(59f) Development of Nonionic Demulsifiers for Produced Water Treatment

In the realm of crude oil exploration in oilfields, managing water production poses a substantial challenge due to the prevalence of heavy emulsions, brought about by natural emulsifiers present in crude oil. The breaking of such emulsion is important before transporting the crude oil to refineries. This study investigate the emulsion-breaking capabilities of a freshly developed nonionic demulsifier. Its purpose is to efficiently separate oil and water by disrupting emulsifying agents. Demulsification efficiency (DE%) was assessed using the bottle test technique at both room and moderate temperatures, while rheological measurements were also conducted on emulsions before and after demulsification to validate the bottle test outcomes. The introduction of the newly developed nonionic demulsifier at various concentrations effectively broke the emulsion, resulting in water-oil separation. Remarkably, these cost-effective chemicals achieved demulsification efficiencies exceeding 95%. The rheological measurements demonstrated the migration of this nonionic demulsifier to the water-oil interface, where it interacted with and destabilized natural emulsifiers responsible for crude oil emulsion stability. Importantly, this research introduces a nonionic chemical demulsifier capable of treating emulsions produced in oilfields, efficiently separating oil and water into distinct phases.