A major challenge during subsea processing is treatment of produced water. Dispersed oil and solids must be separated from the water so that it reaches sufficient quality to be reinjected into reservoirs or eventually discharged to sea. Merging (coalescence) between oil drops or between oil drops and gas bubbles is a central phenomenon that will promote the separation.

In this project, the objective is to study how the chemical composition of crude oil and water influence the route to drop-drop and drop-bubble coalescence at elevated pressure and temperature. A new microfluidic setup is built for this purpose. The fundamental knowledge of the produced water fluids gained in the project can be applied in design of subsea water treatment systems for reliable water management.