A Newly Synthesized Hydrocarbon Based Chemical Demulsifier for the Treatment of Oil-Water Emulsion

Abstract This study investigated the demulsification efficiency (%DE) of a laboratory grown hydrocarbon based non-ionic demulsifier (ND) to disrupt stable crude oil emulsions into oil and water. Two different emulsions were formulated from oil to water ratios of 5:5 and 3:7, ND dosages of 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm were injected in the formulated emulsions to monitor oil/water separation examined at demulsification temperature of 85 °C using the bottle test method. Demulsification mechanism and destabilization kinetics of ND was assessed via bulk emulsion viscosity and Turbiscan determinations at 25 °C and 70 °C, respectively. The outcome of demulsification activities for emulsions derived from oil to water ratios of 5:5 and 3:7 revealed that ND caused oil/water separation across all the tested dosages with optimal %DE of 96% and 99.86% achieved at 100 ppm ND for the examined oil to water ratios. Viscosity determination as a function of time showed that the incorporation of 100 ppm ND in the formed emulsion replaced the emulsifying materials around the emulsion droplets which led to reduction in emulsion viscosity as compared to the viscosity of emulsion without ND. Destabilization kinetics of the produced emulsions analyzed by Turbiscan showed that emulsion without ND absorbed most of the transmitted light without any noticeable oil/water separation while increased passage of light signals across the entire scan were perceived in the emulsion filled with 100 ppm ND indicating light transmission through the separated water. It is envisaged that this new chemical demulsifier would be of immense benefit in the petroleum and petrochemical sectors.