Classification: Internal Status: Draft

Phase inversion in heavy crude oil production

Robert Orr
Water in oil
Oil in water
Addition of water
?
2
Contents
Definitions
What is phase inversion?
Why phase invert
Factors controlling phase inversion
Studies of phase inversion in connection with separation
Challenges
Suggestions
Conclusions
3
Phase inversion is
unbelievably complicated
and
poorly understood
4
Definitions
Surfactant
a chemical that is surface active
Reduces surface/interfacial tension
May stabilise against coalescence
Only consider surfactant stabilised systems
Two types of emulsions
Bancrofts law states that the surfactant prefers to be in the continual phase
Surfactants in continual phase a normal emulsion emulsion stable slow separation
Surfactants in the dispersed phase an abnormal emulsion emulsion not stable rapid
separation
Demulsifier special case should be considered as a system without surfactants
Phase inversion from:
A stable to non-stable emulsion
A non-stable to a stable emulsion
5
Phase Inversion Two types
Transitional phase inversion
by changing the temperature or
solvent
Catastrophic phase inversion
By increasing the concentration of
the dispersed phase
By applying shear
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Temperature (C)
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Heavy crude oil emulsion viscosity
@ 60 C
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Water cut [%]
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Why phase invert a heavy crude oil emulsion -
separation
Many good reasons to invert a water-in-oil heavy crude emulsion
Separation of emulsion
Settling of water drops
Stokes equation
settling velocity =2r
2
g/9
is much smaller
is significantly larger
For a light oil settling rates approx 5000 faster than for a heavy oil
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Why phase invert a heavy crude oil emulsion - transport
Viscosity of emulsion controlled by the
viscosity of the external phase
Typical oil viscosity 2000cP
For an emulsion the viscosity can be
significantly higher
Typical water viscosity 1cP
Water continuous emulsions have lower
viscosity
Even after 25% dilution of oil
Reduced rate of organic deposition
Water continuous emulsion
Salager 2001
8
Factors controlling phase inversion
Surfactants
Surfactants strongly prefers to be in the continual phase
Viscosity
The viscous phase prefers to be the dispersed phase
Shear (poorly understood)
Both the strength and the nature of the shear
Wettability
The fluid that wets the walls, mixer etc prefers to be the continual phase
Droplet size
Free gas
Time
Age of emulsion, mixing times etc
There is no unique phase inversion point
9
Experience with phase inversion using recirculation of water
Heavy North Sea oil water injected for 1st stage separator,
No improvement on oil water separation
Light North Sea oil water injected before control valve 2nd stage separator
Water only increased from 15 to 23 % no effect on separation
An API 20 oil
Capacity problems have limited the amount of water that can be circulated
.
No documented proof of phase inversion without the addition of chemicals
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Demulsifiers
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Phase inversion in crude oils
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Water cut
oil
Water droplets
oil
Water droplets
water
Water droplets
Oil drops
water
Oil drops
Normal emulsion
Abnormal emulsion
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Multiple emulsions
Normal to abnormal phase inversion
Piela, 2006
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Multiple emulsions in crude oil systems
Valle, 2000
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The effect of free gas on phase inversion
Water cut regions where phase inversion occurs for a medium light oil
(crude 1), light oil (crude 2) and heavy oil (crude 4) Valle, 2000
Heavy oil
Light oils
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The effect of droplet size and distribution on viscosity
Smaller droplets for the same water cut
give higher viscosities
Two emulsions mean droplet size 23 m
One emulsion monodisperse
estimated viscosity r = 400
50:50 mixture of 42 and 13 m
estimated viscosity r = 150
Salager, 2001
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Phase inversion in crude oils
Conditions after water addition, over a mixing device
What happens?
Water continuous
flow of WiO emulsion
OR
Oil in water flow
w
oil
Oil continuous emulsion
Water added
choke
17
Two approaches to phase inversion
(consider a 30% water in oil emulsion with a phase inversion point 70% water)
Adding more water to come over phase
inversion point
Have to add nearly 300% the volume of
water compared to oil volume.
Possible capacity problems?
No stabilisation of oil droplets
Possible problems with shut ins.
Cheap?
Very low viscosity
Need large amounts of water
Adding a little water with added
chemicals to come over phase inversion
point approx 10% of oil volume.
Established technology -Orimulsion
Possible problems with use of chemicals
HSE
Expensive?
What can one do with extra water
(contaminated with surfactant)
18
Phase inversion studies using only shear
on w/o light crude oil emulsions
Effect of water soluble surfactant (1) on in separation
of intial water from Crude 1
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Surfactant (1) [ppm]
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Fraction water
remaining in oil
phase
Fraction 'old' water
remaining in oil
phase
Initial water fraction
Phase Inversion - Crude 2 - Initially 15%WC
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Additive
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Fraction 'new'
water remaining in
oil phase
Fraction 'old'
water remaining in
oil phase
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Addition of chemicals to invert emulsion
Demulsifier
Produce an unstable emulsion
Possible problems with depletion of demulsifier
Water soluble surfactant/particles/gels
Potential to produce a stable emulsion
May need water
May be expensive
Orimulsion uses surfactant to stabilise emulsion
Can possibly be recycled
20
Using 0.5% water soluble surfactant
Heavy oil in water emulsions stabilised by water soluble surfactant
Using 0.5% water soluble surfactant
Emulsions are
Stable
Low viscosities
Destabilised by heating to approx
65C
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%oil in the emulsion
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Issues
Availability of water
Water more valuable than oil
Recycling
Water
Chemicals
HSE
Effect of gas
Can stabilise water in oil
Can it stabilise oil in water?
Other gases, e.g. CO
2
, N
2,
etc
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Type of shear
Commercial phase inversion equipment
Akay, 1998
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Suggestions for areas of work
Need to know:
Relationship between shear rate and droplet size
Droplet sizes that can be broken by a given shear or type of shear
Is there a point of no return?
Droplet sizes created by a given shear (and type)
The time when droplets are unstable
Shear
Time
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Possible solution
Low shear
d ( m)
d ( m)
d ( m)
High shear
Oil
Heat
exchanger
Water surfactant solution
70% oil in water emulsion
Oil
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Conclusions
Phase inversion of water in oil emulsions has potential for heavy crude oil
systems because:
Ease of separation
Ease of transport
Most probably an additional chemical is required
To obtain optimal benefits from phase inversion care is needed with phase
inversion
Acknowledgements
StatoilHydro for permission to present this paper
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Thank you for your attention
Questions?
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What is Heavy Crude Oil?
Density @ 15C > 0.993 or API gravity < 20
API = (141.5/SG) 131.5
High Viscosity (100 to 10,000 cP)
Bitumen: API gravity <10 (SG > 1.0 g/mL) & viscosity >10,000 cP

Gravity 35 20 15 10 5
(
o
API)
Viscosity 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000
(cP)
Conventional
Crude Oil
Extra Heavy Oil
(Tar Sand Oil &
Bitumen)
Heavy Crude
Oil
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Simple Shear
Simple shear Extensional Rotational
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Reasons for failure
No enough water added
Testing of old emulsions
When surfactant is adsorbed at an
interface it will stay there
Should it really be expected?
Shear
Time
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The effect of droplet size on viscosity
Thompson, 1985
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Why is Phase inversion so attractive
Water in oil emulsions are stable
Oil in water emulsions are unstable
Viscosity of an emulsion is mainly
controlled by the viscosity of the external
phase.
Stokes law
settling velocity =2r
2
g/9
Ease of transportation
Water continuous emulsion
Salager, 2001
32
Emulsification
Shear
Time