Demulsifier breakers

At the refinery, before distillation, the salt content is often further reduced by a second emulsification with freshwater, followed by demulsification. Crude oils with high salt contents could lead to breakdowns and corrosion at the refinery. The object of using an emulsion breaker, or demulsifier, is to break the emulsion at the lowest possible concentration and, with little or no additional consumption of heat, to bring about a complete separation of the water and reduce the salt content to a minimum. 

There are oil-soluble demulsifiers and water-soluble demulsifiers, the latter being widely used. Emulsions are variable in stability. This variability is largely dependent on oil type and degree of weathering. Emulsions that have a low stability will break easily with chemical emulsion breakers. Broken emulsions will form a foamlike material, called rag, which retains water that is not part of the stable emulsions. The most effective demulsifier must always be determined for the particular emulsion. 

Selection of a suitable chemical emulsion breaker and dosage is crucial. A particular demulsifier may be effective and efficient for one emulsion yet entirely unsatisfactory for another. Contemporary demulsifiers are formulated with polymeric chains of ethylene and propylene oxides of alcohol, alkyl phenols, amino compounds, and resinous materials that have hydroxy acceptor groups. Each of these polymers is carefully formulated to yield a molecule with a particular affinity for water. Demulsifier dosage is also important excessive demulsifier addition can inhibit the efficiency of emulsion breakdown. 

Uses Emulsion breaker and demulsifier in the reduction of sludge, the elimination of viscous oil/water interfaces, and the wafer-wetting of entrained solids in the treatment of tank bottoms, waste oils, low gravity crudes and high solids emulsions... 

Uses Cone, dispersant for water-welling solids, demulsifier fonnulalions emulsifier in emulsion breaker fonnulalions... 

Emulsions can be resolved or broken thermally and/or chemically. When we chemically resolve an emulsion, we use a demulsifier or emulsion breaker. These two names are used interchangeably and describe the same chemical. Chemical demulsifiers sold under various trade names, such as Tretolite, Visco, Breaxit, etc., are highly useful in resolving emulsions. Demulsifiers act to neutralize the effect of emulsifying agents. Typically, they are surface-active agents and thus their excessive use can decrease the surface tension of water droplets and actually create more stable emulsions. In addition, demulsifiers for water-in-oil emulsions tend to promote oil-in-water emulsions therefore, excessive chemical use may cause water treating problems. 

Emulsion breakers for water-in-oil emulsions, also known as destabilizers or demulsifiers, are oil-soluble and are added to the total... 

Oil-in-water emulsions can be broken by "reverse emulsion breakers," which are special destabilizers or demulsifiers. These are similar to the conventional emulsion breakers except that they are water-soluble. Reverse emulsion breakers are generally injected into the water stream after the first oil-water separation vessel. Typical concentrations are in the 5- to 15-ppm range, and over-treating should be avoided because these chemicals can stabilize an emulsion. 

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