What role do surfactants such as Span and Tween play in the petroleum industry?
Release time:
2022-03-12
Author:
Goncord Oil
Surfactants have numerous applications in the petroleum industry. Commonly used additives in oilfields include emulsifiers such as the OP series, Span‑20 and Span‑80 from the Span series, Tween‑80, additive 1810, and polyethers.
Surfactants have numerous applications in the petroleum industry. Commonly used additives in oilfields include emulsifiers such as the OP series, the Span series—Span 20 and Span 80—Tween 80, additive 1810, and polyethers.
The crude oil produced from oil wells is a W‑O type emulsion and must be demulsified prior to refining. The primary methods for crude oil demulsification are high‑voltage electrostatic field treatment and chemical demulsification. Among chemical demulsification techniques, nonionic surfactants are the most effective; commonly used agents include octylphenol polyoxyethylene ethers, fatty acid polyoxyethylene esters, and polyethers.
Oilfield-enhancing agents, sand-control agents, water-shutoff agents, demulsifiers, drag-reducing agents, corrosion inhibitors, clay stabilizers, water‑treatment chemicals, and acidizing and fracturing fluids all contain nonionic surfactants. Commonly used surfactants in oil production include polyethers, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ethersulfates, and others.
When producing petroleum products, various additives must also be incorporated to enhance and improve their performance. Based on their functions, these additives can be classified as anti-wear agents, detergents, dispersants, viscosity modifiers, pour point depressants, rust inhibitors, fuel‑saving agents, and others; most of these additives are nonionic surfactants.
For example, pour‑point depressants used in fuel oils and lubricating oils may include fatty amine polyoxyethylene ethers. Surfactants employed in rust inhibitors include sorbitan mono‑ and tri‑oleates, as well as polyethylene glycol dioleates. Microemulsifying or solubilizing water in fuel oils can yield significant energy‑saving benefits; for this purpose, surfactants such as Span and Tween are commonly used.
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