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 ACIDIC FRACTIONAL ESTERS; SAID ACIDIC FRACTIONAL ESTERS BEING OBTAINED BY REACTION BETWEEN (A) A POLYCARBOXY ACID AND (B) HIGH MOLAL OXYPROPYLATION DERIVATIVES OF POLYPENTAERYTHRITOLS WITH THE PROVISO THAT (A) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE FREE FROM ANY RADICALS HAVING AT LEAST 8 UNINTERRUPTED CARBON ATOMS (B) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WITHIN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE OF 5,000 TO 65,OO ON AN AVERAGE STATISTICAL BASIS; THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE XYLENE-SOLUBLE; (D) THE XYLENE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION STEP; (E) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT REPRESENT NOT MORE THAN 7% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT ON A STATISTICAL BASIS; AND THAT (F) THE PRECEDING PROVISOS BE BASED ON COMPLETE REACTION INVOLVING THE PROPYLENE OXIDE AND THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT; WITH THE PROVISO THAT THE RATIO OF (A) TO (B) BE ONE MOLE OF THE POLYCARBOXY ACID FOR EACH AVAILABLE HYDROXYL RADICAL.