Microwave Demulsification in Removing Naphthenic Acids from Diesel Oil

Emulsification is an undesired phenomenon in the refining of highly acidic oil by alkali-washing electro-refining. In this article, a novel microwave method is applied for demulsification in the removing of naphthenic acid from diesel oil. The internal heating is attributed to molecular rotation and ionic conduction. The decrease of interface zeta-potential and the viscosity of diesel oil are responsible for the demulsification with microwave irradiation. The results exhibited that the demulsification rate is maximized when the optimum microwave irradiation power, exposure time, and irradiation pressure for Anshan and Liaohe diesel oil are deemed to be 375 W, 5/6 min and 0.05 MPa, respectively.