A demulsifier includes the reaction product of a) alkoxylated castor oil, b) an acid having at least two carboxyl groups, a full or partial ester thereof, an anhydride thereof and combinations thereof, and optionally c) a fatty acid, a fatty acid ester and combinations thereof. A method of demulsifying a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion includes adding the demulsifier to the emulsion and separating the emulsion into an oil phase and a water phase.

A demulsifier composition comprises an oxyalkylated polybenzoxazine having repeating units of Formula (I): ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen, a C.sub.1-30 alkyl, a C.sub.3-30 cycloalkyl, a C.sub.6-30 aryl, a C.sub.7-30 alkylarylene, a C.sub.7-30 arylalkyl, a C.sub.5-30 heteroaryl, or a C.sub.3-30 heterocycloalkyl; R.sub.2 is a C.sub.1-30 alkyl, a C.sub.3-30 cycloalkyl, a C.sub.6-30 aryl, a C.sub.7-30 alkylarylene, a C.sub.7-30 arylalkyl, a C.sub.5-30 heteroaryl, or a C.sub.3-30 heterocycloalkyl; R.sub.3 is hydrogen or a C.sub.1-10 alkyl; each occurrence of R.sub.4 is independently hydrogen or a C.sub.1-5 alkyl; and p is at least 1.

A system for separating a fluid component from a fluid, in particular compressed air of a vehicle, is provided. The system has a first container for containing the fluid, the first container being arranged to separate at least a part of one or more components contained in the fluid from the fluid, an exhaust connected to the first container through which the at least part of the one or more separated components can be exhausted, an air treatment unit connected to the first container to supply air treated in the air treatment unit to the first container, and a supply of an emulsion breaking substance to the fluid in the first container.

A gas oil separation plant (GOSP) and method for receiving crude oil from a wellhead and removing gas, water, and salt from the crude oil, and discharging export crude oil. The GOSP includes online analyzer instruments for performing online analysis of salt concentration in multiple streams in the GOSP. Based in part on the online analysis, the salt content in the export crude oil may be determined and the flowrate for wash water supplied to the desalter vessel may be specified.

A system can include a multi-material fluid having a mixture of a first material and a second material. The system can also include a first vessel into which the multi-material fluid is disposed. The system can further include a first sonication device disposed, at least in part, in the multi-material fluid in the first vessel. The first sonication device, when operating, can emit ultrasound waves into the multi-material fluid. The ultrasound waves separate the first material and the second material from each other in the first vessel.

A carbon disulfide-modified amine additive may be introduced to an aqueous stream in an effective amount to separate oil from the water in the aqueous stream, such as separating at least some of the oil from emulsified oil-in-water in a production fluid, where the oil is crude oil. The carbon disulfide-modified amine additive may be produced from a reaction of synthetic amine, natural amines, or chemically modified natural amines with carbon disulfide and an α,β-unsaturated compound and/or an epoxide in one step. In one non-limiting embodiment, the amine is a natural amine or chemically modified natural amine of a polysaccharide containing amino functional group(s). Optionally, a base catalyst is used to make the carbon disulfide-modified amine additive.

This invention relates to compositions and a process for stabilizing or solubilize a phenolic resin containing a mixture of linear phenolic resins and calixarenes. The process comprises contacting the phenolic resin with an epoxide, to at least partially alkoxylate the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the calixarenes. This process forms a stabilized or solubilized phenolic resin with an increased solubility in a hydrocarbon solvent.

A process for making a surfactant composition is disclosed. In the process, a mixture comprising a sugar alcohol and fatty is formed. The mixture contains less than 5% by weight of water based on the total weight of the mixture. The mixture is reacted with an alkylene oxide to make a surfactant composition containing an alkoxylated sugar alcohol fatty acid ester and a polyalkylene glycol fatty acid ester. A surfactant composition and use of the surfactant composition to separate an oil phase and/or an aqueous phase from an emulsion is also disclosed.

A method of recovering a bead support from an emulsion includes supplying an aqueous surfactant solution into a centrifuge tube; supplying a hydrophobic liquid over the surfactant solution in the centrifuge tube, wherein a ratio of the volume of the aqueous surfactant solution to the volume of the hydrophobic liquid is not greater than 0.5; and applying an emulsion over the hydrophobic liquid while centrifuging, the emulsion comprising a dispersed aqueous phase including the bead support, the emulsion breaking and material of the dispersed phase preferentially partitioning to the surfactant solution.

A polishing filter employed within a sump pump system for removing mineral oils, natural ester, and synthetic ester-based fluids from an emulsion is provided. The polishing filter is disposed within a sump pump barrier and is gravity-fed a synthetic ester and water based emulsion via a polishing filter conduit. The polishing filter removes excess synthetic ester-based fluids from a water/oil emulsion fluid flowing through a barrier canister disposed within the sump pump barrier above the polishing filter and releases a resultant filtered fluid. The polishing filter cartridge contains a filtration media with a hydrophilic composition for the capture of synthetic ester-based fluid having a surface tension dissimilar to water, and the hydrophilic composition of the media has a surface energy greater than or equal to 35 dynes per centimeter.