Oil emulsions and the different recent demulsification techniques in the petroleum industry-A review

Abstract

The emulsions are formed during the production of crude oil, which is often accompanied by water. These emulsions are undesirable and should treat to remove the dispersed water and accompanying inorganic salts. so, many researchers have over the years focused to probe of the appropriate demulsification techniques in the petroleum sector in order to meet production and transportation requirements, and to reduce corrosion and catalyst poisoning and to maximize the overall profitability of the crude oil production. Therefore, this study presents an overview of the emulsions, formation, classification, Stability, and properties. practical demulsification techniques in the petroleum sector, including chemical, microwave irradiation, biological, thermal, membrane, electrical, and ultrasonic techniques for both oilfield and synthetic emulsions. Amongst these techniques, chemical demulsification has been the most widely applied and reported in the literature. Moreover, a more effective demulsification process could be attained by leveraging synergistic effects by combining one or more of these techniques.