(137b) Water-Extractable Components from Heavy Crude

A new laboratory method, using a microwave oven to extract water soluble chloride from crude oils, has demonstrated excellent correlation with the ASTM D6470 method for measuring chloride in crude oils. This effort was undertaken to offer improved and quicker methods for determining refining desalter effectiveness. In an expansion of this initial work, further examination on the nature of the aqueous phase has been conducted. The pH, elemental content, weak acids content, and the total acid number of the crude oil (pre-and post-extraction) have been determined on selected crudes that are geographically distinct and cover a range of API gravities. This paper will present the results on the expanded study of the aqueous phase after the microwave extraction.