PROCESS FOR DEMULSIFICATION OF CRUDE OIL IN WATER EMULSIONS BY MEANS OF NATURAL OR SYNTHETIC AMINO ACID-BASED DEMULSIFIERS

• Main Authors: BENJAMÍN CHÁVEZ GÓMEZ, RAFAEL RODRÍGUEZ DOMÍNGUEZ, RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ PALOU, ALBA ADRIANA VALLEJO CARDONA, RICARDO CERÓN CAMACHO, JORGE ARTURO ABURTO ANELL, ROMEO JESÚS REYES ÁVILA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: 25.09.2017
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SEPARATION; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING

The present invention is related to the breaking of preferred, but not exclusive, oil-in-water emulsions (O/W) and water separation from crude oil emulsions using surfactants as demulsifying agents derived from natural or synthetic amino acids, which are water soluble. Demonstrating its efficiency with the surfactants of the methanesulfonate series of glycine ester derivatives with hydrocarbon chains, preferably between C10 and C16, at a concentration between 450 and 900 ppm, at a temperature range of 30 to 60 DEG C. The removal of water from the crude oil by using natural or synthetic amino acid-based demulsifiers is highly efficient (about 80%) and complemented with the action of an electric field typically used in electrostatic separators in crude oil terminals ad oil refineries, increasing the efficiency of water separation substantially, and enabling the production of dehydrated crude oil for further processing. La invención se relaciona con el rompimiento de emulsiones aceite en agua y la separación del agua de emulsiones con aceite crudo, empleando como agentes desemulsificantes tensoactivos derivados de aminoácidos naturales, que son solubles en agua. Demostrando su eficiencia con los tensoactivos de la serie metansulfonatos derivados de ésteres de glicina con carbonos en la cadena hidrocarbonada, preferentemente entre C10 y C16, a una concentración entre 450 y 900 ppm, en un intervalo de temperatura de 30 a 60 °C. La eliminación del contenido de agua del aceite crudo mediante el uso de derivados de aminoácidos naturales es muy eficiente (alrededor de 80 %) y complementado con un proceso eléctrico, proceso usado de manera típica en los separadores electroestáticos de las empresas petroleras, aumenta la eficiencia de separación del agua de manera substancial, permitiendo la producción de aceite crudo deshidratado.