In oilfields, gravitational separation tanks are generally used to separate the oil, gas and water phases, remove emulsifying agents present at the interfaces and permit the coalescence of water droplets associated with the crude oil being pumped. The main problem that influences the performance of these separators is the formation of foam. In this work, a method was developed to evaluate foaming in crude oil in laboratory scale, reproducing the operation conditions in gas-oil separators in real fields. This method was employed with seven crude oil samples, and the performance of silicone antifoams with different molar masses could be tested. The results indicated that the method of evaluating the breakdown of foam in oil by using the Aging Cell apparatus in a roller oven proved to be suitable. It was observed that the oil viscosity is a determining factor in predicting whether or not foam will form.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.