emulsion — Oil & Gas Glossary
A dispersion of droplets of one liquid in another liquid with which it is incompletely miscible. Emulsions can form in heavy oils that contain a significant amount of asphaltenes. The asphaltenes act as surfactants with treatment or formation water. The resulting emulsion droplets have high-energy bonds creating a very tight dispersion of droplets that is not easily separated. These surface-acting
Detailed Explanation
forces can create both oil-in-water and/or water-in-oil emulsions. Such emulsions require temperature and chemical treating in surface equipment in order to separate.