The Stability of Bohai Heavy Oil’s Emulsion and Investigation of Dehydration Test

Author of the article:Zengzhe Liu

Author's Workplace：China National Petroleum Cooperation Beijing Oil and Gas Control Center, Beijing

Key Words：Heavy Oil; Emulsion; Stability; Dehydration; Demulsifiers

Abstract：Abstract: In recent years of development, most oilfields in China have progressed into the stage of producing with high water-cut. Due to the fact that a large portion of crude being extracted in the phase of emulsion, the investigation of characteristics and properties of crude oil has become an important topic. Taking advantages of the methodology applied in the test, an emulsion’s stability analysis is further carried out on Bohai 26-3 Oilfield of China National Offshore Oil Cooperation. Upon investigating various approaches of different demulsifiers as well as the dehydration effects of electric field, conclusions are made regarding that the concentration of emulsion impacts its stability evidently (there exists an optimum phase concentration, beyond which W/O emulsion could not formulate). When rotates in 500rpm, heavy oil emulsion behaves the most stable comparing to either that of in higher or lower rotation speed. The conclusions aim to providing guidance for future exploration.