Impact of Gas Hydrate Formation/Dissociation on Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsion Properties Studied by Dielectric Measurements

The impact of the formation and dissociation of gas hydrates on water-in-crude oil emulsion properties has been studied using a dielectric probe. The probe was mounted in a high-pressure cell that is commonly used to characterize thermodynamic and agglomeration/plugging properties of gas hydrates in crude oil and process water systems. The dielectric measurements proved useful to detect hydrate formation earlier or approximately simultaneously with pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) measurements. The dielectric measurements also provided qualitative information regarding changes in droplet size and emulsion stability. A short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera was used to support the dielectric measurements. Live crude oils and associated process waters from North Sea oil fields were used in the experiments.