Reference fluids developed to replace crude oil emulsions in verification tests
Reference fluids developed to replace crude oil emulsions in verification tests lead image
Crude oil extracted from oil wells is typically a binary mixture, a water-in-oil emulsion, formed from mechanical stresses, along with nondispersed water. A method for producing a reference fluid replacing this crude oil mixture in laboratory verification tests was developed by de Souza Mendes et al.
The use of separation equipment, such as gravitational settlers, to extract dehydrated oil is crucial to oil processers. The water reduces the specific gravity of the oil and, ultimately, the oil’s selling price.
Sttler efficiency verification must be performed in laboratories to predict settler efficiency in the field. However, transporting the toxic, volatile, and flammable binary mixtures to the labs for testing presents many monetary and logistical challenges.
“The development of a reference fluid that simulates the behavior of a crude oil and its emulsions is extremely beneficial for the improvement of such phase separation technologies,” co-author Paulo de Souza Mendes said.
By defining key properties of crude oil, such as stability, droplet size distribution, and viscosity, the authors investigated reference systems with similar characteristic values. Materials, experimental protocols, and emulsification techniques were presented.
“We hope that this paper guides other researchers to achieve significant cost reduction in efficiency verification testing for gravitational settlers, thus providing a safer environment for the workers in these facilities,” said de Souza Mendes.
The authors note future research should center on a variety of surfactants, thereby providing a more comprehensive analysis of interfacial differences existing within the unrefined oil.
Source: “Production method of reference fluids intended for gravitational settlers efficiency verification tests,” by João Pedro Aiex Naccache, Ricardo T. Leite, Eliana P. Marin Castano, Paulo R. de Souza Mendes, and Erick F. Quintella. Physics of Fluids (2021). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0063752 .
