Process for preparing a water continuous emulsion from heavy crude fraction

A process for preparing an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion comprising:

• agitating a hydrocarbon with an emulsifying composition at a temperature to form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, wherein said emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of an emulsifying agent and said temperature is above 200.degree. F., wherein the amount of aqueous phase in said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion is from about 15% to about 60% by weight, wherein the emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, and wherein said emulsifying agent comprises at least one ethoxylated dialkylphenol compound having the general formula:
• ##STR52## wherein n.sub.1 is an integer having a value of from about 7 to about 18, and n.sub.2 is an integer having a value of from about 7 to about 18, and y.sub.1 is an integer having a value of from about 4 to about 1000;
• and said at least one ethoxylated dialkylphenol compound has a molecular weight distribution with a dispersity of from about 1.0 to about 5.0 and with a weight average molecular weight of from about 2519 to about 11,627;
• and wherein at least about 50% by weight of the emulsifying agent comprises said at least one ethoxylated dialkylphenol compound having a molecular weight of from about 2519 to about 11,627.

A process for preparing an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion comprising;

• shearing and mixing statically, without any dynamic shearing and mixing preceding or following said shearing and mixing statically, a hydrocarbon with an emulsifying composition at a temperature to form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, wherein said emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of an emulsifying agent and said temperature is above 200.degree. F., wherein the amount of aqueous phase in said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion is from about 15% to about 60% by weight, and wherein the emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of the oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion that is sufficiently stable for pipeline transmission;
• and wherein said emulsifying agent comprises about 50 percent by weight of an ethoxylated nonyl phenol compound having the formula:
• ##STR53## wherein y.sub.1 is equal to 40 and is the average number of ethylene oxide units in the formula, and about 50 percent by weight of an ethoxylated nonyl phenol compound having the formula:
• ##STR54## wherein y.sub.2 is equal to 100 and is the average number of ethylene oxide units in the formula.

A process for preparing an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion comprising:

• (a) agitating a hydrocarbon with a first emulsifying composition to disperse the first emulsifying composition in the hydrocarbon to form an aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion, wherein said first emulsion emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of a first emulsifying agent and the amount of aqueous phase in said aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion is from about 1% to bout 10% by weight, wherein the first emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of said aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion, and wherein said first emulsifying agent has a general formula selected from the group consisting of:
• ##STR55## where n is from about 7 to about 20, and y is an integer that represents the average number of ethylene oxide units or segments in the emulsifying agent(s), which is the mean of a normal Gaussian distribution curve and is from about 2 to about 15;
• ##STR56## wherein n.sub.1 is from about 7 to about 18, n.sub.2 is from about 7 to about 18, and y.sub.1 is an integer that represents the average number of ethylene oxide units or segments in the emulsifying agent(s), which is the mean of a normal Gaussian distribution curve and is from about 2 to about 15, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) agitating the formed aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion of step (a) with a second emulsifying composition to form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, wherein said second emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of a second emulsifying agent, wherein the amount of aqueous phase in said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion is from about 20% to about 29% by weight, wherein the second emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, and wherein said second emulsifying agent comprises at least one ethoxylated alkylphenol compound having the general formula:
• ##STR57## wherein n.sub.3 is an integer having a value of from about 7 to about 20, and y.sub.2 is an integer having a value of from about 4 to about 1000;
• and said at least one ethoxylated alkylphenol compound has a molecular weight distribution with a dispersity of from about 1.0 to about 5.0 and with a weight average molecular weight of from about 1966 to about 9188;
• and wherein at least about 50% by weight of the second emulsifying agent comprises said at least one ethoxylated alkylphenol compound having a molecular weight of from about 1966 to about 9188.

A process for preparing an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion comprising:

• (a) agitating a hydrocarbon having a TBP of about 950.degree. F. or above with an emulsifying composition at a temperature ranging from about 200.degree. F. to about 280.degree. F. to form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, said emulsifying composition including an emulsifying agent selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated alkylphenol compounds, ethoxylated dialkylphenol compounds, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) subsequently cooling to a temperature below about 175.degree. F. the formed oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion of step (a), within a time period, after formation of the oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion in step (a), ranging from about one (1) sec. to about five (5) minutes to produce and form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion containing an oil droplet phase dispersed in an aqueous continuous phase;
• (c) transporting the formed oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion of step (b) until a portion of the dispersed oil droplet phase coalesces in the aqueous continuous phase to produce a mixture comprising a partially coalesced oil droplet phase and a residual oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion without a substantial portion of said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion being inverted into an aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion;
• and
• (d) reformulating said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion containing said oil droplet phase dispersed in said aqueous continuous phase.

A process for preparing an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion comprising:

• (a) agitating a hydrocarbon having a TBP of about 950.degree. F. or above with a first emulsifying composition at a temperature ranging from about 200.degree. F. to about 280.degree. F. and at a pressure ranging from about 100 p.s.i. to about 500 p.s.i. to disperse the first emulsifying composition in the hydrocarbon to form an aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion, wherein said first emulsion emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of a first emulsifying agent and the amount of aqueous phase in said aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion is from about 1% to about 10% by weight, wherein the first emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of said aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion, and wherein said first emulsifying agent is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated alkylphenol compounds, ethoxylated dialkylphenol compounds, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) agitating the formed aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion of step (a) with a second emulsifying composition at a temperature ranging from about 200.degree. F. to about 280.degree. F. and at a pressure ranging from about 100 p.s.i. to about 500 p.s.i. to form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, wherein said second emulsifying composition comprises an aqueous phase and a minor amount of a second emulsifying agent, wherein the amount of aqueous phase in said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion is from about 20% to about 29% by weight, wherein the second emulsifying agent is used in an amount sufficient to assist in the formation of said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion, and wherein said second emulsifying agent is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated alkylphenol compounds, ethoxylated dialkylphenol compounds, and mixtures thereof;
• (c) subsequently cooling to a temperature below about 175.degree. F. the formed oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion of step (b), within a time period, after formation of the oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion in step (b), ranging from about one (1) sec. to about five (5) minutes to produce and form an oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion containing an oil droplet phase dispersed in an aqueous continuous phase;
• (d) transporting the formed oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion of step (c) until a portion of the dispersed oil droplet phase coalesces in the aqueous continuous phase to produce a mixture comprising a partially coalesced oil droplet phase and a residual oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion without a substantial portion of said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion being inverted into an aqueous phase-in-oil emulsion;
• and
• (e) reformulating said oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion containing said oil droplet phase dispersed in said aqueous continuous phase.