In this paper, the electrical conductivity measurements of four types of crude oils at reservoir conditions were carried out using an in-house-developed pressurized cell. The newly introduced apparatus has the capability of performing electrical conductivity measurements of various reservoir fluids at high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) conditions. The cell can be pressurized with an inert gas to be far enough above the bubble points (P b ) of crude oils. The alternate voltage (AV) cycle methodology was applied to perform the experiments. In this method, the subtraction of electrical currents when the voltage alternated between two specified values (0 and 2 V in this work) was used to calculate the conductivity. The reliability of the methodology and equipment in making conductivity tests has been verified by comparing the conductivity results to the "rest conductivity" values measured via a standard method. Variation of crude oil electrical conductivity showed a strong relation to the physical and chemical properties of the reservoir fluids, including the electrical nature of compounds in oils and viscosity of fluids. The experimental data were fitted well to the Arrhenius model with a clear break point at a certain temperature for each oil, which can be linked to the structural change of the fluids at the mentioned temperatures.
The efficiency of
electrostatic coalescence coupled with microwave
heating in separation of water-in-oil (W/O) model emulsions was evaluated.
A series of experiments were performed in a continuous pilot plant
where a W/O emulsion can be treated by application of electric field,
microwave heating, conventional heating, or a combination of these
techniques. The separation efficiencies in the two process configurations
were evaluated by measuring the water content of treated model emulsion.
The combination of electrocoalescence and microwave showed better
separation results, in comparison to conventional heating combination
with electrocoalescence. The influence of four operational variables
on the water contents of the treated emulsions were studied: salt
concentration, flow rate, the electric field between electrodes, and
water cut at the inlet were evaluated. It was observed that a lower
flow rate (higher residence time) helped in reducing the final water
content and that a higher salt content resulted in worse separation
efficiency. The microwave heating showed to be an attractive alternative
to conventional heating, particularly when the electrocoalescer is
under operational stress.
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