Overview on petroleum emulsions, formation, influence and demulsification treatment techniques

Abstract The most challenging aspect in petroleum industry is high produced water accompanying crude oil extraction. In modern days, environmental attention has become very significant due to large quantity of produced water. Produced water in crude oil extraction consists of a mixture of several compounds, including inorganic, organic and other elements. The elements in produced water have a wide environmental influence and sometimes cause poisonous impact on sounded area. Meanwhile, there are several techniques to treat produced water. However, a major part of produced water is an emulsion and this leads to a major problem associated with crude oil treatment and transport. At the same time, limitations in treatment techniques for produced water have been demanding researchers to investigate on demulsification techniques for several years. Researchers also noted that there are a lot of elements influencing emulsion stability and interfacial film, including asphaltenes, resins, solid particles, water and oil content, PH, etc. However, one of the techniques that has received attention in enhanced oil recovery is a chemical method by using surface active agents (surfactant).

[1]  Alexandre B. de Carvalho,et al.  Viscosity of Water-in-Oil Emulsions from Different American Petroleum Institute Gravity Brazilian Crude Oils , 2018 .

[2]  P. Luckham,et al.  Dewatering of crude oil emulsions 2. Interfacial properties of the asphaltic constituents of crude oil , 1993 .

[3]  A. Firoozabadi,et al.  Functional Molecules and the Stability of Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsions , 2017 .

[4]  S. Kokal,et al.  Emulsion Separation Index: From Laboratory to Field Case Studies , 2000 .

[5]  M. Elektorowicz,et al.  Effect of electrical potential on the electro-demulsification of oily sludge. , 2006, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[6]  B. Chon,et al.  Viscosity of the oil-in-water Pickering emulsion stabilized by surfactant-polymer and nanoparticle-surfactant-polymer system , 2014, Korea-Australia Rheology Journal.

[7]  I. Rahimian,et al.  Influence of the crude oil resin/asphaltene ratio on the stability of oil/water emulsions , 1999 .

[8]  B. Binks,et al.  Effects of the density difference between water and oil on stabilization of powdered oil-in-water emulsions. , 2014, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[9]  K. Edwards,et al.  Vesicle Solubilization by Alkyl Sulfate Surfactants: A Cryo-TEM Study of the Vesicle to Micelle Transition , 1996 .

[10]  Merv Fingas,et al.  Formation of water-in-oil emulsions and application to oil spill modelling. , 2004, Journal of hazardous materials.

[11]  M. S. Kamal,et al.  Polymeric Surfactants and Emerging Alternatives used in the Demulsification of Produced Water: A Review , 2018 .

[12]  S. Derkach.  Rheology of emulsions. , 2009, Advances in colloid and interface science.

[13]  J. Sjöblom,et al.  Chemical Destabilization of Crude Oil Emulsions: Effect of Nonionic Surfactants as Emulsion Inhibitors , 2009 .

[14]  G. P. Canevari.  The formulation of an effective demulsifier for oil spill emulsions , 1982 .

[15]  Ståle Johnsen,et al.  The Environmental Impact Factor - a proposed tool for produced water impact reduction, management and regulation , 2000 .

[16]  J. A. Ajienka,et al.  Formulation of best-fit hydrophile/lipophile balance-dielectric permittivity demulsifiers for treatment of crude oil emulsions , 2016 .

[17]  M. Çelik,et al.  Ultrafine coal dewatering: Relationship between hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB) of surfactants and coal rank , 2014 .

[18]  R. A. Guarnieri,et al.  Rheological Properties of Water-in-Brazilian Crude Oil Emulsions: Effect of Water Content, Salinity, and pH , 2018, Energy & Fuels.

[19]  T. Tadros,et al.  Application of rheology for assessment and prediction of the long-term physical stability of emulsions. , 2004, Advances in colloid and interface science.

[20]  M. Abdel-raouf,et al.  Propylene oxide-ethylene oxide block copolymers as demulsifiers for water-in-oil emulsions, I. Effect of molecular weight and hydrophilic-lipophylic balance on the demulsification efficiency , 1996 .

[21]  Tobias Bachmeier,et al.  Handbook Of Surfactants , 2016 .

[22]  G. Chen,et al.  Produced water treatment technologies , 2014 .

[23]  C. J. Álvarez,et al.  Reducing Pressure Drop in Offshore Pipelines by Controlling the Viscosities of Pressurized Emulsions , 2003 .

[24]  Xiangfeng Zhang,et al.  Demulsification performance, behavior and mechanism of different demulsifiers on the light crude oil emulsions , 2018 .

[25]  R. Varadaraj,et al.  Molecular Origins of Crude Oil Interfacial Activity. Part 4: Oil–Water Interface Elasticity and Crude Oil Asphaltene Films , 2012 .

[26]  S. Rocha,et al.  Encapsulation of essential oils in SiO2 microcapsules and release behaviour of volatile compounds , 2014, Journal of microencapsulation.

[27]  Peter K. Kilpatrick,et al.  Effects of Asphaltene Solvency on Stability of Water-in-Crude-Oil Emulsions , 1997 .

[28]  D. Thompson,et al.  Emulsification and demulsification related to crude oil production , 1985 .

[29]  Brendan F. Graham,et al.  Emulsion Inhibiting Components in Crude Oils , 2008 .

[30]  C. Rodríguez-Abreu,et al.  Recent advances in multiple emulsions and their application as templates , 2016 .

[31]  P. Luckham,et al.  Dewatering of crude oil emulsions 3. Emulsion resolution by chemical means , 1994 .

[32]  Mohammadi Ali,et al.  The role of asphaltenes, resins and other solids in the stabilization of water in oil emulsions and its effects on oil production in Saudi oil fields , 2000 .

[33]  A. Bera,et al.  Synergistic Effect of Surfactant and Salt Mixture on Interfacial Tension Reduction between Crude Oil and Water in Enhanced Oil Recovery , 2014 .

[34]  H. Rønningsen,et al.  Water-in-crude oil emulsions from the Norwegian continental shelf 10. Ageing of the interfacially active components and the influence on the emulsion stability , 1995 .

[35]  H. Yarranton,et al.  Characterization and Interfacial Behavior of Oil Sands Solids Implicated in Emulsion Stability , 2004 .

[36]  Rodney R. Reynolds,et al.  Produced Water and Associated Issues , 2003 .

[37]  B. E. Chistyakov.  6. Theory and practical application aspects of surfactants , 2001 .

[38]  M. Rondón,et al.  Breaking of Water-in-Crude-Oil Emulsions. 3. Influence of Salinity and Water−Oil Ratio on Demulsifier Action , 2009 .

[39]  Alexandre Goldszal,et al.  Demulsification of Crude Oil Emulsions: Correlation to Microemulsion Phase Behavior , 2000 .

[40]  R. Santelli,et al.  Direct determination of manganese in produced waters from petroleum exploration by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry using Ir-W as permanent modifier. , 2011, Talanta.

[41]  S. Jafarirad.  Innovative amphiphilic cellulose nanobiostructures: Physicochemical, spectroscopic, morphological, and hydrophilic/lipophilic properties , 2017 .

[42]  M. C. Law,et al.  A Review on the Effects of Emulsions on Flow Behaviours and Common Factors Affecting the Stability of Emulsions , 2015 .

[43]  C. E. Perles,et al.  Study of the Cation and Salinity Effect on Electrocoalescence of Water/Crude Oil Emulsions , 2012 .

[44]  M. T. Stephenson,et al.  A Survey of Produced Water Studies , 1992 .

[45]  Krishnaswamy Nandakumar,et al.  Influence of water-soluble and water-insoluble natural surface active components on the stability of water-in-toluene-diluted bitumen emulsion ☆ , 2002 .

[46]  Hussein,et al.  Water-in-Hydrocarbon Emulsions Stabilized by Asphaltenes at Low Concentrations. , 2000, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[47]  C. Dicharry,et al.  Influence of pH and Water Content on the Type and Stability of Acidic Crude Oil Emulsions , 2007 .

[48]  N. Rabalais,et al.  Fate and Effects of Produced Water Discharges in Coastal Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico, USA , 1992 .

[49]  E. Lucas,et al.  Aging of water-in-crude oil emulsions: Effect on rheological parameters , 2012 .

[50]  N. E. Maysour,et al.  SUGAR-BASED ETHOXYLATED AMINE SURFACTANTS AS DEMULSIFIERS FOR CRUDE OIL EMULSIONS: 2- DEMULSIFICATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRUDES , 2010 .

[51]  N. Ahmed,et al.  Stability and rheology of heavy crude oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by an anionic- nonionic surfactant mixture , 1999 .

[52]  J. Sjöblom,et al.  AC field induced destabilization of water-in-oil emulsions based on North Sea acidic crude oil , 2014 .

[53]  D. Nguyen,et al.  Chemical Interactions and Demulsifier Characteristics for Enhanced Oil Recovery Applications , 2012 .

[54]  C. Kan,et al.  Effect of Hydrophilic-lipophilic Balance (HLB) Values of PEG-based Non-ionic Surfactant on Reverse Micellar Dyeing of Cotton Fibre with Reactive Dyes in Non-aqueous Medium , 2018, Fibers and Polymers.

[55]  Xiuyu Wang,et al.  Probing Interfacial Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion Stability Controls Using Electrorheology , 2010 .

[56]  G. Marrucci,et al.  A theory of coalescence , 1969 .

[57]  Samuel C. Marsh,et al.  Inorganic Solid Content Governs Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion Stability Predictions† , 2009 .

[58]  S. Im,et al.  Distribution of macropores in silica particles prepared by using multiple emulsions. , 2002, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[59]  Wei Yu,et al.  A review on nanofluids: preparation, stability mechanisms, and applications , 2012 .

[60]  L. Nollet.  Handbook of Food Analysis : Volume 3 Methods, Instruments and Applications , 2004 .

[61]  J. Czarnecki,et al.  Investigation of subfractions of Athabasca asphaltenes and their role in emulsion stability , 2004 .

[62]  D. Mcclements,et al.  Composite zein - propylene glycol alginate particles prepared using solvent evaporation: Characterization and application as Pickering emulsion stabilizers , 2018, Food Hydrocolloids.

[63]  K. Tam,et al.  Stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions: recent advances and potential applications. , 2015, Soft matter.

[64]  M. Fingas.  Water-in-oil emulsion formation: A review of physics and mathematical modelling , 1995 .

[65]  A. Shono,et al.  Microscopic observation of emulsion droplet formation from a polycarbonate membrane , 2002 .

[66]  L. Schramm.  Emulsions : fundamentals and applications in the petroleum industry , 1992 .

[67]  N. Zaki.  Surfactant stabilized crude oil-in-water emulsions for pipeline transportation of viscous crude oils , 1997 .

[68]  Jitendra S. Sangwai,et al.  Comparative effectiveness of production performance of Pickering emulsion stabilized by nanoparticle–surfactant–polymerover surfactant–polymer (SP) flooding for enhanced oil recoveryfor Brownfield reservoir , 2015 .

[69]  Zara Khatib,et al.  Water to Value - Produced Water Management for Sustainable Field Development of Mature and Green Fields , 2003 .

[70]  Jean-Louis Salager,et al.  A correlation for phase behavior of nonionic surfactants , 1980 .

[71]  Guangming Zeng,et al.  Recent development in the treatment of oily sludge from petroleum industry: a review. , 2013, Journal of hazardous materials.

[72]  O. Mouraille,et al.  STABILITY OF WATER-IN-CRUDE OIL EMULSIONS: ROLE PLAYED BY THE STATE OF SOLVATION OF ASPHALTENES AND BY WAXES , 1998 .

[73]  S. Nolasco,et al.  Chia seed oil-in-water emulsions as potential delivery systems of ω-3 fatty acids , 2015 .

[74]  Dan Tian,et al.  Effect of resins, waxes and asphaltenes on water-oil interfacial properties and emulsion stability , 2016 .

[75]  J. Jachowicz,et al.  Optical properties of hair--detailed examination of specular reflection patterns in various hair types. , 2004, Journal of cosmetic science.

[76]  Zhenghe Xu,et al.  Asphaltene Monolayers at a Toluene/Water Interface† , 2005 .

[77]  H. Schubert,et al.  Prinzipien der Herstellung und Stabilität von Emulsionen , 1989 .

[78]  Xuan Hu,et al.  Oil recovery from refinery oily sludge via ultrasound and freeze/thaw. , 2012, Journal of hazardous materials.

[79]  Laurier Lincoln Schramm,et al.  Foams: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petroleum Industry , 1994 .

[80]  Cuiqin Li,et al.  Synthesis of dendritic polyether surfactants for demulsification , 2010 .

[81]  Odd Gunnar Brakstad,et al.  Acute toxic effects of produced water in relation to chemical composition and dispersion , 1995 .

[82]  N. Abdurahman,et al.  Pipeline transportation of viscous crudes as concentrated oil-in-water emulsions , 2012 .

[83]  Paul Slatter,et al.  The rheological characterization and pipeline flow of high concentration water-in-oil emulsions , 2003 .

[84]  O. Mullins,et al.  Asphaltene Molecular Size and Weight by Time-Resolved Fluorescence Depolarization , 2007 .

