JUSTIFICATION OF ULTRASONIC IMPACT TECHNOLOGY FOR DESTRUCTION OF STABLE WATER-OIL EMULSIONS

Abstract

The relevance. Preparation of wells production to the requirements of the first quality group for the commercial purposes is becoming more relevant every year in the Perm region. Most operational facilities are in the final stages of development and are characterized by high water content of well products, which later leads to the formation of water-oil emulsions during transportation and field preparation. Stable water-oil emulsions are poorly exposed to destruction when prepared by traditional methods, such as thermal and thermochemical gravity sedimentation. These preparing methods are easy to use, but do not always provide the expected result. In this regard, an urgent task is to find and apply new technologies for preparation of hydrocarbons, which can be used separately from traditional methods, or in combination with them. This method is ultrasound impact. The main aim of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonic impact on the destruction of stable water-oil emulsions, to select the optimal parameters of ultrasound. Object: water-oil emulsion from the water treatment tank, which is located in the Perm territory (Russia). Methods: determining the main technological indicators, conducting laboratory research and pilot tests, making key graphs and dependencies. Results. The paper shows the experience of using ultrasound impact. In addition, the high destruction efficiency of stable water-oil emulsions in comparison with traditional methods is noted there. The authors of the article conducted pilot tests on a mobile unit for preparing well products with the use of ultrasonic impact on stable water-oil emulsions, evaluated the technological effect and developed recommendations for the practical application of the proposed method. The scientific novelty of the work is to determine the parameters of the effective process of destruction specific type of stable water-oil emulsions with combining thermochemical and pulsed ultrasonic action in the pre-cavitation mode. It is possible to reduce the dosage of the demulsifier reagent in combination with ultrasound impact to 50 g/t. A decrease in the efficiency of destruction of stable water-oil emulsions under the complex effect of low (less than 4 %) water content on the emulsion is shown. It is also shown that the work of the pulsed ultrasonic system in the operation–pause mode 95/5 is optimal.

Keywords

• oil field preparation
• pilot tests
• demulsification of stable water-oil emulsion
• mobile well production preparing unit
• ultrasonic impact