Emulsion
formation is undesirable in the oil and gas industry because it affects flow
regimes and behaviour, reduces crude oil quality, occupies space in the
pipeline, reduces mass flow rate, requires longer retention time in separation
vessels, causes corrosion to the transport system, and contaminates catalyst
used in the rinsing process. However, this is inescapable because oil will
always be produced in conjunction with water from the reservoir, and towards
the end of the reservoir's life, with an increasing volume of water,
particularly if the reservoir is fed by a water aquifer. The
pipeline flow of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions has received less attention. As a
result, one of the goals of this study is to look at the development of W/O
emulsions in a continuous flow loop, where the emulsification process is
triggered by flow shear and turbulence effects such as pipeline constriction
disturbances. The experimental portion of this investigation is carried out
utilising a model lab-scale continuous flow rig with a 90° bend pipeline
constriction and Bintulu crude oil. Using an ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP)
instrument, the researchers are investigating the effect of flow velocity and
turbulence in the development of emulsions. The UVP study sheds light on the
role of turbulence in the creation of emulsions. This will largely contribute
to crude transportation, i.e. with fewer emulsions forming, because the energy
required for emulsion formation may be managed appropriately with a better
understanding of the roles of turbulent activities in the emulsification
process.
Author (S) Details
Wong Siew Fan
Xiamen University,
Malaysia.
Sharul Sham Dol
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Abu Dhabi University, Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/AAER-V15/article/view/1748
