Review of Phase Separation of Water in Oil Emulsion using Electro … · 2018-10-25 · Review of Phase Separation of Water in Oil Emulsion using Electro-Pulse ... Paper ID: 19051505

International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438

Volume 4 Issue 5, May 2015

www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY

Review of Phase Separation of Water in Oil

Emulsion using Electro-Pulse Inductive Coalesce

Ezadin. B. Farhat Alkateb1, Satyendra Nath

2, D A. K. Nema

3

1Research Scholar, Department of Environmental Science, SHIATS–Deemed University, Allahabad 211007, U.P, India

2Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, SHIATS–Deemed University, Allahabad-211007, U.P, India

3Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT- Delhi, HauzKhas, New Delhi

Abstract: Water is invariably made with rock oil. If there is high and enough shear forces once rock oil and made water flow through

the assembly path, stable emulsions could also be shaped. This state of affairs might notably be gift throughout the assembly of serious

oils wherever steam is employed to scale back the viciousness of serious oil or in cases wherever submersible pumps square measure

won’t to by artificial means carry the made fluids. To with efficiency style and operate serious production systems, information

concerning properties that may influence the formation of emulsions and destabilization mechanisms of emulsions systems is critical. If

the water isn’t far away from the rock oil it will cause quality drawback and economical losses. On the opposite aspect information

concerning made water characteristics is very important to assist operators increase production, however information concerning the

impacts of discharging made water in marine surroundings is very important similarly. The technology for electricity improvement of

conglutination of water droplets in oil emulsions is critically reviewed these days, this technology is mostly thought-about for the

separation of associate degree binary compound section distributed in an exceedingly insulator oil section with a considerably lower

insulator constant than that of the form. Numerous styles are introduced, with most exploitation electrical energy (AC) electrical fields

with mains frequency (50 or sixty Hz). The DC (DC) field has been less common within the past as compared to the AC. The

characteristics and pure mathematics of the conductor system (generally cylindrical or plate) influence the performance of the electricity

coalesce, and square measure closely associated with the kind of the applied field and therefore the emulsion used. There square

measure essentially 2 varieties of conductor: uninsulated conductor and insulated electrode. Combination of electro conglutination and

mechanical separation (e.g., centrifugal force) has conjointly been introduced. Heating and therefore the addition of chemicals are

shown to more enhance the electro conglutination of water droplets. Alternative strategies that may be combined with the electrical

treatment square measure filtration, strategies using high and temperature, and mixing. This review paper conjointly appearance at a

number of this specific industrial applications exploitation the electro conglutination technology. Besides the oil and crude oil

industries, this technology has potential applications within the edible oil industries like oil, sunflower-seed oil and oil process. Most of

the presently out there instrumentation is incredibly huge and hulking, having an oversized inventory of emulsion. Therefore, we tend to

see the long run trend for brand spanking new developments to be within the direction of inventing little moveable devices, incorporating

options like optimum electrical fields and combined electrical and centrifugal forces to more enhance the separation of water-in-oil

emulsions.

Keywords: Water-in-oil emulsions; Dispersions; Electro coalescence; electrical fields; Frequency; periodic direct current; Alternating

current; Separation; force, Water-in-oil emulsions; Dispersions; Electro coalescence; electrical fields; Frequency; periodic direct current;

Alternating current; Separation; force.

1. Introduction

Currently, there square measure many offered strategies, like

chemical emulsification, gravity or centrifugal set- coating,

pH scale adjustment, filtration, heat treatment, membrane

separation and electricity de-emulsification [5, 6]. Every of

those strategies has its own benefits and drawbacks. As an

example, the utilization of chemical emulsifiers will modify

the water/oil surface properties, therefore permitting water

droplets to coalesce additional simply into larger droplets.

However, extra issues square measure encountered within

the removal of the demulsifies from the binary compound

and oil phases.

