| dc.description.abstract | In the oil extraction process, fluids flow from the reservoir to the well, then pass
through the production column and flow at the surface through pipelines, valves,
fittings and pipe fittings until they reach the primary processing plants where
substances such as water, inorganic components and dissolved gases are
separated from the crude oil. During this course, the dispersion of water into the
oil may occur as tiny droplets, resulting in the appearance of water-oil (W/O) or
oil-water (O/W) emulsions. In this case, the water-oil separation of the
emulsions is a process which generally requires the use of chemical, thermal
and physical treatments. The objective of this work is to characterize the
inorganic components of the oil-water interface of samples obtained from a
treatment unit and decantation tanks of a crude oil processing plant located in
the state of Rio Grande do Norte, using techniques of Soxhlet extraction, X-Ray
Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Samples from oil-water
interface of three tanks located at the oil processing unit and two tanks from the
wastewater treatment plant were collected and taken to the Núcleo de
Processamento Primário e Reuso de Água Produzida e Resíduos (NUPPRAR /
UFRN). In laboratory, these samples were taken to a centrifuge where, after
centrifugation, four phases named here as: oil, interface, water and sedimented
solid were obtained. Water and oil were discarded. The Soxhlet extraction
process was used to remove all the organic volatiles from the interface and from
the sedimented solid. The inorganic part, then, was prepared and taken for
analysis in XRF and XRD. Analyzing the results, it was possible to conclude
that the greatest mass percentage of the samples was organic matter, however,
regarding to the inorganic matter obtained, the major chemical elements were
Sulfur, Iron, Silicon and Calcium and the most common chemical compounds
were sulfates and carbonates, suggesting that in our samples we had many
products of fouling from the pipelines. | |
