Pulsed DC fields for electrostatic coalescence of water-in-oil emulsions

摘要

There are many circumstances where the time taken to resolve a water-in-oil emulsion into its components has significant cost implications. Offshore treatment of crude oil emulsions is an area of particular interest because of the vessel and support structure costs associated with providing sufficient retention time for emulsions with low rates of separation. However, the resolution of difficult emulsions is not confined to the petroleum industry; other examples arise in the chemical industry with the need to recover products manufactured in heterogeneous liquid-liquid reacting systems.