[85]  D. Elcock,et al.  A white paper describing produced water from production of crude oil, natural gas, and coal bed methane. , 2004 .

[86]  R. Pal.  Effect of droplet size on the rheology of emulsions , 1996 .

[87]  Ahmadun Fakhru’l-Razi,et al.  Demulsification techniques of water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions in petroleum industry , 2016 .

[88]  M. Abdelli,et al.  Enhanced Extraction by Hydrodistillation of Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) Essential Oil Using Water Solutions of Non-ionic Surfactants , 2014 .

[89]  C. Solans,et al.  Rheological Behavior of Highly Concentrated Oil-in-Water (o/w) Emulsions , 1995 .

[90]  J. Aburto,et al.  Demulsification of heavy crude oil-in-water emulsions: A comparative study between microwave and thermal heating , 2013 .

[91]  F. Leal-Calderon,et al.  Influence of ionic complexation on release rate profiles from multiple water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions. , 2010, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[92]  Daniel Tao,et al.  An experimental study of stability of oil-water emulsion , 2005 .

[93]  J. Strassner,et al.  Effect of pH on Interfacial Films and Stability of Crude Oil-Water Emulsions , 1968 .

[94]  Sharul Sham Dol,et al.  Crude oil emulsion: A review on formation, classification and stability of water-in-oil emulsions , 2015 .

[95]  Xiaomin Xie,et al.  Pickering emulsions stabilized by amphiphilic carbonaceous materials derived from wheat straw , 2018, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects.

[96]  M. Rahimpour,et al.  Demulsification of water in oil emulsion using ionic liquids: Statistical modeling and optimization , 2016 .

[97]  Todd A. Ugine,et al.  Method for determining the best hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) number for a compatible non-ionic surfactant in formulation development for aerial conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) , 2009 .

[98]  M. Robins.  Emulsions — creaming phenomena☆ , 2000 .

[99]  K. Musabekov,et al.  Nonionic surfactants based on polyoxyalkylated copolymers used as demulsifying agents , 2015 .

[100]  John Hera,et al.  Separation of Produced Emulsions from Surfactant Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes , 2011 .

[101]  R. Chanamai,et al.  Creaming Stability of Flocculated Monodisperse Oil-in-Water Emulsions. , 2000, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[102]  Øystein Brandal,et al.  Our current understanding of water-in-crude oil emulsions. - Recent characterization techniques and high pressure performance , 2003 .

[103]  Feridun Boylu,et al.  Ultrafine coal flotation and dewatering: Selecting the surfactants of proper hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) , 2020 .

[104]  Alireza Badiei,et al.  Tweens demulsification effects on heavy crude oil/water emulsion , 2016 .

[105]  Lixin Xia,et al.  Stability and demulsification of emulsions stabilized by asphaltenes or resins. , 2004, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[106]  J. Salager,et al.  Formulation Concepts for the Emulsion Maker , 2002 .

[107]  Alexandre F. Santos,et al.  Effect of Salinity, Temperature, Water Content, and pH on the Microwave Demulsification of Crude Oil Emulsions† , 2007 .

[108]  Juan Carlos Cortés López,et al.  Resins: The Molecules Responsible for the Stability/Instability Phenomena of Asphaltenes† , 2007 .

[109]  M. Fingas,et al.  The Long Term Weathering of Water-in-Oil Emulsions , 2003 .

[110]  P. M. Spiecker,et al.  Effects of petroleum resins on asphaltene aggregation and water-in-oil emulsion formation , 2003 .

[111]  J. Czarnecki.  Stabilization of Water in Crude Oil Emulsions. Part 2 , 2009 .

[112]  L. Rupert,et al.  Physico-Chemical Properties of Selected Anionic, Cationic and Nonionic Surfactants , 1993 .

[113]  N. Hazrati,et al.  Demulsification of water in crude oil emulsion using long chain imidazolium ionic liquids and optimization of parameters , 2018, Fuel.

[114]  Erik L Sellman,et al.  Improved Dehydration and Desalting of Mature Crude Oil Fields , 2013 .

[115]  J. Sjöblom,et al.  Emulsions of Heavy Crude Oils. II. Viscous Responses and Their Influence on Emulsion Stability Measurements , 2010 .

[116]  S. Levine,et al.  Stabilisation of emulsion droplets by fine powders , 1985 .

[117]  M. Fingas,et al.  Studies on crude oil and petroleum product emulsions: Water resolution and rheology , 2009 .

[118]  J. Kwant,et al.  The Composition of Produced Water from Shell Operated Oil and Gas Production in the North Sea , 1992 .

[119]  H. Yarranton,et al.  Effect of surfactants on interfacial films and stability of water-in-oil emulsions stabilized by asphaltenes. , 2010, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[120]  Andrew D Watson,et al.  Emulsions—creaming and rheology , 2002 .

[121]  T. Mahmood,et al.  Basics of pharmaceutical emulsions: A review , 2011 .

[122]  G. Mackay,et al.  Electrolyte and pH effect on emulsion stability of water-in-petroleum oils , 1977 .

[123]  Ann Muggeridge,et al.  Recovery rates, enhanced oil recovery and technological limits , 2014, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[124]  P. M. Spiecker,et al.  Interfacial rheology of petroleum asphaltenes at the oil-water interface. , 2004, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[125]  C. Noik,et al.  Triblock copolymers as destabilizers of water-in-crude oil emulsions , 2010 .

[126]  M. Fingas,et al.  Studies of the formation process of water-in-oil emulsions. , 2003, Marine pollution bulletin.

[127]  Chon-lin Lee,et al.  Treatment of a Cutting Oil Emulsion by Microwave Irradiation , 2009 .

[128]  M. Rahimpour,et al.  Application of the response surface methodology for modeling demulsification of crude oil emulsion using a demulsifier , 2018 .

[129]  D. Bendedouch,et al.  Water pH and surfactant addition effects on the stability of an Algerian crude oil emulsion , 2012 .

[130]  S. Kokal.  Crude Oil Emulsions: A State-Of-The-Art Review , 2005 .

[131]  Deming Wang,et al.  Experimental investigation of coal dust wetting ability of anionic surfactants with different structures , 2019, Process Safety and Environmental Protection.

[132]  Xiaogang Yang,et al.  Demulsification of Asphaltenes and Resins Stabilized Emulsions via the Freeze/Thaw Method , 2009 .

[133]  K. Suh,et al.  The stabilization of L-ascorbic acid in aqueous solution and water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion by controlling pH and electrolyte concentration. , 2004, Journal of cosmetic science.

[134]  Patrick S Doyle,et al.  Nanoemulsions: formation, properties and applications. , 2016, Soft matter.

[135]  B. Binks,et al.  Effects of temperature on water-in-oil emulsions stabilised solely by wax microparticles. , 2009, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[136]  M Nakano,et al.  Preparation and evaluation of w/o/w type emulsions containing vancomycin. , 2000, Advanced drug delivery reviews.

[137]  W. C. Griffin.  Classification of surface-active agents by "HLB" , 1946 .

[138]  A. Florence,et al.  The formulation and stability of multiple emulsions , 1982 .

[139]  Zhi-gang Peng,et al.  Emulsification properties of comb-shaped trimeric nonionic surfactant for high temperature drilling fluids based on water in oil , 2017 .

[140]  N. Garti.  Progress in Stabilization and Transport Phenomena of Double Emulsions in Food Applications , 1997 .

[141]  J. Sjöblom,et al.  Water-in-crude-oil emulsions from the Norwegian continental shelf 7. Interfacial pressure and emulsion stability , 1992 .

[142]  D. Cullum.  Surfactant types; classification, identification, separation , 1994 .

[143]  K. Schroën,et al.  Coalescence stability of Pickering emulsions produced with lipid particles: A microfluidic study , 2018, Journal of Food Engineering.

[144]  B. Martínez-Haya,et al.  Characterization and Langmuir film properties of asphaltenes extracted from Arabian light crude oil , 2007 .

[145]  Lingling Shui,et al.  Interfacial tension controlled W/O and O/W 2-phase flows in microchannel. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[146]  Mukul M. Sharma,et al.  Factors Controlling the Stability of Colloid-Stabilized Emulsions: I. An Experimental Investigation , 1995 .

[147]  R. Yunus,et al.  Review on the Fundamental Aspects of Petroleum Oil Emulsions and Techniques of Demulsification , 2015 .

[148]  S. Huzurbazar,et al.  Effect of Salinity on Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion: Evaluation through Drop-Size Distribution Proxy , 2011 .

[149]  A. Starinsky,et al.  The behavior of lithium and its isotopes in oilfield brines: evidence from the Heletz-Kokhav field, Israel , 2002 .

[150]  A. Fakhru’l-Razi,et al.  Review of technologies for oil and gas produced water treatment. , 2009, Journal of hazardous materials.