TECHNICAL INFORMATIONCRUDE OIL DEMULSIFIERS

OG-TI 1

02

Crude oil demulsifiersContents
03 High-performance demulsifiers for oilfield applications
04 Functions of demulsifiers
06 Chemistry of BYK demulsifiers
07 Demulsifier testing
08 BYK demulsifier product details
11 Our capabilities

03

High-performance demulsifiers
for oilfield applications
In the production of crude oil, emulsified water (or brine) is one of themost significant problems encountered in oilfield operations. Most crude
produced globally contains emulsified water. Water becomes emulsified andstabilized in crude oil, not in the reservoir, but by the agitation/shear of theproduction process and equipment. The presence of natural surfactants,
resins, asphaltenes and paraffin, and oil-wet inorganic fines such as silt andclay present at the oil/water interface stabilize the emulsions produced.
Lower temperatures and additives applied at the well head can have theside effect to stabilize emulsified water. These additives comprise corrosion
inhibitors, biocides, or scale and wax inhibitors.
At times, the water content of produced crude can be in excess of 80 %.
The emulsified water in crude, which typically contains salt, can cause highviscosities making pumping difficult and can cause corrosion problems inpipelines and production equipment. These issues can drastically increaseoilfield operation costs. There are several ways to break crude oil emulsions
including heating, electrical methods, and mechanical separation. However,treatment with chemical emulsion breakers is easy in the field or refineryand typically has a better cost-to-performance ratio compared to otheremulsion breaking methods.

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Crude oil demulsifiers

Functions of demulsifiers
Oilfield demulsifier chemistries provide three primaryfunctions when applied to crude oil containing emulsified
water. The functions are typically considered chemistry
dependent and can be broken down into Water Droppers,
Polishers and Interface Enhancers (G. 01). It is important tonote that a single chemistry can provide several
functionalities, so there is not a clearly defined line as towhat functions each additive provides. The stability ofemulsified water varies from well to well. A typical emulsion
breaking package will be comprised of products withdifferent chemistries designed to treat that particular well.

Drainage

Stabilization:
Interfacial film & steric repulsion

The demulsification
process Water  

Crude oil andwater emulsion

Additive
introduced

Free water dropped andmost water coalesced

Demulsifier:Penetration or replacement Oil  

 Interface-active species  Rag layer isdestroyed

Dropletcoalescence Demulsifier

Residual water atinterface is eliminatedDemulsified oilG. 01

05

Crude oil demulsifiers / Functions of demulsifiers

Desalters

Water droppers

Crude oil that has been separated from water may stillcontain a significant amount of salts. These salts cause
corrosion issues in the downstream process as well as
the possible deactivation of refinery catalysts. To remove
the salt, water and demulsifiers are added to the crudeand heated. The salt and other dissolvable impurities
dissolve into the water. Over time, the demulsifier helps
settle the water with the dissolved salt and impurities tothe bottom of the tank leaving dry uncontaminatedcrude oil on top. Desalting may be performed initially inthe field and later at the refinery site to bring the crude
into full specification.

Products in this class coalesce emulsified waterin crude oils and release water that is in thefree state. They rupture the emulsifying film atthe oil/water interface and allow the water
droplets to coalesce into much larger water
droplets. These larger droplets have less surface
tension than smaller droplets, which allows
them to “drop” out as a separate phase.
Interface enhancers
Products with this functionality are used tocreate sharp interfaces between the oil andwater phases for easier separation. These
products work synergistically with those used forflocculation and coalescence to help eliminate
any residual water remaining emulsified at theoil/water interface.
Additionally, products with chemistries that are
favored as interface enhancers can be used as
desalters and wetting agents.

Wetting agentsOil-wet fine solids present in crude oil
emulsions at the oil/water interface can havea stabilizing effect on the emulsion. When
products that act as wetting agents areadded to demulsifier blends, they water-wet
the solids present and allow them to be
removed with the emulsified water.

Polishers
These products flocculate and concentrate the submicron water droplets that are present at the base of
the oil column prior to coalescence. The crude oilabove the settling level of the flocs is considereddehydrated. Dehydrated crude oil appears “polished”
due to the absence of emulsified water, which refracts
light and creates a dull appearance.

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Crude oil demulsifiers

Chemistry of BYK demulsifiers
Resin Alkoxylates
Alkoxylated alkyl phenol formaldehyde resins

The alkyl group can be butyl, amyl, nonyl, or a mixture of the three. The interfacial activity is controlled by the amounts of the ethylene oxide (EO) andpropylene oxide (PO) attached to the polar ends. Resins are primary water droppers and perform well in lower treating temperatures. Resins are also
used in desalting applications.

