Synthesis and Evaluation of PEGylation of Poly(acrylate-maleic anhydride) as a Demulsifier for Crude Oil Emulsions

In this study an amphiphilic polymer has been designed, produced and evaluated. Poly(butylacrylate-maleic anhydride) (PBMA) has been prepared and modified by monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (PEG) with formation of an amphiphilic polymer (PEG-PBMA). Demulsification efficiency of PEG-PBMA and commercially available chemical demulsifiers has been studied in a simulated heavy crude oil emulsion (Liaohe Oil Field) by the bottle test method. The results demonstrate that demulsification efficiency of PEG-PBMA, AE-121, TA-1031, and SP-169 can reach 86.6, 76.4, 68.0, and 54.6%, respectively. The studies have revealed that PEG-PBMA can find potential application as efficient demulsifier for breaking crude oil emulsion, especially for heavy crude oil emulsions.

Automated summary

An amphiphilic polymer, PEG-PBMA, has been prepared and evaluated as a potential demulsifier for heavy crude oil emulsion. The results show that PEG-PBMA has the highest demulsification efficiency among the tested demulsifiers.