Experimental Characterization of Admittance Meter With Crude Oil Emulsions
Measuring water content is useful in the oil industry to quantify the actual amount of oil being produced. This extent is used in the processes of control and transfer of custody in tank farms, flow stations, and others. In this study, to determine the water content with an admittance measuring device, a characterization was performed with emulsions to identify the behavior of the sensor against this type of fluid. The device has facing electrodes parallel flat. Emulsions O/W and W/O were prepared in the laboratory with heavy oil at laboratory temperature conditions. The capacitance measurement is used to calculate the value of relative permittivity of the fluid (εm) and conductance is used to calculate the conductivity of the mixture (σm). The results of water content measurements showed the sensor response is related to the continuous phases of the emulsions. In addition, these measurements indicated that a characterization of the electrical behavior of the emulsions, as well as the effect of the formulation of the emulsion, can be made using this equipment.