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[3omar]

What is the effect of decreasing the surface tension between oil& water on the oil recovery & separation?

and why?

[Technical Bard]

Decreasing interfacial tension between oil and water improves the ability of droplets to coalesce.  However, there is a limit.  If the interfacial tension is reduced too far, then water droplets lose their cohesion and can breakup and disperse into the oil.  In a treater vessel, this is a careful balancing act between temperature, chemical addition and electrostatic field strength to reduce interfacial tension, but not to reduce it too far.