Results of Laboratory and Industrial Tests of "Ikhlas-1" Nanodemulsifier on "Akkulka" Field and the New Mechanism of Destruction of Oil Emulsions

Abstract

The article presents the results of laboratory and industrial tests of the "IKHLAS-1" nanodemulsifier for the "Akkulka" field of the "Tetisaralgaz" LLC of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the test results, it was found that the "KHLAS-1" nanodemulsifier under all technological conditions of primary oil preparation shows significant advantages compared to the basic "DMO-86520" demulsifier. Therefore, "IKHLAS-1" was recommended for widespread introduction of the "Akkulka" field at the Group Installation of primary preparation of oil. Implementation results (since October 2017) also confirms the high efficiency of the "IKHLAS-1" nanodemulsifier. The article sets out also a new mechanism for the destruction of oil emulsions.

Nanodemulsifiers with the properties of crystalline liquids, intramolecular interblock activity and eternal intramolecular nanomotors

“…The APS is also determined based on individual points of scientific novelty of the proposed discovery which are closely linked to the name of the discovery itself: "The phenomenon of simultaneous destruction of oil-water and oil-water emulsions". The practical significance of the discovery is confirmed by the results of pilot testing and the introduction of polynanostructured nanodemulsifiers of the "IKHLAS" brand in rather complex fields of the Republic of Kazakhstan [14][15][16][17][18]25,26,29,34,35] . The annual actual economic efficiency from the implementation of this discovery stands at approximately $10,846,000 and in the period 2021-2023 $32,538,000 (there is an official certificate of economic efficiency from the implementation of the authors' scientific discoveries in the oil fields of the Republic of Kazakhstan).…”

“…Building upon the authors' extensive experience in the field of primary oil preparation (PPO) [26] and considering relevant literature sources [27] , a comprehensive set of requirements for demulsifiers was developed for the first time at the nanotechnology level.…”

“…1) Demulsifiers must be effective, that is, ensure high quality of the resulting oil at minimum specific consumption, minimum settling time and minimum temperature; 2) Demulsifiers must have a higher surface activity in the phase into which they are introduced (dispersion medium); 3) Demulsifiers must have good dispersion properties in a dispersion medium to increase the contact surface with particles of the dispersed phase water droplets of different sizes with molecular adsorption layers (MAL) around the perimeter; 4) Demulsifier molecules must have sufficient peptization property (sol-gel transition) to ensure its release due to adsorption on the MAL ("protective coating") formed around the particles of the dispersed phase; 5) The demulsifier molecules must have strong wetting properties towards the MAL components; 6) Demulsifier molecules should not form a continuous film around particles of the dispersed phase; 7) Demulsifiers must have low viscosity (no more than 100 mPas), not be subject to delamination and hardening at low temperatures for a long time (at least during the warranty period, for example 1-3 years); 8) Demulsifiers must ensure high quality of formation water separated under PPO conditions, which can allow its use in a reservoir pressure maintenance system (RPM) without additional preparation (removal of oil and mechanical impurities); 9) Demulsifiers should not cause corrosion of pipes and equipment and should not have a negative impact on the effectiveness of other reagents used (for example, scale inhibitors, paraffin deposits, corrosion inhibitors, etc. ); 10) Demulsifiers should not be subjected to coagulation in formation waters; 11) Demulsifiers must have anti-foam properties; 12) It is desirable that the demulsifiers be oil-soluble nonionic surfactants (NS); 13) Demulsifiers must have a high speed of action; 14) Demulsifiers must exhibit thermodynamic and aggregative stability in various technical, thermal, technological and climat conditions of PPO; 15) Demulsifiers for the destruction of oil emulsions (W/O-reverse emulsion; O/W-direct emulsion; W/O/W-medium emulsion) and other oil nanocolloids under PPO conditions HDWOE (hard to destroy water-oil emulsions), HDWOS (hard to destroy water-oil suspensions), trap oil, pit oil, bottom sediments of technological and commercial tanks, oil sludge, crude oil with viscoelastic properties or crude oil with structural and rheological properties; demulsifiers used to ensure high disintegration of gas hydrates, etc. must be nanodemulsifiers with a polynano structure; 16) The surface pressure for a nanodemulsifier must be at least 40-42 mJ/m 2 ; 17) To ensure maximum efficiency of the thermochemical method in the processes of demulsification of all types of oil emulsions, it is more expedient for nanodemulsifiers to be in a hybrid state of aggregation of the liquid crystalline type (the concept of "hybrid state of aggregation" for organic substances is used for the first time) [26] ; 18) The components of the active phase of the nanodemulsifier should exhibit a synergistic effect during the breakdown of reverse, direct and medium emulsions; 19) The presence of wetting agents in the composition of a highly effective nanodemulsifier, consisting of n-aliphatic alcohols of the neonogenic surfactants type, oxyethylene esters of acids, creates maximum wetting (cos = 0 or cos  0) in the molecular adsorption layers around the particles of the dispersed phase. ("protective coating"), and the emulsions undergo complete decomposition; 20) Highly efficient nanodemulsifiers must have minimum values of interfacial tension (M) at the boundaries of the water-oil partition (M = 0 or M  0); 21) Highly effective nanodemulsifiers should not exhibit emulsifying properties regardless of the specific application of the nanodemulsifier for all types of petroleum emulsions.…”