How an Emulsion Breaker Works?

With so many chemicals on hand and in the marketplace today, it is no wonder that there are several different types of emulsion breakers. These types of emulsifiers all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some of them will attract more water while others will repel it. Some can change from liquid to gels while others can be used with almost any substance, oil or not oil based. It can be overwhelming to understand all these emulsion breaker facts, but if you take the time to learn a little bit about each type, you will gain an advantage when you are shopping for your next cleaning chemical.

Crude Oil Separation: If you have a business where you need to remove oil from buildings for anaerobic digestion or dilution, you should check out crude oil separation units. These emulsifiers work on two simple concepts. They use physical principles and pressure to force liquid crude oil to flow from its initial reservoir (the outer case), through a nozzle and into a demineralized area in the inner container. After the oil has passed through this emulsion breaker, the liquid will then be collected and disposed of according to the chemical's specifications.

Salt Separation: The salt content of a chemical can significantly alter its properties if left alone, which is why some industries require the use of salt removal emulsifiers. In most cases, this type of emulsion breaker is used when the salt content is too great. As the term suggests, this type of chemical cleaner will clean metals such as iron, copper, stainless steel, brass, bronze, and nickel without actually having the chemicals themselves interact with the substance.

Chemical Refining: This particular type of emulsion breaker is usually found in refineries. When crude oil production in refineries is high, it is often necessary to lower the solubility of the product before it is transferred into gasoline or diesel. This helps reduce the amount of acidity in the finished product, thus improving its performance.

Combustion: A combustion emulsion breaker is an extremely important type of chemical stripper. When petroleum is burned at high temperatures, a huge amount of flammable gas comes out as a byproduct. If not handled properly, this product can explode, causing quite a large amount of damage. Naturally, this would be a very dangerous scenario, which is why it is very important to have a demulsifier in place before this process takes place.

Emulsion Breaking: During the process of oil extraction, crude oil is forced into suspension and chilled before it is removed from the reservoir. During this process, it becomes important for the chemicals within the oil to interact with each other. This is where an emulsion breaker comes into play. In essence, this is a chemical that separates the different chemicals in the oil during the distillation process. With the use of an emulsion breaker, producers are able to reduce the amount of chemicals that are wasted during this process and, thus, cut down on their costs.