How do I choose the right emulsion breaker for a particular application scenario?

Selecting the right emulsion breaker for a particular application scenario requires consideration of a number of factors, here are some key points:

Nature of the emulsion

Type: Specify whether the emulsion is an oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) type. In general, oil-in-water emulsions are commonly used cationic or non-ionic emulsion breakers, while water-in-oil emulsions are commonly used anionic or non-ionic emulsion breakers. For example, crude oil extraction is mostly oil-in-water emulsion, often using cationic or non-ionic emulsion breakers for dehydration.

Concentration: The oil or water content in the emulsion is different, and the dosage and performance requirements of the emulsion breaker are also different. Higher concentration of emulsion may require a stronger ability to break the emulsion, the dosage of emulsion breakers.

Stability: Stable emulsions require more efficient breakers to destabilize their structure. Stability can be assessed by measuring parameters such as interfacial tension and potential of the emulsion in order to select a suitable breaker.

Environmental conditions of application

Temperature: Different emulsion breakers perform differently at different temperatures. For example, in high temperature environment, some emulsion breakers may be decomposed or deteriorated, affecting the effect of emulsion breaking, at this time you need to choose high temperature resistant emulsion breakers. For example, in the high temperature oil wells in crude oil extraction, it is necessary to use high temperature resistant polyether emulsion breakers.

pH value: the pH value of the solution will affect the degree of ionization and molecular structure of the emulsion breaking agent, which in turn affects its emulsion breaking performance. For example, anionic emulsion breakers are more effective under alkaline conditions, and cationic emulsion breakers are more effective under acidic conditions. In wastewater treatment, if the wastewater is acidic, cationic emulsion breakers can be prioritized.

Co-existing substances: Find out whether there are other impurities or co-existing substances in the emulsion, such as salts, surfactants, etc. These substances may interact with the emulsifier. These substances may interact with the emulsion breaker and affect the emulsion breaking effect. For example, the presence of salts may affect the interfacial properties of the emulsion, and it is necessary to choose an emulsion breaker that can adapt to the high-salt environment, such as polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene ether emulsion breakers containing special functional groups, which can be used to treat high-salt oily wastewater.

Performance characteristics of emulsion breakers

Emulsion breaking speed: For some application scenarios that require fast treatment, such as continuous wastewater treatment in industrial production, emulsion breakers are required to have fast emulsion breaking speed, which can realize oil-water separation in a short time and improve production efficiency.

Dewatering rate: Dewatering rate is an important indicator of the performance of an emulsion breaker. A higher dewatering rate means that the emulsion breaker is able to separate water from the emulsion more effectively. In the process of crude oil dewatering, it is usually desirable to have a higher dewatering rate of the emulsion breaker in order to reduce the water content of the crude oil.

Flocculation effect: while breaking the emulsion, it is desirable for the emulsion-breaking agent to have a certain flocculation effect, so that the separated oil droplets or solid particles can be aggregated into larger particles, which is convenient for the subsequent settling or filtration and separation. For example, in the treatment of emulsion containing fine suspended particles, the emulsion breaker with good flocculation effect can make the particles gather and precipitate quickly and improve the treatment effect.

Cost and environmental factors

Cost: The price and cost of the emulsion breaker is one of the important considerations in the selection. Under the premise of meeting the effect of emulsion breaking, we should try to choose the emulsion breaking agent with lower cost to reduce the production cost. At the same time, we should also consider the dosage of emulsion breaking agent, adding method and other factors on the cost.

Environmental protection: With the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements, the environmental friendliness of the emulsion breaking agent is also more and more important. Non-toxic, harmless and easily biodegradable emulsion breakers should be selected to avoid secondary pollution to the environment. For example, some natural polymer-modified emulsion breakers with good environmental performance are widely used in the field of sewage treatment and other fields.

Experimental verification and field test

Laboratory experiments: Before selecting an emulsion breaker, laboratory experiments should be conducted to screen and evaluate different types and brands of emulsion breakers. By simulating the actual application scenarios, test the emulsion breaking effect, dewatering rate, flocculation effect and other performance indexes of the emulsion breakers, and preliminarily determine the suitable types of emulsion breakers and dosage range.

On-site testing: On the basis of laboratory screening, on-site testing is very necessary. Field test can more truly reflect the effect of emulsion breakers in the actual application, including the compatibility with the field equipment, the impact on the entire process, etc.. Based on the results of the field test, the selection of emulsion breakers and the conditions of use can be further optimized and adjusted.