The present invention refers to an online monitoring system for the gravitational separation of oil emulsions, more specifically, a monitoring system for the properties related to the emulsions, such as the drop size distribution (DSD) and the water content (WC), simultaneously, in pressurized and heated systems at high pressures and temperatures, respectively, using near-infrared region (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with optical microscopy.
The online monitoring system is innovative as it overcomes the current need of the oil industry to remove aliquots from emulsified systems under high pressure and temperature, preferably up to 70 bar (7 MPa) and 150° C., respectively, for determination of the properties of emulsions, which causes disturbances and affects the physicochemical characteristics of emulsions. Thus, the invention makes it possible to infer about the stability of the emulsions under real operating conditions by monitoring the gravitational settling of water drops dispersed in a continuous phase of oil.