Stability of Water-In-Oil Emulsions In Electromagnetic Fields

The problem of water-in-oil emulsion destruction is related to many technological processes in the oil-and-gas industry, especially in extracting and processing of oil, preparation and transportation of oil, and liquidation/recycling of oil-sludge barns. High stability of water-in-oil emulsions is principally conditioned by the presence in oils of heavy high-molecular polar components that envelope water droplets and prevent coalescence of these droplets. Using conventional techniques to destroy the emulsions yields no positive results. Employing electromagnetic field energy is one of the ways to address this problem. In this paper we present the results of experimental studies of the water-in-oil destruction in radio-frequency and microwave electromagnetic fields. A mathematical model is also proposed to describe the process of electromagnetic impact on water-in-oil emulsions. This research is supported by the Grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (G34.31.0040).