Separation of Heavy Crude Oil Emulsions Using Microwave Radiation for Further Crude Oil Analysis

Separation Science and Technology, Volume 46, Issue 8, 2011
Separation of Heavy Crude Oil Emulsions Using Microwave Radiation for Further Crude Oil Analysis
Liange O. Diehl (a), Diogo P. Moraes (a), Fabiane G. Antes (a), Juliana S. F. Pereira (a), Maria de Fátima P. Santos (b), Regina C. L. Guimarães (c), José Neri G. Paniz (a) & Érico M. M. Flores (a)*
pages 1358-1364
a Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
b Departamento de Ciências Matemática e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, São Mateus, ES, Brazil
c Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello - CENPES/PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
AbstractMicrowave radiation in closed vessels was used to separate heavy crude oil emulsions for further oil characterization. Operational conditions were studied and the following parameters were evaluated: water content, density, viscosity, N, S, V, Ni, and Cl.  
By using the proposed procedure it was possible to reduce the water and Cl content in crude oil to values lower than 1% and 300 µg g⁻¹, respectively. It was possible to determine important crude oil properties without interferences caused by excessive water and salt concentrations.
The proposed procedure is relatively fast.  It was possible to obtain a suitable condition for water and salt removal from heavy crude oil emulsions without using demulsifiers or toxic reagents.Full Text Source (Subscription or Fee): http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01496395.2011.560590