Alkylated, aminated and alkoxylated macromolecules with integrated trifunctional properties for the removal of petroleum emulsions

A dehydrating agent of crude oil comprising a random terpolymer based on a combination of at least one alkyl acrylate, at least one aminoalkyl acrylate monomer in an amount between about 5.0 and about 49.5 wt % in the random terpolymer, and at least one alkoxyalkyl acrylate, wherein the terpolymer consists of structural formula (1) and has a number average molecular mass (Mn) from about 1,000 to about 450,000 g mol-1, wherein structural formula (1) is as follows:

• wherein:
• R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 are independent radicals and wherein:
• R1=methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, n-hexyl, 2-ethylhexyl, 3,5,5-trimethylhexyl, n-octyl, iso-octyl, n-decyl, isodecyl, 10-undecenyl, tert-butylcyclohexyl, n-dodecyl, n-octadecyl, tridecyl, or behenyl;
• R2=methylamine, 2-ethylamine, 3-propylamine, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl, 3-(dimethylamino) propyl, or N-morpholinyl ethyl;
• R3=methoxymethyl, 2-methoxyethyl, ethoxymethyl, 2-ethoxyethyl, 3-methoxypropyl, 3-ethoxypropyl, 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl, butoxyethyl;
• and
• R4, R5, and R6═H (hydrogen) and/or CH3 (methyl);
• wherein:
• x is a number from 4 to 900,
• y is a number from 4 to 900,
• z is a number from 4 to 900, and
• the “x,” “y,” and “z” polymer units occur in random sequences,
• wherein the random terpolymer destabilizes water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, so as to remove emulsified water and salts dissolved in the emulsions, thereby being effective as a dehydrating agent of crude oil.