In the Middle East, oil leaky up through the bottom was

utilized in waterproofing boats and baskets, in paints,

lighting and even for medication [1]. The trendy oil history

began within the later years of the decade with the invention,

in 1857, and later development of oil in Pennsylvania in

1859 [2]. The primary well structures in open waters were

inbuilt the Gulf of Mexico. They were constructed from a

heaped-up jacket formation, within which a framed model

had piles driven through it to pin the structure to the ocean

bed at water depths of up to a hundred m. A support frame

was another for the operating components of the rig like the

deck and accommodation. These structures were the fore-

runners for the large platforms that currently fill in terribly

problem and in several locations round the world.

Electrical strategies for dehydrating crude emulsions are the

topic of an outsized variety of patents, concerning each

technique and equipment. These patents square measure

summarized in the following and in Fig. 1.

Paper ID: 19051505 2223





Figure 1: Various combinations of the electrical separation technology

At present, most of the inventions summarised in Fig. 1 are

aimed at providing a method and apparatus for dividing the

components of an emulsion, which can allow improved

separation rates to be achieved. There are also inventions

that join the effects of centrifugal force and electrostatic

coalescence of water droplets to separate the dispersed water

droplets from the continuous oil phase without using

chemicals or heat treatment for decreasing the viscosity of

the liquid–liquid dispersion system

2. Related Work A. Emulsions and Stabilizing Mechanisms

An emulsion is a mixture of twoimmeasurable liquids. One

liquid is disappear in the other (the continuous phase).

Usually the polar liquid is aqueous, while the less polar

phase is organic oil. In order to have an emulsion (both oil-

in-water and water-in-oil) one of these two phases must be

disappear in the other in the form of small droplets. In

addition an undivided film surrounding the droplets must

guarantee sufficient kinetic durability. Multiple emulsion

types may also occur, for instance oil droplets disappear in

water droplets, that in turn are disappear in continuous oil

phase (o/w/o) constitute an oil-in water- in-oil emulsion. The

size of the water droplets in a indecent oil emulsion can be

even higher than 100 μm, which is large compared to the

common definition of the upper limit of colloidal size (1-10

μm) [14].

Figure 2: Mechanisms for the destabilization of emulsions.

Different processes can occur simultaneously [14].

B. Emulsion Resolution in Electrostatic Processes and

Separation Facilities

The disable of crude oil emulsions forms a complete part of

crude oil production. Generally, these emulsions have to be

broken to arrive at specified values of product quality, both

an oil and produced water. Fixed emulsions are often broken

using exigency or centrifugal settling, application of high

electric fields and addition of damage chemicals

(demulsifies). Other methods such as pH adaptation,

filtration, membrane detachment and heat treatment

techniques, may also be used. Gravity settling tanks,

cyclones, centrifugal detachment and other kinds of

Paper ID: 19051505 2224





mechanical separator tools are typical adornment used in the

destabilisation of crude oils emulsions. However, this

hardware is of appreciable volume as well as expensive to

install on development platforms typical for North Sea

conditions. It is therefore of great economical benefiting

whenever the installations can be kept at a minimum in size

and number. Chemical destabilisation is therefore a very

common method for disable emulsions. The electro

coalescence technology is governed by the effect of

electrostatic forces and the effect of shear flow (flow

conditions). When an electric field is applied to a water-in-

oil emulsion, an attached droplet is subjected to different

forces, see figure 3.

Figure 3: Electro coalescence forces, modified form [23,

26].

VIEC - Vessel Internal Electrostatic Coalesced

It consists of isolated high voltage modules fitted in a very

extractor wall, targeting the oil/water emulsion section.

Figure four illustrates a typical VIEC module. The high

voltage electric field makes water droplets in oil coalesce, so

they\'re going to separate additional simply. The VIEC is

tolerant of any combination of oil, water and gas. So it are

often put in even within the 1st stage extractor while not

police work of method conditions. The performance

improvement are often realised as cleaner oil, less heating,

less chemical consumption or a mixture.

