A STUDY OF HYDRATE FORMATION AND DISSOCIATION FROM HIGH WATER CUT EMULSIONS AND THE IMPACT ON EMULSION INVERSION. ...

• Main Authors: Greaves, David P., Boxall, John A., Mulligan, James, Sloan, E. Dendy, Koh, Carolyn A.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of British Columbia 2016
• Subjects: Methane hydrate
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0041025; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0041025

Methane hydrate formation and dissociation studies from high water content (>60 vol% water) – crude oil emulsions were performed. The hydrate and emulsion system was characterized using two particle size analyzers and conductivity measurements. It was observed that hydrate formation and dissociation from water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions destabilized the emulsion, with the final emulsion formulation favoring a water continuous state following re-emulsification. Hence, following dissociation, the W/O emulsion formed a multiple o/W/O emulsion (60 vol% water) or inverted at even higher water cuts, forming an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion (68 vol% water). In contrast, hydrate formation and dissociation from O/W emulsions (≥71 vol% water) stabilized the O/W emulsion. ...