A Comparative Research of Microwave, Conventional-Heating, and Microwave/Chemical Demulsification of Tahe Heavy-Oil-in-Water Emulsion

Summary We consider the emulsion stabilized by organic base and compound surfactants too stable to separate automatically. To obtain an efficient demulsification technique, the influences of microwave-radiation, conventional-heating, and microwave/chemical methods on the demulsification of heavy-oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were investigated separately. The results showed that as microwave-radiation time increased, the water-separation rate increased initially and then decreased; with increasing microwave-radiation power, the water-separation rate increased sharply first and then increased moderately; and for both microwave and conventional heating, a higher temperature did not imply a better demulsification effect. In addition, the demulsification efficiency was higher and the separated water was clearer by use of the microwave/chemical approach, which needs less demulsifier in a shorter time for O/W emulsion.