Optimization of Phenolic Based De-Emulsifiers

The de-emulsification of a Nigerian crude oil emulsion has been investigated using\udlocally formulated base and acid catalyzed phenol formaldehyde resins with varied\udformaldehyde to phenol molar ratios. The bottle test method was used for the\udscreening process and the best de-emulsifier was chosen based on the largest\udvolume of water removed from the crude oil emulsion. The screening process was\uddone at temperatures of 50 and 70°C and de-emulsifier concentrations of 20 and\ud50 part per million (ppm), respectively. A factorial design was done to determine\udthe best combination of de-emulsification conditions for optimal performance. The\udresults were optimized and analyzed using software called Minitab 16 utilizing\udpareto chart, normal effects, main effects and interactions plots. From the analysis,\udit was found that the optimum set of conditions for best performance of the resole\udde-emulsifier were 50 ppm, 70°C and 1.8:1 concentration, screening temperature\udand formaldehyde to phenol molar ratio, respectively. While for novolak\udde-emulsifiers, they were 50 ppm, 70°C and 0.1:1. Increasing temperature and\udconcentrations were found to enhance de-emulsification performance with all the\udresole and novolak de-emulsifiers