Oil Emulsifier Demulsifier for water oil separation
DUBI CHEM International is one of the leading manufacturers of Oil Emulsifier also known as Demulsifier which is used for water oil separation. Get premium quality demulsifier for your injection application directly from your local manufacturer in the UAE - DUBI CHEM. RXSOL brand Demulsifier Premium is an excellent water oil separator oil emulsifier with amazing results.
Oil emulsifiers and demulsifiers are specialized chemical additives used to control the interaction between oil and water. While emulsifiers are used to create or stabilize an oil-water emulsion, demulsifiers are specifically formulated to break stable emulsions and promote the separation of water from oil.
In petroleum production, oilfield operations, refineries, tank farms, marine applications and industrial wastewater treatment, efficient water-oil separation is essential for recovering valuable hydrocarbons, reducing water content and meeting discharge requirements.
What Is an Oil Emulsion?
Oil and water normally do not mix. However, during processes such as crude oil production, pumping, agitation, mixing, drilling, transportation and tank cleaning, water can become dispersed into oil as very small droplets.
This produces an oil-water emulsion.
Two common types are:
- Water-in-oil (W/O): water droplets dispersed throughout an oil phase
- Oil-in-water (O/W): oil droplets dispersed throughout a water phase
Natural surfactants, asphaltenes, resins, fine solids and other contaminants can stabilize these droplets and make separation difficult.
What Is a Demulsifier?
A demulsifier is a chemical treatment designed to destabilize an emulsion and accelerate the separation of oil and water.
A suitable demulsifier works at the oil-water interface and helps small dispersed droplets combine into larger droplets. This process is known as coalescence.
As the water droplets become larger, gravity separation becomes more effective, allowing:
Oil → separated oil phase
Water → separated water phase
The effectiveness of a demulsifier depends strongly on the type of crude oil, emulsion characteristics, temperature, residence time, water cut, mixing conditions and chemical dosage.
How Does a Demulsifier Work?
A typical demulsification process can be understood in several stages:
1. Chemical Contact
The demulsifier is introduced into the crude oil or emulsion at a controlled dosage.
2. Migration to the Interface
The active components migrate toward the oil-water interface, where the stabilizing film around water droplets is located.
3. Destabilization
The demulsifier interferes with the interfacial film created by naturally occurring surfactants, asphaltenes and other stabilizing materials.
4. Droplet Coalescence
Small water droplets begin to combine into larger droplets.
5. Gravity Separation
The larger water droplets settle more rapidly, producing clearer separation between the oil and water phases.
6. Improved Oil Quality
Effective treatment can reduce basic sediment and water (BS&W) and improve the quality of separated crude oil.
Emulsifier vs. Demulsifier
The terms emulsifier and demulsifier describe almost opposite functions.
| Property | Oil Emulsifier | Oil Demulsifier |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Creates/stabilizes an emulsion | Breaks an emulsion |
| Oil-water interaction | Promotes dispersion | Promotes separation |
| Main objective | Keep phases dispersed | Separate phases |
| Typical application | Formulation and process emulsions | Crude oil and produced-water treatment |
| Desired result | Stable or controlled emulsion | Clear oil and water separation |
Therefore, if the objective is water-oil separation, the appropriate chemical is generally a demulsifier, not an emulsifier.
Applications of Oil Demulsifiers
Oil demulsifiers are used throughout the petroleum and industrial sectors.
Crude Oil Production
Produced fluids from oil wells often contain varying quantities of crude oil, formation water, gas and solids. Demulsifiers are injected upstream of separation equipment to improve oil-water separation.
Oil & Gas Separators
Chemical treatment can improve the performance of three-phase separators, two-phase separators and production separators by promoting faster water and oil separation.
Crude Oil Storage Tanks
Water can accumulate at the bottom of crude oil storage tanks. Demulsification treatment can assist in separating entrained water and reducing the amount of emulsified water.
Desalting Operations
Crude oil may contain water containing dissolved salts. Effective separation of the aqueous phase is important for downstream refinery operations.
Tank Farms
Oil storage facilities can use demulsification chemicals where persistent emulsions interfere with water draining and crude quality.
Oilfield Production Facilities
Demulsifiers can be incorporated into chemical treatment programs for produced fluids where stable emulsions are encountered.
Industrial Oil-Water Separation
Certain industrial processes generate emulsified oily wastewater. Depending on the emulsion chemistry, chemical treatment can help facilitate subsequent physical separation.
Factors Affecting Demulsifier Performance
There is no single demulsifier formulation that performs identically on every crude oil or industrial emulsion.
Important variables include:
Crude Oil Type
Heavy crude, light crude, paraffinic crude and highly asphaltenic crude can exhibit very different emulsion characteristics.
Water Cut
The quantity of water present can significantly influence the required chemical treatment.
Temperature
Increasing temperature can reduce oil viscosity and improve droplet movement and coalescence. However, the optimum operating temperature depends on the specific system.
Mixing
The demulsifier must be distributed effectively through the emulsion. Excessive shear, however, can sometimes create smaller droplets and make separation more difficult.
