An operator in Ecuador planned to perform a series of workover operations on onshore wells, but it was found that the produced crude would emulsify with the brine that would be used for the workover. This could lead to pore blocking and reduced well productivity, or poor crude-water separation at surface.

The high-performance SAFE-BREAK Prime universal nonemulsifier was evaluated in the laboratory by treating brine and crude oil at different ratios. Following tests, the final fluid blend was flowed through a production screen coupon to ensure no screen-blocking deposits were created by the laboratory mixture.