Process for breaking petroleum emulsions employing certain oxyalkylated phenol-aldehyde resins

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 AN OXYALKYLATED PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN, SAID PHENOL BEING PARA SUBSTITUTED WITH A HYDROCARBON RADICAL CONTAINING FROM THREE TO FIVE CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALDEHYDE CONTAINING NOT OVER 8 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND BEING REACTIVE TOWARDS SAID PHENOL, SAID PHENOL-ALKEHYDE RESIN CHARACTERIZED BY BEING OXYALKYLATION SUSCEPTIBLE, FUSIBLE SOLUBLE IN ACETONE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE IN HYDROCARBONS AND WATER, SAID OXYALKYLATED PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN HAVING ABOUT 40 TO 100 PHENOLIC NUCLEI PER MOLECULE AND BEING CHARACTERIZED BY CONTAINING OXYALKYLENE GROUPS IN A QUANTITY EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 0.75 TO 1.75 MOLES PER MOLE OF PHENOLIC NUCLEI FROM SAID PHENOL CONTAINED THEREIN AND FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY BEING INCAPABLE OF BEING SELF-DISPERSABLE OR PRODUCING AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION WHEN 50 PARTS OF XYLENE WITH ONE PART OF DEMULSIFIER ARE SHAKEN VIGOROUSLY WITH 50 PARTS OF WATER, SAID OXYALKYLENE GROUPS CHARACTERIZED BY BEING DERIVED FROM AN ALPHA-BETA ALKYLENE OXIDE HAVING NOT MORE THAN 4 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE.