In recent years, crude oil emulsion breaking mechanism of influence are more concentrated in the fine droplet coalescence process inspection and demulsifiers on the interfacial rheological properties and so on. However, due to the emulsion effect of demulsifier very complex, although in this field a great deal of research is currently no unified judgment of the breaking mechanism.
Breaking several currently accepted mechanism: ① phase transfer a reverse deformation mechanism. After the phase transition demulsifier that can generate the formation of an emulsion with an emulsifier surfactant type opposite (reverse demulsifier). Demulsifiers and emulsifiers such hydrophobic effect form a complex, thereby losing the emulsifier emulsifying properties. ② collision mechanism to break the interfacial film. Or with stirring under heating conditions, there are many opportunities for collision demulsifier interfacial film of the emulsion, or adsorbed at the interface of the membrane, or exclude the replaced part surfactant, thereby to break the interfacial film, so that stability is greatly reduced, the occurrence of flocculation, coalescence of the emulsion breaking. ③ solubilization mechanism. Demulsifier a use or a few molecules to form micelles, which polymer coils or micellar solubilization emulsifier molecules may cause oil emulsion breaking. ④ fold deformation mechanism. Microscopy results showed, W / O type emulsion having two or more layers hydrosphere, the hydrosphere between the two oil rings. Droplets under the action of heat and stir demulsifier, interconnected layers inside the droplet, the droplet condensation occurs while breaking.
In addition, domestic mechanism for breaking the O / W emulsion oil system also has some research work that ideal demulsifier must meet the following conditions: a strong surfactant; good wetting properties; adequate flocculation ability; the preferred coalescing effect.