Polyols
Polyether polyols

Derived from PO and EO. Demulsifiers based on polyether polyols are more environmentally friendly than resin-based demulsifiers. They are used tobreak emulsions in high gravity crudes, improve the oil/water interface, and improve water clarity. These are commonly used in combination with resin
demulsifiers. Polyether polyols can also provide water wetting of solids.

EstersAlkoxylated maleic ester resins

The reaction product of alkoxylated resin and an organic acid. Provide water dropping properties as well as enhancing the oil/water interface.
They are also used for desalting crude oil and natural gas condensates. These are commonly used as performance enhancers for resin demulsifiers.

AminesNonionic amine alkoxylates

Effective as water droppers and desalters in mid to high-gravity API crudes. Provide good interface characteristics and water clarity.
These are commonly used with resin demulsifiers.

Diepoxides
Nonionic modified polyols

Excellent water droppers if used alone, or they can be used to enhance the performance of resin and amine demulsifiers.
These generally help provide low BS&W and are excellent polishers.

Polyethyleneimines (PEI)
Alkoxylated polyethyleneimines

Typically used in combination with resin demulsifiers. PEI demulsifiers are used for polishing of low to mid gravity API crudes.

Other Chemistries• Modified phosphate esters• High concentration sulfonates• Quaternary ammonium chloride compounds• Tallow diamine ethoxylates

Sulfonates are typically used as slugging compounds and also as demulsifiers in enhanced oil recovery. Chemistries in this category can also be used
as non-emulsifiers in acid stimulation, for asphaltene and paraffin dispersants, and also for corrosion inhibition.

T. 01

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Crude oil demulsifiers

Demulsifier testing
A demulsifier bottle test method is used to screen
demulsifiers for performance in crude oil emulsions. The
bottle test is designed to simulate production conditions as
closely as possible. A “live” crude oil sample that is free ofadditives must be collected for testing. If the demulsifier is to
be injected at a point that contains crude from several wells,a blend of those crudes in the appropriate ratio should beused for the bottle test. If heat will be available to thedemulsification process, such as in a refinery, a water bathshould be used at the appropriate temperature to simulate
the heated reaction environment. If the demulsification
process will take place in the field under ambient temperature,
the heat can be omitted in the testing. The duration andmagnitude of agitation in bottle testing should mimic as
closely as possible the conditions in the field.
Demulsifier samples should be diluted in solvent for testingat 5–10 % concentration for solubilization prior to testing.
Solubility of BYK demulsifiers in common solvents can befound in Table T. 02. Bottle testing will show the mosteffective demulsifier intermediates. Based on intermediate
performance, a blend can be created to most effectively
demulsify the target crude oil.
The test results that are important to determining thedemulsifier performance are as follows:• Visual inspection of separated water quality• Visual inspection of treated oil quality• Interface sharpness• Water content of the treated top oil• Water content of the interface zone
• Salt content in the top oil

Demulsifer bottle testing is a critical process that requires
understanding and experience. It is beyond the scope of
this brochure to provide a bottle test method and guidelines.
Specifics on the bottle testing method can be found inindustry literature and online resources.

08Crude oil demulsifiers

Kerosene

Fast Dropper

200DSSDBYK GS-54A

Alkoxylated amylphenol formaldehyde resin

11732,000

DSSI



BYK GS-55

Alkoxylated amylphenol formaldehyde resin

14.570

1,500

DS

DI



BYK GS-58

Alkoxylated amylphenol formaldehyde resin

1688

1,000

I

SSI



BYK GS-32

Butyl resin alkoxylate polymer

15858,000I

SDI

BYK GS-42

Butyl resin alkoxylate polymer

9.566

8,000

DSSS



BYK GS-45

Butyl resin alkoxylate polymer

9758,000DSSSBYK GS-34

Alkoxylated nonylphenol formaldehyde resin

1576

7,000

ISSI



BYK GS-35

Alkoxylated nonylphenol formaldehyde resin

16.5

866,000DSSDBYK GS-46

Alkoxylated nonylphenol formaldehyde resin

16.5

91

3,000

DS

SI



BYK GS-47

Alkoxylated nonylphenol formaldehyde resin

13.5

91

2,000

DSSI



BYK GS-68

Alkoxylated nonylphenol formaldehyde resin

2180

17,000ISSIBYK A-GS-3545

Nonyl/Butyl resin alkoxylate polymer

1274

8,000

DSSI

BYK A-GS-615

Polyether polyol

1880300SSISBYK GS-11

Polyether polyol

10.8

1001,000DSSSBYK GS-13

Polyether polyol

221007,000

ISSI

BYK GS-38

Polyether polyol

9.9

100

1,000

DSSS



BYK GS-61

Polyether polyol

13.5

100

500

DSSS



S = Soluble   D = Dispersible   I = Insoluble  Primary function  

Secondary function

Corrosion Inhibitor

Aromatic Solvent

65

Wetting Agent

Methanol

11.3

Desalter

Water

Alkoxylated amylphenol formaldehyde resin

Clean Interface

Activity (%)

