Impedance spectroscopy dependent water content detection in dynamic oil-water emulsions

The water content in static crude emulsions has been extensively studied. However, the dynamic emulsions under shear conditions have a higher stability of the water content, primarily affecting the characteristics of the oil–water two-phase flow in the gathering lines. In this study, a dynamic apparatus was fabricated to investigate the impedance characteristics of water content in oil–water emulsions under the influence of the shear force. The characteristic frequency was proposed to describe the water content in a cubic function. The equivalent circuit model of emulsion has provided an explanation for the variation of the characteristic frequency is mainly caused by the capacitance with the increasing water content. The dynamic conditions have an effect on the electrical properties, which is related to the measurement of water content of the emulsion system. The characteristic function of water content can contribute to a quantitative characterization of the water content of dynamic crude oil, and promote the efficiency and safety of crude oil exploitation.