Figure 4: VIEC modul[28]

LOWACC - Low Water Content Coalesced

The LOWACC is put in once the VIEC to enhance the outlet

oil quality (figure five). The LOWACC consists of 2

furrowed conductor plates wherever the oil flow through and

wherever smaller droplets will coalesce any (purification

stage). LOWACC, alongside VIEC, allows ballroom dance

separation ANd heavy-oil separation by exposing the

emulsion of water in oil to an electric field. The water

droplets contained within the oil section are amalgamate into

larger droplets and separates simply. Thanks to insulation of

the electrodes, short-circuiting is avoided.

Figure 5: VIEC and LOWACC installed in a separator.

Both are placed in the same separator to achieve full

separation using only one vessel [28].

3. Factors Affecting Electro Coalescence

The main objective of associate electro coalesce is to

reinforce the unification rate of water droplets during a

water-in-oil emulsion so these droplets will grow to a

precise size so as to be separated from the continual part by

attractive force or centrifugal ways. Many vital options of a

typical electro-coalesce are thus critically mentioned below.

3.1. Force field

An electric field will solely be accustomed increase the

unification rate of an associate emulsion once the continual

phase contains a lot of lower permittivity than the dispersed

particles [1, 10]. At constant time, the continual part ought

to have an occasional physical phenomenon associated act as

a stuff between the two electrodes. The means that of

applying a high force field includes a minimum of a

combine of electrodes, one at a comparatively high voltage,

and therefore the different at an occasional voltage

(preferably earthed).

The polarisation development evoked by the electrical field

produces dipole–dipole forces. These forces are effective

over short separation distances, and considerably enhance

droplet–droplet unification [13]. The droplet–droplet

collision rate is more exaggerated by the fluid mechanics

flow and commixture of the emulsion. Enlarged droplets can

then separate from the continual oil part beneath attractive

force action.

3.2. Frequency

Brown associated Hanson discovered an optimum frequency

at that unification happens a lot of pronto, and more steered

that mechanical vibrations and cavitation inside the drop

conjointly influence film rupture and unification. a lot of

recently, the existence of associate optimum frequency has

conjointly been reportable by Bails and Larkai [2,3]. The

choice of associate optimum frequency might thus be vital,

particularly at low applied potentials and depends on the

coating material and its thickness, and liquid dispersion

composition. However, it\'s unclear whether or not the

Paper ID: 19051505 2225





existence of associate optimum frequency is owing to the

limitation of the ability offer circuit or the mechanical

device relaxation of the dispersion.

In the absence of associate insulating coating, the optimum

frequency is a lot of obsessed on the electrical properties of

the continual liquid part. within the case of periodical DC

field, besides the optimum pulse frequency, the magnitude

relation of the length of high field amount, ‘time-on’ to no

field amount, ‘time-off’ is additionally vital. The simplest

condition found for effective unification is that the ‘time-on’

ought to be adequate the ‘time-off’ [3, 32]. Withal, Galvin

[16] steered that the voltage rise and fall time constants of

the ability offer circuit were a lot of vital.

3.3. Electrode

Generally, 2 main styles of coalesce are common cellular

units which can carries with it coated or uncoated electrodes

and either internal or external settlers, and tank units with

clean electrodes within which unification and subsidence

happen at the same time, as unremarkably employed in the

oil business. Cellular systems are a lot of typically found in

solvent and liquid membrane extractions. The characteristics

associated pure mathematics of a conductor (generally

cylindrical or plate) confirm the performance of the

electricity coalesces. The sort of electrical field and

therefore the emulsion can influence the selection of the

higher than options. The maximum distance between the

conductors is proscribed by electrode edge effects (i.e.

fringing fields) and therefore the potential that has got to be

applied to form a sufficiently high force field strength.

Within the former, because the conductor spacing is

exaggerated, fringing force field becomes a lot of important.

