Systems and processes for separating emulsified water from a fluid stream

Abstract

Decreasing the water content of an organic phase can often be desirable, but low water levels can be difficult to achieve at high fluxes when the water is present in an emulsified form, such as in a water-in-oil emulsion. Processes for de-emulsifying a fluid stream containing emulsified water, such as water-in-crude oil emulsions, include introduction of the fluid stream into a vessel that defines a coalescence zone. The vessel is configured to provide for simultaneous application of a centrifugal force and an electric field to the fluid stream within the coalescence zone. The simultaneous application of the centrifugal force and the electric field to the fluid stream provides for the coalescence of a portion of the emulsified water into a bulk aqueous phase. A biphasic mixture comprising continuous phases of the organic component and the bulk aqueous phase is formed within the coalescence zone and subsequently removed from the vessel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.