Effect of Salinity, Temperature, Water Content, and pH on the Microwave Demulsification of Crude Oil Emulsions

The main objective of this work is to investigate the effect of a set of crude oil emulsion variables, including pH and salt and water contents, upon the microwave demulsification process. A series of batch demulsification runs were carried out to evaluate the final emulsified water content of emulsion samples after the exposure to microwaves. Tests were performed at distinct heating temperatures, using water-in-heavy crude oil emulsion samples containing different salt and water contents and pH. Well-defined temperature programs were established to control the amount of energy applied to the emulsion and, ultimately, the viscosity. Higher microwave demulsification efficiencies were achieved for emulsions containing high water contents, except when high pH and salt contents were simultaneously involved.