Abstract: Dewatering or demulsification of water-in-oil emulsion is an important process in refinery. Recent advances in demulsification of heavy oil or solvent-diluted bitumen emulsion are reviewed. Structures of the natural surface-active substances in oil and their functions in stabilizing the water-in-oil emulsion are summarized. Design and synthesis of novel demulsifies have attracted much attention in recent years. For example，application of environmental friendly biodegradable polymer in dewatering of water-in-oil emulsion has been extensively studied. Relevant latest research findings are introduced. Advanced technologies，such as micropipette technology and atomic force microscope (AFM) used to study the mechanism of demulsification are also described.

Key words: heavy oil, bitumen, demulsification, micropipette technology, atomic force microscope(AFM)

摘要： 油/水乳状液的破乳是重油生产和加工过程的重要环节，破乳剂的研发一直是油田化学中重要的研究内容。本文综述了国内外化学破乳剂研发的现状与趋势，阐述了重油中以沥青质为主的天然乳化剂的结构特点，深入分析了沥青质在油水乳状液的形成与稳定的过程中所起到的关键性作用，揭示了油水乳状液的形成与稳定性机理。进一步论述了具有普适性强、无毒、可生物降解且价格低廉的天然高分子破乳剂的破乳作用及其最新研究结果。重点介绍了微吸液管技术和原子力显微镜技术等现代分析手段在油水乳状液破乳过程中对相关微观机理研究的重要应用。

关键词: 重油, 沥青, 破乳, 微吸液管技术, 原子力显微镜技术