Uses in Petroleum Technology

Defoamers are used in oil extraction, such as in drilling muds and cementation, and also directly with crude oil itself. In its natural state, a crude oil contains dissolved gases at the pressure of the reservoir. When the pressure is reduced, the gases are liberated and troublesome foam can develop. There are three ways to prevent foaming in gas-oil separation  

Based on prior knowledge of crude oil foaming properties, a separator large enough to cope with foam formation may be installed. 

The gas-oil separator can be equipped with a mechanical device to destroy or prevent a presumptive foam. 

Understanding the factors that inhibit the foaming power is of great importance, because it yields a basic knowledge— how the materials produced will perform with respect to foaming. It also serves to predict how individual crude oil compositions would work with different defoamers [301]. 

Desulfurization of natural gas can be achieved by bubbling it through an alkaline solution. Defoamers are added to avoid foaming. 

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The extent of fluid loss is dependent on the porosity and thus the permeability of the formation and may reach approximately 10 t/hr. Because the fluids used in petroleum technology are in some cases quite expensive, an extensive fluid loss may not be tolerable. Of course there are also environmental reasons to prevent fluid loss. 

CAS 13762-14-6. CoMo04. A molybdenum catalyst (a gray-green powder) used in petroleum technology, in reforming and desulfurization. 

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