Residence Time
The available settling time affects the performance of the treatment. A formulation that works quickly may be preferred where separator residence time is limited.
Solids and Asphaltenes
Fine solids, asphaltenes and other crude components can stabilize the interfacial film and increase the difficulty of breaking the emulsion.
Chemical Compatibility
The demulsifier should be compatible with other production chemicals such as corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, biocides, paraffin inhibitors and antifoams.
Demulsifier Dosage
Demulsifier dosage should normally be established through laboratory bottle testing and field trials.
A typical evaluation involves:
- Collecting a representative crude oil/emulsion sample.
- Preparing different demulsifier concentrations.
- Mixing the chemical with the sample.
- Maintaining the sample at the relevant operating temperature.
- Observing water separation over time.
- Comparing the clarity of the oil and water phases.
- Selecting the optimum dosage based on separation performance.
The lowest effective dosage is generally preferred, provided it delivers the required separation performance.
Do not assume that a higher dosage will always produce better separation. Some emulsions can respond poorly to excessive chemical treatment.
Bottle Test for Demulsifier Selection
The bottle test is one of the common laboratory screening methods for selecting an appropriate demulsifier.
A series of samples is prepared using different chemical dosages.
For example:
| Sample | Demulsifier Dosage | Observation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Low | Slow water separation |
| B | Medium-Low | Improved separation |
| C | Medium | Good separation |
| D | Medium-High | Very good / optimum |
| E | High | Check for over-treatment |
The samples are evaluated for:
- Speed of water separation
- Amount of separated water
- Oil clarity
- Interface quality
- Residual water in oil
- Residual oil in water
- Sediment formation
The optimum product and dosage should be selected based on the actual operating requirements rather than dosage alone.
Oil Emulsifier Applications
Although demulsifiers are used for separation, oil emulsifiers have an important role where a stable or controlled oil-water emulsion is required.
Oil emulsifiers may be used in:
- Chemical formulations
- Oil-based formulations
- Industrial process fluids
- Lubricant formulations
- Metalworking fluids
- Agricultural formulations
- Specialty chemical systems
An emulsifier helps reduce interfacial tension and allows one liquid phase to become dispersed into another.
For example:
Oil + Water + Emulsifier → Stable Oil-Water Emulsion
Whereas:
Oil-Water Emulsion + Demulsifier → Separated Oil + Water
Demulsifiers for Oilfield Applications
Oilfield demulsifiers are particularly important because crude oil arriving at the surface can contain significant quantities of water.
An appropriately selected demulsifier can help improve:
- Oil-water separation
- Separator performance
- Crude oil quality
- Water removal
- Dehydration efficiency
- Downstream processing
- Tank settling performance
- Reduction of BS&W
For field applications, chemical selection should be based on actual crude characteristics and separator conditions.
Choosing the Right Oil Demulsifier
When selecting an oil demulsifier, consider:
1. Type of crude oil
Light, medium or heavy crude can require different chemistry.
2. Type of emulsion
Determine whether the system is primarily W/O or O/W.
3. Operating temperature
The chemical should perform under the actual process temperature.
4. Water cut
High-water-content systems may require different treatment strategies.
5. Separation time
Fast-acting chemistry may be required where residence time is limited.
6. Oil and water quality requirements
Both the separated oil and separated water should be evaluated.
7. Compatibility
Check interaction with other production and treatment chemicals.
8. Dosage economics
The best product is not necessarily the one with the lowest price per kilogram; performance at the required treatment dosage is more important.
DUBI CHEM Oilfield Chemical Supply
DUBI CHEM / Fujairah Chemical supplies specialty chemicals for oilfield, petroleum, industrial and marine applications, including chemical solutions for crude oil treatment and oil-water separation.
Under the RXSOL range, oilfield chemical solutions can be selected for applications involving demulsification, H₂S control, corrosion inhibition, scale control, defoaming and other production challenges.
For a demulsifier requirement, the most useful information for product selection is:
- Crude oil type
- Water cut
- Current demulsifier, if any
- Operating temperature
- Separator type
- Residence/settling time
- Current dosage
- BS&W before and after treatment
- Oil and water quality requirements
This information allows the treatment program to be evaluated through laboratory testing before field implementation.
Oil emulsifiers and demulsifiers serve different purposes. Emulsifiers are used to create or stabilize oil-water mixtures, while demulsifiers are used to break stable emulsions and promote water-oil separation.
In crude oil production and industrial processing, the right demulsifier can improve separation efficiency, reduce water entrainment in crude oil and support better operation of separators and storage systems.
For reliable results, demulsifier selection should be based on actual crude/emulsion characteristics, laboratory bottle testing and operating conditions, rather than relying on a universal dosage.
DUBI CHEM provides oilfield chemical solutions and RXSOL specialty chemicals for crude oil treatment, water-oil separation and related production applications in the UAE and international markets.
Buy DEMULSIFIER PREMIUM for your application directly from one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of Demulsifier / Oil Emulsifier.
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