Pipeline transportation of heavy crude oil

摘要

Heavy crude oils are transported by pipeline from deposit location to a remote upgrading location by emulsifying the crude oil using deaerated sodium hydroxide solution, conveying the oil-in-water emulsion through the pipeline, and recovery of the oil from the oil-in- water emulsion by inverting the emulsion and dewatering the resulting water-in-oil emulsion. The emulsion inversion may be effected using slaked lime, resulting in recovery of a substantial proportion of the sodium hydroxide used in the initial emulsification. The sodium hydroxide solution may be recycled by a separate pipeline for reuse or treated for discharge.