Process for breaking petroleum emulsions

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR BREAKING PETROLEUM EMULSIONS OF THE WATER-IN-OIL TYPE CHARACTERIZED BY SUBJECTING THE EMULSION TO THE ACTION OF A DEMULSIFIER INCLUDING HIGH MOLAL OXYPROPYLATION DERIVATIVES OF WATER-INSOLUBLE, XYLENE-INSOLUBLE, POLYPENTAERYTHRITOLS HAVING AT LEAST 8 HYDROXYL RADICALS AND DERIVATIVES WHICH BEAR A SIMPLE GENETIC RELATIONSHIP THERETO, WITH THE PROVISO THAT (A) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT BE FREE FROM ANY RADICAL HAVING AT LEAST 8 UNINTERRUPTED CARBON ATOMS; (B) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE WITHIN THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE OF 5,000 TO 65,000 ON AN AVERAGE STATISTICAL BASIS; (C) THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE XYLENE-SOLUBLE; (D) THE XYLENE SOLUBILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT BE SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESULT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION STEP; (E) THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT REPRESENT NOT MORE THAN 7% BY WEIGHT OF THE OXYPROPYLATION END PRODUCT ON A STATISTICAL BASIS; AND THAT (F) THE PRECEDING PROVISOS BE BASED ON COMPLETE REACTION INVOLVING THE PROPYLENE OXIDE AND THE INITIAL POLYHYDRIC REACTANT.