(137a) Emulsion Characterization by Ultrahigh Resolution FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry

Water and oil emulsions are problematic in the petroleum industry due to the associated production losses and cost of breaking the emulsions with chemical additives. Previous high resolution mass spectrometric results have suggested that the acidic portion of interfacial material (IM) is enriched in specific O_x and SO_x species relative to the parent crude. Here we characterize the IM and a crude oil known to cause emulsions in the field at an unprecedented level of detail. Positive/negative electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization high resolution FT-ICR mass spectrometry highlights the basic, acidic and nonpolar species in the isolated interfacial material, parent crude and IM-depleted crude. Repeated emulsion generation, isolation of the interfacial material, and subsequent drying of the parent crude oil depletes the crude of the species that produce the stable interfacial material and provides insight into the types of species responsible for the interfacial material formation.