화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.36, No.7, 2634-2640, 1997
Continuous Demulsification of Solids-Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsions by the Addition of Fresh Oil
Oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by kaolinite clays were demulsified by the addition of fresh oil under the action of mixing in a continuous mixer-settler setup. The clays were treated with different concentration of asphaltenes, resulting in clays having different contact angles. It was found that the variation of the oil volume fraction in the emulsion decreased exponentially with the emulsion residence time in the mixer and that this relationship was consistent with the results obtained in our previous batch experiments. Due to the steric barrier offered by the clays, the demulsification rate constant decreased with increasing clay concentration at the oil droplet surface. The demulsification rate constant exhibited a minimum at a clay contact angle of about 90 degrees. Having a larger oil droplet, a higher volume fraction of oil in the emulsion, and a higher ratio of fresh oil to emulsion oil gave a higher demulsification rate constant.