ELECTROSTATIC DESTABILIZATION OF WATER-IN-OIL EMULSIONS UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT-FLOW

The influence of a 50 Hz electric field on chemically stabilized water -in-oil emulsions has been investigated. The parameters which have bee n varied are electric field strength, water concentration, surfactant concentration and residence time in the electric field. The Volume Med ian Diameter (VMD) of the disperse aqueous droplets, while varying the different parameters, has been determined using a Malvern particle si zer. The results show that this can be a very efficient and rapid way of breaking water-in-oil emulsions. The main significance of the data is that electrocoalescence has been shown to be highly effective under turbulent flow conditions. For many of the experiments conducted, esp ecially at the low water cuts, the increase in VMD during flow through the electrocoalescer (average residence time 7 seconds at an emulsion flow rate of 601 min(-1)) is a factor of about 10.