Abstract: A study on the membrane coalescence demulsification was carried out with four working
systems ofwater/n-butyl alcohol, water/n-octanol, water/30%TBP(in kerosene) and
water/kerosene. The membranes madeof polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with 1.0μm pore size
were used. The results indicated that the excellent demul-sification efficiency for
emulsions with various oil contents was obtained. A conductivity probe was used to studythe
demulsification mechanism. An electrode probe was designed and used to determine the oil
content near themembrane surface. The obtained data showed that the oil content in the
permeated stream was much higher thanthat in the feed emulsion. A physical mechanism to
explain the membrane demulsification was put forward.

Key words: demulsification, microfiltration membrane, mechanism

摘要： A study on the membrane coalescence demulsification was carried out with four working
systems ofwater/n-butyl alcohol, water/n-octanol, water/30%TBP(in kerosene) and
water/kerosene. The membranes madeof polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with 1.0μm pore size
were used. The results indicated that the excellent demul-sification efficiency for
emulsions with various oil contents was obtained. A conductivity probe was used to studythe
demulsification mechanism. An electrode probe was designed and used to determine the oil
content near themembrane surface. The obtained data showed that the oil content in the
permeated stream was much higher thanthat in the feed emulsion. A physical mechanism to
explain the membrane demulsification was put forward.

关键词: demulsification;microfiltration membrane;mechanism