Demulsification of petroleum oil emulsions

Claim 1

IN PROCESSES FOR BREAKING WATER-IN-PETROLEUM OIL EMULSIONS, ADDING TO SAID EMULSIONS, AT A WEIGHT RATIO OF ONE PART PER 200-75,000 PARTS OF SAID EMULSION, DICARBOXY ACID ESTERS, WHEREIN ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THE CARBOXY GROUPS OF THE DICARBOXY ACIDS ARE ESTERFIED WITH TWO POLYHYDROXY LOWER ALKYLENE OXIDE ADDUCTS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, SAID ADDUCTS EACH HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1000, AND AT LEAST 20% BY WEIGHT OF SAID ADDUCTS BEING OXYALKYLATED, MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID, PARTIAL ESTERS OF PENTAERYTHRITOLS, SAID MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOCARBOXYLIC RESIN ACIDS, MONOCARBOXYLIC FATTY ACIDS OF 12-36 CARBONS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE OF THE HYDROXYL GROUPS OF SAID PENTAERYTHRITOLS BEING ESTERFIED WITH SAID MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND AT LEAST TWO OF SAID HYDROXYL GROUPS BEING POLYOXYALKYLATED WITH ALKYLENE OXIDES SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PROPYLENE OXIDE AND MIXTURES OF ETHYLENE OXIDE AND PROPYLENE OXIDE WHEREIN THE PROPYLENE OXIDE CONSTITUTES AT LEAST 50% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXIDE MIXTURE, SAID OXYALKYLATED, PARTIAL ESTERS HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN EXCESS OF 1000, THE REMAINDER OF SAID ADDUCTS BEING MEMBERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUPS CONSISTING OF TERMINALLY OXYETHYLATED POLYOXYPROPYLENE GLYCOLS WHEREIN THE POLYOXYPROPYLENE GLYCOL NUCLEI HAVE A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1200 AND NOT EXCEEDING 3500 AND HAVE 2-20 MOLS OF ADDUCTED ETHYLENE OXIDE PER MOL OF POLYOXPROPYLENE GLYCOL; POLYOXYETHYLENE, POLYOXYPROPYLENE GLYCOLS HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF 12003500 IN WHICH SAID GLYCOL MOLECULE IS COMPOSED OF A HETEROGENEOUS MIXTURE OF OXYETHYLENE AND OXYPROPYLENE GROUPS IN WHICH THE WEIGHT RATIO OF OXYETHYLENE TO OXYPROPOYLENE DOES NOT EXCEED 4:1; OXYETHYLATED CASTOR OIL HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF 1400 TO 35000; OXYLAKYLATED CASTOR OIL WHICH IS OXYALKYLATED WITH BOTH ETHYLENE OXIDE AND PROPYLENE OXIDE IN A WEIGHT RATIO OF 1:1 TO 10:1, RESPECTIVELY, SAID OXYALKYLATED CASTOR OIL HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF 1500 TO 36000: OXYETHYLATED MONOALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCTS IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP OF THE PHENOL HAS UP TO 15 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT HAVING 3-15 PHENOLIC NUCLEI PER MOLECULE, THE WEIGHT RATIO OF ETHYLENE OXIDE TO ALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT BEING IN THE RANGE OF 1:2.5 TO 2.5:1, RESPECTIVELY; OXYETHYLATED, OXYPROPYLATED MONOALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCTS IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP OF THE PHENOL HAS UP TO 15 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT HAVING 3-15 PHENOLIC NUCLEI PER MOLECULE, THE WEIGHT RATIO OF THE OXYETHYLENE AND OXYPROPYLENE GROUPS OF THE MONOALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT BEING IN THE RANGE OF 2:3 TO 2.5:1; OXYALKYLATED CONDENSATION PRODUCTS OF A MONOALKYL PHENOL, FORMALDEHYDE, AND A LOWER ALKYLENE POLYAMINE CONTAINING ABOUT 4-15 PHENOLIC NUCLEI PER RESIN MOLECULE, THE OXYALKYLENE GROUPS BEING A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYETHYLENE, OXYPROPYLENE, AND BOTH OXYETHYLENE AND OXYPROPYLENE, THE WEIGHT RATIO OF THE OXYALKYLENE GROUPS TO THE MONOALKYL PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE-ALKYLENE POLYAMINE CONDENSATION PRODUCT BEING IN THE RANGE OF 2:3 TO 10:1, RESPECTIVELY; POLYOXYPROPYLENE ADDUCTS OF LOWER ALKYLENE POLYAMINES, WHICH ADDUCTS ARE TERMINALLY OXYETHYLATED AND HAVE A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1,00; POLYOXYPROPYLENE ADDUCTS OF LOWER POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS HAVING 2-3 HYDROXYL GROUPS, WHICH ADDUCTS ARE TERMINALLY OXYETHYLATED AND HAVE A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1,000; ADDUCTS OF BOTH ETHYLENE OXIDE AND PROPYLENE OXIDE ON LOWER ALKYLENE POLYAMINES, SAID ADDUCTS HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1,000; AND ADDUCTS OF BOTH ETHYLENE OXIDE AND PROPYLENE OXIDE ON LOWER POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS HAVING 2-3 HYDROXYL GROUPS, SAID ADDUCTS HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1,000, AND THEREAFTER SEPARATING THE WATER OF THE BROKEN EMULSION FROM THE OIL.