4. Conclusion

The static fused has established to be associate degree

economical means that of separating water-in-oil sort

emulsions. Engineering style and higher understanding of

the mechanisms of droplet–droplet electro-coalescence

ought to cause the improvement and development of recent

sorts of electro-coalesce. The majority the electro-coalesces

within the oil and fossil fuel industries use AC electrical

fields for the separation of water-in-oil emulsions. However,

some analysis work rumoured in literature indicates some

promising performance for periodic DC electrical fields. The

existence of associate degree optimum field and frequency

has been rumoured, however it\'s not been wide confirmed

[12]. However, it's going to be intuitively expected that

variations within the mechanical associate degreed electrical

relaxation times of the droplets might create to the existence

of an optimum voltage and frequency. Further, analysis is

required to elucidate this issue.

In an exceedingly water-in-oil emulsion with a high content

of distributed water, insulating the conductor is also

necessary. This can be as a result of the high water content

tends to provide over-stressing of the electrical coalesce

attributable to a right away semi conductive path between

the electrodes.

A further improvement are often achieved once the static

coalesce is let alone a force or once using a multi-stage

setup. Moreover, numerous mixtures for emulsion treatment

have conjointly been utilized. Besides force, heating has

conjointly been used with electrical treatment. it\'s been

shown that chemical addition would any enhance electro-

coalescence of water droplets in oil emulsions. Alternative

strategies that may be combined with electrical treatment

square measure filtration, pressure application and

combining, that enhance the separation potency in numerous

ways that.

In summary, there\'s a large scope for developing and

inventing new devices for separating distributed binary

compound solutions from oil. This needs associate degree

understanding of the elemental electro-coalescence

mechanisms, and of the consequences of the conductor style,

the dispersion flow direction with regard to the applied field,

the categories of the dispersion and therefore the field

configuration. In their broader pertinence, these new

developments and challenges mean that negative impacts to

the surroundings may be considerably reduced, and savings

in terms of energy, man-power and time may be greatly

increased. Moreover, the electro-coalescence technology has

potential applications in alternative industries like edible oil

treatment and bioprocesses.

References

[1] F.G. Cottrell, J.B. Speed, Separating and collecting

particles of one liquid suspended in another liquid, US

Patent 987 115 (1911).

[2] P.J. Bailes, S.K.L. Larkai, An experimental

investigation into the use of high voltage d.c. fields for

liquid phase separation, Trans. IChemE 59 (1981) 229–

237.

[3] P.J. Bailes, S.K.L. Larkai, Liquid phase separation in

pulsed d.c. fields, Trans. IChemE 60 (2) (1982) 115–

121.

[4] P.J. Bailes, S.K.L. Larkai, Electrostatic separation of

liquid dispersions, UK Patent 217 1031A (1986).

[5] D. Sun, X. Duan, W. Li, D. Zhou, Demulsification of

water-in-oil emulsion by using porous glass membrane,

J. Membr. Sci. 146 (1998) 65–72.

[6] K.J. Lissant, De-mulsification: industrial application, in:

Surfactant Science Series 13, Marcel Dekker, New

York, 1983.

[7] C. Tsouris, W.T. Shin, S. Yiacoumi, Pumping, spraying,

and mixing of fluids by electric fields, Can. J. Chem.

Eng. 76 (1998) 589–599.

[8] S.E. Taylor, Theory and practice of electrically-

enhanced phase separation of water-in-oil emulsion,

Trans. IChemEA 74 (1996) 526–540.

[9] V.B. Guthrie, The raw material, crude petroleum and

natural gas, in: Petroleum Products Handbook, 1st

Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1960 (Section 1).

[10] F.G. Cottrell, Process for separating and collecting

particles of one liquid suspended in another liquid, US

Patent 987 114 (1911).

[11] W. Clayton, De-emulsification, in: C.G. Sumner (Ed.),

the Theory of Emulsions and their Technical Treatment,

5th Edition, J & A Churchill, London, 1954 (Chapter

XIII).

