Emulsion inversion using solid particles

In petroleum production emulsions such as water-in-oil (W/O) are formed due to the simultaneous flow of petroleum and formation water. These lead to an increase in the viscosity, which can be reduced by their inversion into oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, resulting in lower head loss and, therefore, reduced production costs. The W/O petroleum emulsions analyzed were prepared with two different types of petroleum at 60 °C, with 50% (by volume) of saline water containing 50 g L−1 of NaCl. The hydrophilic solids were added at between 0.5 and 8 wt% in relation to the water and the determination of the quantities necessary to invert the emulsions was carried out through conductivimetry. The stability of the emulsions formed was verified, at 60 °C, by the determination of the time necessary for the formation of two phases (over 4 h to verify the production feasibility and over 24 h to verify the transport feasibility). Two hydrophilic solids were used: Aerosil ® 200 and sodium bentonite. Rheological tests were performed, varying the temperature from 60 °C to 4 °C, with shear rates of 20–250 s−1. In these tests viscosity reductions of up to three orders of magnitude were verified.