Demulsification of Basra Crude Oil using Chemical Demulsifier and Ultrasonic

Petroleum emulsions are considered one of the difficult problems in the oil industries because of the presence of high-salinity reservoir water with crude oil causes corrosion of pipes, insulators, tanks, and any vessel or tube through which the crude oil passes and salt is deposited on the surface of pipes from the inside, especially heater tubes, heat exchanger tubes, or others, causing many operational problems, such as the formation of coal inside heater tubes and the occurrence of cracks in them. From an economic standpoint, the water present with oil adds an operational burden to the installations, pipes, pumps, and tanks as a result of transporting and storing useless water. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical demulsifiers and ultrasonic techniques in demulsifying crude oil emulsions in Basra, where a simulated emulsion was prepared. Basra crude oil sample (29.6 API) was mixed with different percentages of distilled water (15, 30, and 50%) and 3% calcium, sodium and magnesium salts. The preparation process was carried out using a homogenizer with a mixing speed of 7000 rpm and a duration for 15 min. The effect of mixing speed on the stability of the emulsion was studied and then the emulsion was tested with several speeds (3000, 5000, and 7000 rpm) and its effect on the size of the water droplet dispersed in the emulsion. An advanced optical microscope was used to measure the volume of a water drop. Indirect ultrasound bath was used as a demulsification technique. The utilize of ultrasonic technology as a method for treating emulsions in crude oil is a new method and has not been applied so far in the oil industries, although it has not proven its efficiency in oil treatment processes, but it is considered a support method that has proven its worth as an aid to chemical treatment technology. In this study, the application of ultrasound waves (45kHz and 120Watt) and a study of their effect on the petroleum emulsion and then it was applied using it with a emulsifier EMBREAK* 2W157 and studying its effect with other factors such as temperature, acidity function, water percentage in emulsion, quantity of emulsifier, salt quantity. Then the separation efficiency reaching 96% for emulsion with water component 50 and 93% for emulsion with water component 30 and 91% for emulsion 15% and at a demulsifier dose of 12 ppm, when the emulsifier dose was increased, the separation rate increased, reaching 99% with a dose of 16 ppm. The effect of heat on the efficiency of the separation was studied, as the increase in temperature increased the proportion of separated water. While the increase in the percentage of salts in the emulsion gave the opposite result, as the highest separation efficiency was recorded in pure water, and the percentage began to decrease as the percentage of salt increased, finally the study concluded that the combination of chemical demulsifiers and ultrasonic techniques significantly enhances the separation efficiency of crude oil emulsions.