Paper ID: 19051505 2226





[12] J.S. Eow, M. Ghadiri, A.O. Sharif, T.J. Williams,

Electrostatic enhancement of the coalescence of water

droplets in oil: a review of the current understanding,

Chem. Eng. J. 84 (3) (2001) 173–192.

[13] L.C. Waterman, Electrical coalescers, Chem. Eng.

Progr. 61 (10) (1965) 51–57.

[14] P.J. Bailes, Electrically-augmented settlers and

coalescers for solvent extraction, Hydrometallurgy 30

(1992) 417–430.

[15] P.J. Bailes, E.H. Stitt, Column liquid contacting with

vigorous agitation balanced by electrostatic

coalescence, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 65 (1986) 514–523.

[16] I.G. Harpur, N.J. Wayth, A.G. Bailey, M.T. Thew, T.J.

Williams, O. Urdahl, Destabilisation of water-in-oil

emulsions under the influence of an a.c. electric field:

experimental assessment of performance, J. Electrostat.

40–41 (1997) 135–140.

[17] Sjöblom, J., Emulsions and emulsion stability. Ed. F.

Taylor & Francis: Boca Raton. 2006. 668s.

[18] Urdahl, O.N., K.; Berry, P.; Wayth, N.; Williams, T.;

Bailey, A.; Thew, M., Spe Production & Facilities 2001,

2001. 16(1): p. 4-8.

[19] Sams, G.W., Warren, K.W. New methods of

Application of Electrostatic Fields. In AiChE Spring

National Meeting 2004. New Orleans, Louisiana.

[20] Zaouk, G.W.S.a.M. The Practiced Art of Emulsion

Resolution in Electrostatic Processes. in Prepared for

Presentation at 1999 Spring Meeting Session: The

Chemistry and Physics of Petroleum – Water

Emulsions. 1999. Houston, Texas

[21] Speight, J.G., The Chemistry and Technology of

Petroleum. 4 ed, ed. T.F. Group. 2007.

[22] www.statoilhydro.com.

[23] Buckley, J.S., Wang, J.X., Journal of Petroleum Science

and Engineering. Journal of Petroleum Science and

Engineering, 2002. 33 (1-3): p. 195-202.

[24] Stasiuk, L.D., Snowdon, L.R., Applied Geochemistry,

1997. 12(3): p. 229.

[25] Aske, N., Characterisation of Crude Oil Components,

Asphaltene Aggregation and Emulsion Stability by

means of Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate

Analysis, in Norwegian University of Science and

Technology. 2002: Trondheim, Norway.

[26] Aske, N., Kallevik, H., Sjöblom, J., Dertermination of

saturate, aromatic, resin and asphaltenic (SARA)

components in crude oils by maens of infrared and near-

infrared spectroscopy. Energy and Fuels, 2001. 15: p.

1304-1312

[27] Hannisdal, A., Particle-stabilized Emulsions and Heavy

Crude Oils. Characterization,Stability Mechanisms and

Interfacial Properties, in Norwegian University of

Scienceand Technology Faculty of Natural Sciences and

Technology Department of Chemical engineering2006:

Trondheim, Norway.

[28] www.aibel.com.

[29] www.akersolutions.com.

[30] Johnsen, E.E. Erfaringer med Compact Electrostatic

Coalescer (CEC) Felttestingpå Glitne, Statoils

forskningssenter, Trondheim. in Separasjonsteknologi

2007, Sola, Norway.

[31] Speight, J.G., the Chemistry and Technology of

Petroleum. 4 ed, ed. T.F. Group. 2007.

[32] www.statoilhydro.com.

Paper ID: 19051505 2227

Documents

Review of Phase Separation of Water in Oil Emulsion using Electro … · 2018-10-25 · Review of Phase Separation of Water in Oil Emulsion using Electro-Pulse ... Paper ID: 19051505