Electric Desalting and Dewatering of Crude Oil Emulsion Based on Schiff Base Polymers As Demulsifier

The effect of electric desalting on dewatering process was studied in this paper. Some surfactants are used as demulsifiers for destabilization of emulsions of crude petroleum. We have developed new Schiff base polymers for such use; their chemical structures were determined by FTIR and H-1 NMR. The prepared surfactants were dissolved in xylene/ethanol (75:25) and toluene (commonly employed in commercial formulations) and also in water. Surface tensions and critical micelle concentrations for water soluble surfactants were determined at several temperatures. Surface excess concentration Gamma(max) and the areas per molecule at the interface A(min) were determined from the adsorption isotherms of the surfactants. Our surfactants have long hydrophobic segments which efficiently break down crude petroleum emulsions. The best demulsifier efficiency is seen for xylene/ethanol (75:25). The solvent mixture improves the diffusion of the molecules of the Schiff bases in the petroleum phase of the emulsion and acts as a co-additive.