Hydrocarbon & Water · Mutual Solubility
How much oil dissolves in water, and water in oil?
A little water dissolves in the hydrocarbon, and a little hydrocarbon dissolves in the water, especially the BTEX aromatics. It matters for produced-water treatment, desalters, and environmental limits. Built on measured solubility data and correlations.
Hydrocarbon & temperature
How much water the oil holds before free water separates. Rises strongly with temperature; aromatics hold most.
Free-water dropout on cooling?
Water dissolved in the oil
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Hydrocarbon & temperature
How much hydrocarbon dissolves in the water phase. Aromatics (BTEX) dissolve far more than paraffins. Gases scale with partial pressure.
Hydrocarbon dissolved in the water
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Scope & accuracy
- The 25 °C oil-in-water values are anchored to measured solubilities; water-in-oil and any value away from 25 °C are correlation estimates. Published liquid–liquid solubility data itself scatters by roughly ±30 % between sources, so use these for screening and training, not equipment sizing, discharge-permit compliance, or custody specs.
- Fresh water only: no salting-out. Brine/produced water dissolves less hydrocarbon (roughly −20–30 % at seawater salinity), so oil-in-water here is an over-estimate for saline systems.
- Pure component vs pure water, not a real crude/condensate/produced-water assay. Away from 25 °C the temperature trend is a mild correction (the near-ambient solubility minimum some hydrocarbons show is not resolved).
- Opposite trends by design: water-in-oil rises strongly with temperature; oil-in-water changes only gently near ambient.
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