Process for controlling the breaking of oil-in water emulsions

摘要

Process for controlling the breaking of an oil-in-water emulsion using an organic emulsion breaker comprising the steps of: A. adding the organic emulsion breaker to the emulsion by slow intermittent or continuous addition to produce a broken water phase; B. continuously passing a beam of light through the broken water phase; C. continuing the slow addition of the organic emulsion breaker to the broken water phase; D. continuously or intermittently measuring both the unadsorbed light passing through the broken water phase and the light scattered forward by oil droplets in the broken water phase; E. determining from the measurements in step D, the turbidity of the broken water phase; and F. discontinuing the addition of organic breaker when the turbidity reaches a first minimum value following a maximum value.