title: Studies on water-in-oil products from crude oils and petroleum products.
abstract: Water-in-oil mixtures such as emulsions, often form and complicate oil spill countermeasures. The formation of water-in-oil mixtures was studied using more than 300 crude oils and petroleum products. Water-in-oil types were characterized by resolution of water at 1 and 7 days, and some after 1 year. Rheology measurements were carried out at the same intervals. The objective of this laboratory study was to characterize the formed water-in-oil products and relate these properties to starting oil properties. Analysis of the starting oil properties of these water-in-oil types shows that the existence of each type relates to the starting oil viscosity and its asphaltene and resin contents. This confirms that water-in-oil emulsification is a result of physical stabilization by oil viscosity and chemical stabilization by asphaltenes and resins. This stabilization is illustrated using simple graphical techniques. Four water-in-oil types exist: stable, unstable, meso-stable and entrained. Each of these has distinct physical properties.
authors.affiliation: Spill Science, 1717 Rutherford Point, S.W. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6W 1J6. Fingasmerv@shaw.ca
authors.forename: Merv
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fingas
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fieldhouse
mesh_terms: D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry; D009821:Oils / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D014783:Viscosity; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D009821:Oils; D010578:Petroleum; D014867:Water