Experimental investigation of demulsification performance of PKOL-D in crude oil in Niger Delta

This study analyzed the demulsification performance of two conventional demulsifiers (oil-soluble and water-soluble polymeric) against a novel bio-derived palm kernel and olive oil demulsifier (PKOL-D) synthesized from locally sourced oils across different emulsion conditions. Four crude oil samples with varying properties were used - three being emulsified with 45,000 ppm NaCl brine in 1:1 oil/water ratio and one natural oilfield emulsion. The demulsifiers were tested at 5 and 25% dosages under 28°C and 60°C temperatures using static bottle tests to determine key factors like viscosity, polarity, pH and salt content. The results showed improved separation with higher temperature for all demulsifiers and samples. At 60°C, the oil-soluble demulsifier achieved over 80% separation of the highly viscous/polar sample, versus lower effectiveness for less viscous samples. The bio-demulsifier had moderate performance from 65-83% under optimal cases but did not demonstrate substantial advantages over the polymers. Water pH and salt content provided insights on emulsion stability mechanisms. Overall, the research systematically established the influence of critical factors like temperature, crude oil properties, water chemistry and demulsifier solubility on performance. While locally sourced bio-demulsifiers show promise, further interfacial characterization and molecular tailoring is needed to improve their effectiveness across the wide variety of crude oil emulsions encountered in Niger Delta fields. Key words: Demulsifier, emulsion, crude oil, water separation, water-soluble.