and no one theory is equally applicable in all emulsions. qua? % 2.3.1 Reverse Phase ~ vent wt 0g In some cases, the breaking of emulsions has been based on the theory that the addition of a reagent which would produce an oil-in-water emulsion will break a water-in-oil emulsion by attempting to reverse the phases; and that in so acting, the intermediate condition of complete demulsification will be accomplished. Though this may sometimes be true, it is not always the case. 2.3.2. Rigid Film There is one school of thought that the emulsion breaking reagent may have the action of making the interfacial film rigid, or to convert it from a plastic, somewhat disterisible envelope, to a glass-like one which has a relatively low coefficient of expansion. When the enclosed water is expanded by heating, the envelope is shattered and the emulsion is broken, To extend this suggestion and assume that the reagent has not only the power of rigidifying the film but actually of contracting it slightly, is to supply an explanation of the efficacy of such reagents in the absence of heat, 23.3 pH Other schools of thought postulate that the emulsifier is rendered inactive by the addition of the demulsifier through neutralization, change in pH or loss of solubility. ¢ 2.3.4 Electronic Charge Still others believe that the emulsifying agents are polar bodies and function because of their electronic charges, and any disturbance of these charges by electron carrying molecules, will result in breaking the emulsion, 2.3.5 Temperature Another possible explanation of the great effect of small temperature increases in some cases is that such added heat is sufficient to cause a change of state in the film, ie converts it from a solid to a liquid and thereby affects its stability greatly. effects of reagents in thé'absence of added heat have been asserted to be de " their power to cause'such a change of state in the substance ‘comprising the dissolving it from the interface ‘April 15, 1997 Naleo/Exxon Energy Chemicals, LP. Emulsion Breaking _7 2.3.6 Surface Tension : The theory that petroleum emulsion breaking is caused by a reduction in surface tension is } Probably the most common. This phenomenon is often referred to without any suggestion as to what constituent is having its surface tension lowered. It is likewise generally predicated on a two-component system, whereas petroleum emulsions are definitely three- component systems. The reagents used may have the incidental effect of reducing the surface tension of either the water or the oil or both, but it is not identical with predicting any emulsion resolution on such reduction as a cause In any case, the most widely accepted general explanation is that the interfacial surface between the dispersed component and the continuous component is modified in some manner. It is generally recognized that the liquid having the greater surface tension will form the inner, or dispersed, phase. Hence, a change in the surface tension of either component could result in resolution, provided that the surface tension lowering is stopped short of the point of reversing the emulsion, woh ( 2.4 Treating Methods io tro mmc in ofeld ” es The factors involved in treating water-in-oil emulsions include: 4 omy 1. breaking the film surrounding the small water droplets and coalescing the droplets GQ \ to produce larger drops “= 2. settling the water drops during or after their coalescence Theoretically, all emulsions separate into oil and water if allowed to settle for an unlimited time, Much of the water produced with petroleum does separate without the assistance of heat, chemicals or other devices. However, the small water droplets in water-in-oil emulsions are usually surrounded by a tough film that gives the appearance of a plastic ‘wrap when viewed under a microscope. This film resists being broken, and until the film is broken, the water droplets do not merge together into coalescence (at least in any reasonable length of time). The higher the ALESSAY of a water-in-oil emulsion, the slower is the settling rate ofthe water in it, Thus, if the emulsion is at a low temperature, its viscosity i high, the < separation of water‘from the oil is slow. Also, the smaller the water droplets are in the oil, the longer it takes for them to separate out. In addition, if the difference in gravity between the oil and the water in the emulsion is not great (a small gravity differential), then their separation is slow, All the various treating practices are directed at increasing the size of the water droplets, increasing the gravity difference between the water and oil, and decreasing the viscosity of the oll. Therefore, heat, electricity, mechanical devices, chemicals and various combinations of them are normally required to cause the film around the water droplet to break and allow coalescence, resulting in improved dehydration, It should also be emphasized that no two oil field emulsions are alike. The progédures

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