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 OXYALKYLATED INTERMEDIATES; SAID OXYALKYLATED INTERMEDIATES BEING DERIVED IN TURN FROM WATER-INSOLUBLE, XYLENE-INSOLUBLE, POLYPENTAERYTHRITOLS HAVING AT LEAST 8 HYDROXYL RADICALS, AND DERIVATIVES WHICH BEAR A SIMPLE GENETIC RELATIONSHIP THERETO, WITH THE PROVISO THAT (A) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE FREE FROM ANY RADICAL HAVING AT LEAST 8 UNINTERRUPTED CARBON ATOMS; (B) THE INTERMEDIATE HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN EXCESS OF 1200 AND LESS THAN 25,000; (C) THE INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT BE OBTAINED BY AN OXYALKYLATION STEP INVOLVING A MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE OXIDE AND GLYCIDE; (D) THE INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT BE WATER-DISPERSIBLE, AT LEAST TO THE EXTENT OF COLLOIDAL SOLUBILITY, AND BE XYLENEINSOLUBLE; (E) THE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERMEDIATE IN RESPECT TO WATER BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYALKYLATION STEP EMPLOYING A MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE OXIDE AND GLYCIDE; (F) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WITHIN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE OF 5,000 TO 100,000 ON AN AVERAGE STATISTICAL BASIS; (G) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE XYLENE-SOLUBLE; (H) THE XYLENE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION STEP; (I) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT REPRESENT NOT MORE THAN 7% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION EN D PRODUCT ON A STATISTICAL BASIS, AND THAT (J) THE PRECEDING PROVISOS BE BASED ON COMPLETE REACTION INVOLVING THE ALKYLENE OXIDES AND THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT.