Increasing the Efficiency of Demulsification Treatment in Petroleum Industry Using a Multicomponent Demulsifier Package

Abstract

In this work, a multicomponent demulsifier package (named BDTXI) was developed for increasing the demulsification performance of the water-in-oil emulsions. Optimized demulsifier formulation consists of three active components (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, dodecyltriemthylammonium chloride, trioctylmethylammonium chloride), xylene, and isopropanol. A positive synergistic effect was observed among the active components of BDTXI. The concentrations of the components of the developed demulsifier package are determined based on obtaining the best synergistic effect. The demulsification efficiency of BDTXI was higher than commercial reagents at any concentration, water content, and temperature. The optimal concentration of BDTXI was 50 ppm, at which its demulsification effectiveness was more than 97%. The developed demulsifier package could adsorb at the oil-water interface, promote the colloidal dissolution of the emulsion layers, and form a hydrophilic surface characterized by a weak structural strength. The demulsification mechanism of BDTXI was based on minimizing the interfacial tension in order to be able to break the film and increase the frequency of droplet collisions. The change in the temperature and water content of the emulsions did not affect the demulsification performance of BDTXI. Moreover, the average reduction in the asphaltene flocculation parameter with the use of BDTXI and commercial reagents was about 19 and 11%. The results of the analysis of the backscattering light intensity, turbiscan stability index, zeta potential, and shear rate of the emulsions in the presence of various demulsifiers showed that BDTXI could separate the water in the emulsions more efficiently and faster than the commercial reagents.