A model for calculation of oil-droplet rise velocities under consideration of the pressure-dependent gas-in-oil solubility was presented and validated. The concept of internal degassing that leads to a higher buoyancy of crude-oil droplets and thus an accelerated drop rise was introduced. Calculation of three different drop-rise scenarios showed high impact of this effect. For the first time high-pressure experiments using gas-saturated crude oil and artificial seawater in a counter-current flow channel were conducted. Optical recording and analysis of droplet volume during pressure release confirm the significance of predicted effect of degassing. The interplay of degassing, nucleation, and mass transfer was discussed.
