Effect of Solids on Water/Crude Oil Separation

碎料层是乳化水、油和固体的积聚物，其可在油田和炼油厂操作中的水和原油分离期间在油-水界面处出现。碎料层的生长会导致分离效果差和工艺混乱，这会降低油回收率，增加能量需求，并导致因焚烧其他不可处理的乳液而产生的浪费性排放。现场观察表明，粘土、硅酸盐和腐蚀产物等固体是最有问题的碎屑层的原因。 建议研究固体对乳液性质和碎布层生长的影响。固体颗粒尺寸分布和润湿性对水-油和油-水乳状液聚结速率的影响将在批实验中进行研究。将使用内部连续油水分离器来检查相同系统中的碎屑层生长。这些数据将用于将碎屑层生长与固体性质和浓度联系起来。最后，将评估化学添加剂对乳液性质和碎布层生长的影响。本研究的结果旨在确定固体可能扰乱分离过程的情况，并指导更有效的处理方法的开发。拟议的研究将为高素质人员提供培训，这些人员将与工业伙伴互动，以确保他们的培训满足工业的需要。他们将非常适合在石油和石化行业的研究和工程就业。

Rag layers are accumulations of emulsified water, oil, and solids that can occur at the oil-water interface during the separation of water and crude oil in oilfield and refinery operations. Rag layer growth can lead to poor separation and process upsets which reduce oil recovery, increase energy requirements, and lead to wasteful emissions from the incineration of otherwise untreatable emulsions. Field observations suggest that solids such as clays, silicates, and corrosion products contribute to the most problematic rag layers. It is proposed to investigate the effect of solids on emulsion properties and rag layer growth. The effect of solid particle size distribution and wettability on the coalescence rates of water-oil and oil-water emulsions will be investigated in batch experiments. An in-house continuous oil-water separator will be used to examine rag layer growth in the same systems. The data will be used to relate rag layer growth to solid properties and concentrations. Finally, the effect of chemical additives on emulsion properties and rag layer growth will be assessed. The results of this study are intended to identify situations where solids are likely to upset separation processes and to guide the development of more effective treatments.. The proposed research will provide training for highly qualified personnel who will interact with industry partners to ensure that their training addresses the needs of industry. They will be ideally suited for research and engineering employment in the oil and petrochemical industries.