Effect of the HLD parameter on the oil/ water emulsion inversion point

• Grant number: 20/04373-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2020
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
• Agreement: Equinor (former Statoil)
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Carlos Bannwart
• Grantee: Rodrigo Berini Tamaki
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos do Petróleo (CEPETRO). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM)
• Associated research grant: 17/15736-3 - Engineering Research Centre in Reservoir and Production Management, AP.PCPE

Abstract

The research project aims to study the effect of the HLD (hidrophilic/ lipophilic difference) thermodynamic parameter on the inversion point of oil/ water emulsions, a continuation of the research that has been developed in our laboratories over the last years. The present approach brings up the application of new concepts in petroleum research field with regard to emulsion inversion point and the possibility of putting these concepts into practice in field operations. A huge amount of the studies are focused on model oils, usually paraffinic mineral oils with some additives that mimic the chemical function of crude oil natural components, such as asphaltenes and resins (surfactants). Even though the model fluids are too simple to represent a real crude oil, concerning to the chemical composition, their simplicity make feasible the fundamental understanding of how the formulation variables affect the emulsion properties such as rheological behavior, kinetic stability and phase inversion point. In this work it will be investigated how the inversion point of oil/ water emulsions for model oils having a viscosity quite similar to that found in the reservoir is affected by the chemical composition of both phases (oil and water). For this, it will be applied the Hidrophilic/ Lipophilic Difference (HLD) concept, which take into account the chemical composition of the whole system (water and oil phases). In this proposal, all studies will be focused in bench tests, applying the HLD scanning by microemulsion sponataneous formation and Winsor classification. (AU)