Sodium lignin sulfonate to stabilize heavy crude oil-in-water emulsions for pipeline transportation

The efficiency of sodium lignin sulfonate (SLS) as an anionic surfactant derived from waste wood pulping industry in stabilizing an Egyptian heavy crude oil (Geisum)-in-water emulsions for pipeline transportation has been investigated. The stability acid rheology of the emulsions stabilized by SLS or with a nonionic surfactant nonyl phenol diethylenetriamine formaldehyde ethoxylate (NDFE) individually or in a mixture have been studied. It has been found that the dynamic shear viscosity of the crude oil decreases substantially when it is emulsified with water in the form of an oil-in-water type of emulsion. The stability of the oil-in-water emulsion increases as the surfactant concentration increases. Potable water and saline water containing different molar concentrations of NaCl have been used to study the effect of aqueous phase salinity on the stability and viscosity of the emulsion. Surfactant dissolved in saline water has been utilized to find out the possibility of injecting the surfactant into a well bore to effect emulsification in the pump or tubing for enhancing the production of heavy crude oils as oil-in-water emulsion. The study revealed that, the viscosity of the emulsion containing potable water is always less than that containing saline water and the viscosity increases as the salt content increased.