Sodium lignin sulfonate to stabilize heavy crude oil-in-water emulsions for pipeline transportation

The efficiency of sodium lignin sulfonate (SLS) as an anionic surfactant de rived from waste wood pulping industry in stabilizing an Egyptian heavy cru de oil (Geisum)-in-water emulsions for pipeline transportation has been inv estigated. The stability acid rheology of the emulsions stabilized by SLS o r with a nonionic surfactant nonyl phenol diethylenetriamine formaldehyde e thoxylate (NDFE) individually or in a mixture have been studied. It has bee n found that the dynamic shear viscosity of the crude oil decreases substan tially when it is emulsified with water in the form of an oil-in-water type of emulsion. The stability of the oil-in-water emulsion increases as the s urfactant concentration increases. Potable water and saline water containin g different molar concentrations of NaCl have been used to study the effect of aqueous phase salinity on the stability and viscosity of the emulsion. Surfactant dissolved in saline water has been utilized to find out the poss ibility of injecting the surfactant into a well bore to effect emulsificati on in the pump or tubing for enhancing the production of heavy crude oils a s oil-in-water emulsion. The study revealed that, the viscosity of the emul sion containing potable water is always less than that containing saline wa ter and the viscosity increases as the salt content increased.