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 HYDROPHILE SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS; SAID HYDROPHILE SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS BEING OXYALKYLATION PRODUCTS OF (A) AN ALPHA-BETA ALKYLENE OXIDE HAVING NOT MORE THAN 4 CARBON ATOMS AND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE OXIDE, PROPYLENE OXIDE, BUTYLENE OXIDE, GLYCIDE AND METHYLGLYCIDE; AND (B) AN OXYALKYLATION-SUSCEPTIBLE, FUSIBLE, ORGANIC SOLVENT-SOLUBLE, WATER-INSOLUBLE, PHENOLIC RESIN; SAID RESIN BEING DERIVED AT LEAST IN PART BY REACTION WITH AN ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON SO AS TO INTRODUCE AN ALTERED ACETYLENIC RADICAL AS THE LINKING STRUCTURE BETWEEN PHENOLIC NUCLIC; THE AMOUNT OF ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON REACTED BEING AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO INTERDUCE ONE ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON-DERIVED BRIDGE PER RESIN MOLECULE; SAID OXYALKYLATED RESIN BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE INTRODUCTION INTO THE RESIN MOLECULE OF A PLURALITY OF DIVALENT RADICALS HAVING THE FORMULA (R1O)N, IN WHICH R1 IS A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE RADICALS, PROPYLENE RADICALS, BUTYLENE RADICALS, HYDROXYPROPYLENE RADICALS, AND HYDROXYBUTYLENE RADICALS, AND N IS A NUMBERAL VARYING FROM 1 TO 20; WITH THE PROVISO THAT AT LEAST 2 MOLES OF ALKYLENE OXIDE BE INTRODUCED FOR EACH PHENOLIC NUCLEUS; AND WITH THE FINAL PROVISO THAT THE HYDROPHILE PROPERTIES OF SAID OXYALKYLATED RESIN IN AN EQUAL WEIGHT OF XYLENE ARE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE AN EMULSION WHICH SAID XYLENE SOLUTION IS SHAKEN VIGOROUSLY WITH ONE TO THREE VOLUMES OF WATER.