In the petroleum industry, water and oil emulsion formation presents an on-going production issue receiving considerable technical attention. Crude oil/water demulsification effectiveness has been tested using a new microemulsion-based demulsifier (ME-DeM) with an environmentally improved formulation. This ME-based product, tested on a range of crude oils, has been shown to be more effective than comparable commercially available non-ME based demulsifiers (DeM). Results using ME based products for demulsification have demonstrated significant improvements in field tests. Additional field studies are in preparation.

Keywords:
Production Chemistry, chemical treatment, fluid compatibility, oilfield chemistry, rock/fluid interaction, Upstream Oil & Gas, Effectiveness, spe 121762, surfactant, microemulsion
Subjects:
Drilling Fluids and Materials, Hydraulic Fracturing, Well & Reservoir Surveillance and Monitoring, Production Chemistry, Metallurgy and Biology, Flow Assurance, Fluid Characterization, Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Inhibition and remediation of hydrates, scale, paraffin / wax and asphaltene, Downhole chemical treatments and fluid compatibility, Precipitates (paraffin, asphaltenes, etc.)
Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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