BYK GS-54Polisher

Chemistry

Viscosity at 77 °F (mPas)

ProductRSN

BYK demulsifier product details (1/3)



T. 02

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Crude oil demulsifiers

SSSS



BYK GS-84

Polyether polyol

20100

5,000ISSIBYK A-GS-300C

Alkoxylated maleic ester resin

851900

SSSI









BYK GS-18

Alkoxylated maleic ester resin7.556900

DDSI





BYK GS-30

Alkoxylated maleic ester resin

860

900

IDSI



BYK GS-37

Alkoxylated maleic ester resin

7.756

1,000ISSIBYK GS-69

Alkoxylated maleic ester resin

89,000DSSIBYK GS-15

Nonionic modified polyol

6.590500DSSSBYK GS-26

Nonionic modified polyol

782

1,200

DS

DDBYK GS-28

Nonionic modified polyol

6.5

85

3,000

DSSS

BYK GS-57

Nonionic modified polyol

795

2,500

ISSD

BYK GS-X-245

Nonionic modified polyol

885

2,500

DS

DD

BYK GS-51

Nonionic amine alkoxylate

10100

2,000

DSSI



BYK GS-904

Nonionic amine alkoxylate

12.5

1001,100

DSSIBYK GS-905

Nonionic amine alkoxylate

16.5

95400

ISSI



BYK GS-39

Alkoxylated amine

9.990700 @ 50 °C

ISSS



BYK GS-393

Alkoxylated amine

690

1,750ISSSBYK A-GS-446

High concentration sulfonate

12.6

38200

DSSD

S = Soluble   D = Dispersible   I = Insoluble  Primary function  

Secondary function

Corrosion Inhibitor

Kerosene

1,100

Wetting Agent

Aromatic Solvent

100

Desalter

Methanol

17.5

Clean InterfaceWater

Polyether polyol

Polisher

Activity (%)

BYK GS-64

Fast DropperChemistry

Viscosity at 77 °F (mPas)

ProductRSN

BYK demulsifier product details (2/3)


T. 02

10Crude oil demulsifiers

SSSS



BYK A-GS-PD-16

High concentration sulfonate

17.7

69700

DSSI



BYK A-GS-PD-16N

High concentration sulfonate

18.3

70

1,900

DSSS



BYK A-NE-104

Amine sulfonate

18.6

42200

S

SII

BYK CI-1010

Amine ethoxylate

23.8100600SSSS

BYK GS-WA-152

Quaternary ammonium chloride compound

19.8

84300

SSII

S = Soluble   D = Dispersible   I = Insoluble  Primary function  

Secondary function

Corrosion Inhibitor

Kerosene300

Wetting Agent

Aromatic Solvent

65

DesalterMethanol

19.6

Clean Interface

Water

Modified phosphate ester

Polisher

Activity (%)

BYK A-GS-AA-91

Fast Dropper

Chemistry

Viscosity at 77 °F (mPas)

ProductRSN

BYK demulsifier product details (3/3)



T. 02

11

Crude oil demulsifiers

Our capabilities
BYK is committed to providing high performance additives tothe oil and gas industry along with the technical support
required to help our customers use the products in the mostefficient and cost-effective way possible. BYK’s technical staff
can provide product recommendations, technical service
support work, and also participate in collaborative development
projects with our customers. BYK maintains fully staffed andequipped oilfield laboratories in Texas, USA.

03/2022
OG-TI 1BYK-Chemie GmbH
P.O. Box 10 02 4546462 Wesel
GermanyTel +49 281 670-0
Fax +49 281 65735

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The information herein is based on our present knowledge and experience. The information merely describes the properties of our products but noguarantee of properties in the legal sense shall be implied. We recommend testing our products as to their suitability for your envisaged purpose
prior to use. No warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are maderegarding any products mentioned herein and data or information set forth, or that such products, data or information may be used without infringing
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