DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A BATCH REACTOR FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALKOXYLATED RESIN BASED DEMULSIFIER
Abstract
Crude oil water-in-oil emulsions pose major challenges in petroleum production, and although alkoxylated resin as feedstock for production of demulsifiers are effective, Nigeria still relies on imported products thereby underutilizing available resource and feedstock, amongst the differentfactors that could be responsible, the known availability of specialized reactors for the production of this based chemical stands out. This research focuses on designing and fabricating a 4-litre pilot-scale batch reactor for producing alkoxylated based resin-A feedstock for alkoxylated based resin demulsifiers. designed to operate at 150 °C and 6 bar with a residence time of 1.30 hours for 98% conversion. Aspen Plus V14 simulations validated these parameters and confirmed the reaction’s highly exothermic nature. The reactor was fabricated using stainless steel 316L and equipped with dual pitched-blade impellers, a 1 kW band heater, and necessary safety systems. All components passed hydrostatic testing and calibration, demonstrating the feasibility of local production and providing a foundation for reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported demulsifiers while supporting future scale-up efforts.
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