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 POLYHYDRIC COMPOUNDS, WITH THE PROVISO THAT (A) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE FREE FROM ANY RADICAL HAVING AT LEAST 8 UNINTERRUPTED CARBON ATOMS; (B) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT HAVE A MOLECULAR WEIGHT NOT OVER 1200 AND AT LEAST 4 HYDROXYL RADICALS; (C) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE WATER-INSOLUBLE AND XYLENE-INSOLUBLE; (D) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WATER-INSOLUBLE AND XYLENESOLUBLE; (E) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WITHIN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE OF 2000 TO 30,000 ON AN AVERAGE STATISTICAL BASIS; (F) THE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT IN RESPECT TO XYLENE BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION STEP; (G) THE RATIO OF PROPYLENE OXIDE PER HYDROXYL IN THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 7 TO 70; (H) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT REPRESENT NOT MORE THAN 12 1/2% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT ON A STATISTICAL BASIS, AND (I) THE PRECEDING PROVISOS BEING BASED ON COMPLETE REACTION INVOLVING THE PROPYLENE OXIDE AND THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT.