Patent ID: 7705058

Claim:
A method for the microwave treatment of water-in-oil emulsions/dispersions (W/O), wherein said method comprises the steps of: a) determining in the laboratory, for a W/O emulsion/dispersion prepared from a crude oil stream 601 , 701 , 711 , 801 and aqueous streams 602 , 603 ′, 702 , 703 ′, 704 ′, 712 ″, 703 ″, 802 , 803 , 804 ′, 816 ′, 813 and 816 ″ the optimum conditions of the variables: water content, salt content, pH of aqueous phase, initial temperature, microwave power, final temperature and drop size distribution to be adjusted in the industrial plant, such conditions being a function of the features of said crude oil stream to be characterized including viscosity, density, asphaltene content, total acidity (as TAN), such conditions being those to obtain at least 90% separation efficiency for said W/O emulsion/dispersion in the presence of microwave radiation; b) utilizing such information for the initial adjustment of application conditions of the method in phase separation units 100 , 200 , 300 in refineries and production units; c) running on line and laboratory tests of the variables of step a) and of the process response in the effluent streams from said phase separation units, this response being the water content and salt content measurements, so as to feedback the information to the best adjustment of the process conditions for microwave application; and d) utilizing additionally said on line tests on the effect of the method as a tool for monitoring the efficiency of the treatment for the breaking of said W/O emulsion/dispersion.