The present disclosure relates to a solvent drying composition and processes therefor. The present disclosure more specifically relates to a solvent drying composition that in use releases water from a solvent mixture. The present disclosure also relates to a process for recovering a solvent drying composition, more specifically to a process for recovering a solvent drying composition used in an osmotic process.

Quaternary ammonium compounds and methods of using such compounds to, for example, break oil-in-water emulsion treatment fluids are provided. In some embodiments, such methods include introducing a quaternary ammonium compound into an oil-in-water emulsion treatment fluid that comprises an oleaginous phase and an aqueous phase; and centrifuging at least the portion of the oil-in-water emulsion treatment fluid to separate at least a portion of the oil-in-water emulsion treatment fluid into an oleaginous fluid and an aqueous fluid.

A method of treating a contaminated oil comprising preparing a brine solution, adding ozone to the brine solution to produce ozonated brine solution, adding a volume of ozonated brine solution to a volume of the contaminated oil, mixing the volumes of contaminated oil and ozonated brine solution with coagulant and surfactant at a shear rate sufficiently high so as to cause formation of an emulsion of the contaminated oil and the brine solution, stopping the mixing, thereby causing the emulsion to separate into an aqueous brine liquid phase and an oil liquid phase, separating the brine liquid phase from the oil liquid phase, and separating at least one contaminant from the oil liquid phase to produce a volume of purified oil.

Systems and methods to separate water and remove solids from a pre-treated and unfiltered renewable feedstock at or separate from a refinery. Such systems and methods may be used to provide a reduced-contaminant and reduced-solid renewable feedstock for further refining.

The subject invention provides microbe-based products, as well as their use to improve oil production and refining efficiency by, for example, remediating the disposable layers in oil tanks and other oil storage units. In preferred embodiments, the microbe-based products comprise biochemical-producing yeast and growth by-products thereof, such as, e.g., biosurfactants. The subject invention can be used to remediate rag layer and/or other dissolved solid layers that form in water-oil emulsions. Furthermore, the subject invention can be used for remediating solid impurities, such as sand, scale, rust and clay, in produced water, flow-back, brine, and/or fracking fluids.

A demulsifier includes the reaction product of a) a combination of a monoglyceride and polyethylene glycol (PEG), b) an acid having at least two carboxyl groups, a full or partial ester thereof, an anhydride thereof and combinations thereof, and c) optionally, a fatty acid, a fatty alcohol 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.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to surfactant compositions for treatment of subterranean formations and produced oil. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of treating a subterranean formation including placing in the subterranean formation a surfactant composition. The surfactant composition includes an alkanolamide surfactant and an alkoxylated alcohol surfactant. The surfactant composition also includes an ionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, or a combination thereof.

A method of treating contaminated materials such as oil and gas production waste sludges to recover crude oil hydrocarbons. The method includes the inversion of water-in-oil emulsions, and subsequent separation steps. These may involve the separation and removal of asphaltenes, petroleum waxes and/or solid particles from the crude oil hydrocarbons. The treatment method uses the physical phenomena of hydrodynamic cavitation and hydraulic shock, which produce different effects upon a mixture of water and the contaminated material being treated. These are deployed either as single or combined stage(s) of treatment or as a repeated series of single/combined treatment stages, with or without additional processing operations between each single/combined treatment stage. The method may be implemented with suitable plant including hydrodynamic cavitation units (103, 106) and hydraulic shock units (104, 107), followed by separators (105, 108).

A method for selecting a demulsifier and its concentration that is most efficient in separating water from oil includes mixing dry oil with a demulsifier to obtain a mixture having a first concentration; generating water droplets inside the mixture; pumping the water droplets and the mixture into a micro-fluidic channel; sending a laser beam through the micro-fluidic channel; recording images of the water droplets in the mixture with a camera; and calculating a percentage of the water droplets that coalescence inside the micro-fluidic channel when free-falling through the mixture, due to gravity.

A method of controlling a demulsifier dosage to an AC/DC modulated coalescer is described. The method includes monitoring a characteristic of an electric current drawn by an electrical component of the AC/DC modulated coalescer, determining if the characteristic of the electric current lies outside a predetermined stable range, and increasing the demulsifier dosage if the characteristic of the electric current lies outside the predetermined stable range. A system for controlling a demulsifier dosage to an AC/DC modulated coalescer with an adjustable dosing mixing valve is also described. The system includes a current sensor arranged to monitor an electric current drawn by an electrical component of the AC/DC modulated coalescer, and a processor configured to determine if a characteristic of the electric current lies outside a predetermined stable range. Furthermore, the system is configured to increase the demulsifier dosage if the characteristic of the electric current lies outside the predetermined stable range.