Process for breaking petroleum emulsions

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR BREAKING PETROLEUM EMULSIONS OF THE WATER-IN-OIL TYPE CHARACTERIZED BY SUBJECTING THE EMULSION TO THE ACTION OF A DEMULSIFIER INCLUDING HIGH MOLAL OXYPROPYLATION DERIVATIVES OF MONOMERIC POLYAMINO COMPOUNDS, WITH THE PROVISO THAT (A) THE INITIAL POLYAMINO REACTANT BE FREE FROM ANY RADICAL HAVING AT LEAST 8 UNINTERRUPTED CARBON ATOMS; (B) THE INITIAL POLYAMINO REACTANT HAVE A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF NOT OVER 2,000 AND AT LEAST A PLURALITY OF REACTIVE HYDROGEN ATOMS, AT LEAST PART OF WHICH ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF A GLYCIDE RADICAL OBTAINED BY THE REACTION OF AT LEAST ONE MOLE OF GLYCIDE ON A POLYAMINO COMPOUND; (C) THE INITIAL POLYAMINO REACTANT MUST BE WATER-SOLUBLE; (D) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT MUST BE WATER-INSOLUBLE; (E) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WITHIN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE OF 2000 TO 30,000 ON AN AVERAGE STATISTICAL BASIS; (F) THE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT IN RESPECT TO WATER MUST BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION STEP; (G) THE RATIO OF PROPYLENE OXIDE PER INITIAL REACTIVE HYDROGEN ATOM MUST BE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 7 TO 70; (H) THE INITIAL POLYAMINO REACTANT MUST REPRESENT NOT MORE THAN 20% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT ON A STATISTICAL BASIS; (I) THE PRECEDING PROVISOS ARE BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION OF COMPLETE REACTION INVOLVING THE PROPYLENE OXIDE AND INITIAL GLYCIDE-TREATED POLYAMINO REACTANT. (J) THE POLYAMINO REACTANT MUST CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE BASIC NITROGEN ATOM; AND (K) THE NITROGEN ATOMS ARE LINKED BY A CARBON ATOM CHAIN.