JAFE Volume 5, Number 1, 68-75, 2018

Demulsification of Crude Oil Emulsion Using Xylene, Polyhydric Alcohol (Glycerol), and Tri-ethanol Amine (TEA)

Ebikapaye Jeffery Peretomode

ABSTRACT
Water in oil emulsions occur at many stages in the production and treatment of crude oil. The breaking down of these emulsions is a very important aspect in the petroleum industry as the formation of emulsion can cause serious problems in the production and transportation of crude oil. This study examined the efficacy of using three chemical agents, xylene, polyhydric alcohol (glycerol), and triethanol amine (TEA) in the demulsification of crude oil emulsions. Results from this study show that glycerol and TEA were able to remove as much as 72.00% (from Well B) and 70.25% (from Well B) of water from crude oil/water emulsions in 72 hours respectively as against a maximum average of 65.70% water removed by xylene from three oil wells. Glycerol was the most active demulsifier and specifically in well B with 72.00% water removed in 720 minutes. Glycerol and TEA were therefore better demulsifiers than Xylene. The amount of water separated from crude oil increased with time.

KEYWORDS :

Oil emulsion; xylene, tri-ethanol amine, glycerol, demulsification

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