Hidrológiai Közlöny 1942 (22. évfolyam)

Szakosztályi ügyek

476 János Dinda meter of the pipe is relatively substantial, pressure diminishes and consequently the conditions needed for the formation of emulsion are prevalent. However, this situation can easily be remedied, by fitting a water knock-out before the bean. Therein the sp.ed of flow decreases and water due to its specific gravity reaches the bottom and thence it can be drained, thus gas and oil will be passing through without being formed into any emulsion. The above cases bring about very little emulsion. In case of producing by way of pumping, most of the emulsion comes into being within the pump. Thus where production is done chiefly by way of pumping everal difficulties turn up. Microscopic examination of the emulsion reveals that emulsion within the oil consists of tiny water drops in suspension and while such drops are very close to one another still they do not unite. These tiny bodies of water are having some asphaltic film which is highly responsible for the emulsion's stability. This film comes into being in such a manner that the naphthanic acids and asphaltic ingredients within the oil absorb on the contact point of water and oil. In general these water corpuscles are salt and electrically charged. The water content of the emulsion can reach as high as 80% and its formation is enhanced by the presence of gas. The tinier the water corpuscles are the more stable the emulsion will be. Emulsion is being treated in various ways. The simplest method is that it is being warmed. Should this manner prove inadequate it is then passed thru warm salt water, then allowed to settle in tanks. Should even this prove unsatisfactory mixing it with light oil follows. At some places the warmed-up emulsion is passed through tanks filled with hay. The other methods, more modern than any of the above, can be classified into two groups: chemical and electric. Barnickel was the first to use chemicals for treating emulsion. Later on he came to realize that fatty acids and their salt, respectively, their esters are excellent material for treating emulsions. Thence the production of organic acids within the realm of fatty acids progressed with great strides towards perfection in the refineries. Nowadays there innumerable chemicals are being marketed in the USA for the treatment of emulsion, all of wich are, as to composition, the well-guarded secrets of their makers. Germany comes up second in this field. In some fields such chemicals are placed even in the tubing, or flowpipe and at other places into tanks etc. The electric method of treating emulsion consists of passing emulsion between such electrodes which have highly different potentials and thereby the water corpuscles become charged inductively. This