Evaluation of a new composition for enhanced demulsification and deposit control in resinous heavy oil emulsions

Authors

  • Aysel Gasimzade Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University
  • Vali Nurullayev State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.4.15

Keywords:

water-oil emulsion, demulsification, paraffin hydrocarbons, resinous crude oil, deposit

Abstract

This study investigates the demulsification performance, deposit formation tendencies, and rheological behavior of highly resinous crude oils and their blended systems using both an individual demulsifier and a newly formulated laboratory composition. Crude oils X (27% water), Y (32% water), and Z (48% water), along with the mixed emulsions A (31% water) and B (41% water), were examined under various temperatures, reagent dosages, and a demulsification duration of 120 minutes. The individual demulsifier ND-12 and the newly developed W composition were evaluated by determining their optimal dosages and comparing the resulting amounts of residual and ballast water after treatment.

Under conditions of 60 °C and 120 minutes, the optimal ND-12 dosage was found to be 200 g/t for X, 800 g/t for Y, and 1000 g/t for the highly stable Z emulsion, reducing ballast water to 0.05%, 0.07%, and 0.8%, respectively. Owing to its strong aggregative and kinetic stability, the Z emulsion was also analyzed at 85 °C, where the required ND-12 dosage decreased to 750 g/t, and ballast water was reduced fourfold to 0.2%. For the mixed A (X+Z) and B (Y+Z) systems, the optimal ND-12 dosages at 60 °C were 1300 g/t and 1100 g/t, achieving ballast water levels of 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively.

Compared with individual reagents, the laboratory-prepared W composition showed higher demulsification efficiency, reduced sediment formation related to asphaltenes, resins and paraffins, and a significant decrease in viscosity. The required reagent dosage for treating mixed oil emulsions A and B was reduced by about 2.5 times, while viscosity decreased by approximately six times. In addition, application of the composition produced a multifunctional inhibiting effect on crude-oil complications by preventing the formation of a structural network of C17–C40 fractions, which are prone to rapid solidification.

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Published

2026-05-05

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 4 (2026): Forthcoming Issue: No. 80

Section

Petroleum Engineering and Energetics

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Aysel Gasimzade, Vali Nurullayev

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How to Cite

Gasimzade, A., & Nurullayev, V. (2026). Evaluation of a new composition for enhanced demulsification and deposit control in resinous heavy oil emulsions. Rudarsko-geološko-Naftni Zbornik, 41(4), Article in Press. https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.4.15