Tese
Desenvolvimento de um processo de separação de emulsão com o uso de radiação microondas para a caracterização de petróleo extrapesado
Fecha
2009-04-17Registro en:
SANTOS, Maria de Fatima Pereira dos. Development of an emulsion separation process with the use of microwave radiation for extra heavy crude oil caracterization. 2009. 151 f. Tese (Doutorado em Química) - Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, 2009.
Autor
Santos, Maria de Fatima Pereira dos
Institución
Resumen
In this work is proposed a procedure for separation in laboratory scale of extra-heavy
crude oil emulsions with high dissolved water and salt content, using microwave radiation in
a closed system. The emulsion was introduced into a high pressure quartz vessel and water
was added. The separation of the emulsion was done in microwave oven with maximun
power and pressure of 800 W of power and 70 bar, respectively. Homogeneity was
evalueted taking into account the shaking time, heating temperature and the depth level of
the sample. The following parameters were evaluated for the proposed procedure: sample
mass, water content, microwave irradiation time, power and the necessity of additional
extraction steps. The proposed procedure using microwave radiation for emulsion separation
presented efficiency over 95% being possible to have a oil with water content below 1% v/v
for emulsions from 11,1 to 14,2 °API. This conditio n was reached with the use of sucessive
extractions and a subsequent centrifugation step. The oil was characterized before and after
the emulsion separation procedure and the resulting water phase. Water content and
concentration of Ba, Ca, Cl, S, Sr, Fe, P, Mg, Ni, N, K, Na e V were evaluated after
decomposition for further determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission
spectrometry and by ion chromatography. Simulated distillation was performed and density,
viscosity and total acid number (TAN) measured, before and after the emulsion separation
procedure using microwave radiation. No significant was obtened between the results
obtained before and after emulsion separation procedure for the majority of the elements
studied. The concentration of some element (Ca, Mg, Na, K e Cl) was reduced from 53 to
99% (m/m). Using the proposed procedure, it was possible to separate the water and the salt
from extra-heavy crude oil emulsions in an analytic scale. The results obtained were
considered suitable when compared to the method used by Petrobras (N-2499/93). The
proposed procedure is simple and fast, requires a small sample amount and does not require
the use of organic solvents and it can be performed in about 1 hour.