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Advanced topics

in petroleum
engineering

Desalting of
crude oil
lecture 3
desalting
• Crude oil received in a refinery contains
much water, salts, clay, and sand, which do
not settle in the tank and are desalter at the
beginning of the refining operations.

• The presence of salts of magnesium,


sodium, alkaline earth metals in crude oil
varies from crude to crude. These salts are
dissolved in water associated and entrained
with crude oil
Purpose of a desalting system
• Corrosion control in CDU overhead better
• Reduce the fouling and plugging of crude
oil pipes
• Removing metals which may poison the
catalyst
• Reducing the corrosion rate
• Reducing the corrosion by solids in control
valves, heat exchangers, furnaces and
pumps
Hydrolysis of salts

• In-organic salts dissolve only in water


and does not dissolve in crude oil.
• CaCL2 + 2H2O Ca(OH)2 + 2HCL
• HCL is produced which is very corrosive
(acidic medium)
Types of desalter
1.Natural desalter
Desalter in which time is given for salts and
separates free water under gravity settle down in
the bottom of vessel

2.chemical desalter
• In this desalter chemical is added as demulsifier
in condition of crude oil stability
• Demulsifier reduces the interface between the
2 phases facilitating separation process
Types of desalter (cont.)
Both natural and chemical desalters is used
for crude with low salt content or batch
process
1.Electrochemical desalter
• This desalter is used after natural and
chemical desalters to remove the extent
of salts using electric field
Emulsion
An emulsion is a temporarily stable
mixture of immiscible fluids, such as oil
and water, achieved by finely dividing one
phase into very small droplets. Common
emulsions can be :
 oil suspended in water (o/w)
 water suspended in oil (w/o).
oil suspended in water (o/w)

• The dispersed phase : oil


• The continuous phase : water
Ex : Butter , salad dressing
Water suspended in oil (o/w)

• The dispersed phase : water


• The continuous phase : oil
Ex : turpentine , vanishing cream
Factors affect on stability of emulsion
1. Crude oil composition
• Heavy polar fractions in the crude oil
• Temperature
• Droplet size and droplet-size distribution
• pH of the brine
1- Heavy polar fractions in the crude oil
• Consists of (Asphaltenes, Resins, Oil-soluble
organic acids)
• Asphaltene exists in the interface of two liquids
increasing the surface tension, hence
separation is carried out.
Factors affect on stability of emulsion (cont.)

Fig. shows an asphaltene-stabilized water


droplet. When such a film forms, it acts as a
barrier to drop coalescence. For two drops
to coalesce, the film must be drained and
ruptured.
The presence of the asphaltenes can
naturally retard the drainage of this film in
condition of water or oil droplet size is
bigger than asphaltene agent droplet
2- droplet size
• Emulsions that have smaller size droplets will generally be
more stable. For water separation, drops must coalesce—
and the smaller the drops, the greater the time to separate.
The droplet-size distribution affects emulsion viscosity
because it is higher when droplets are smaller. Emulsion
viscosity is also higher when the droplet-size distribution is
narrow
3- Temperature
• Perhaps the most important effect of
temperature is on the viscosity of emulsions
because viscosity decreases with increasing
temperatures
• Temperature increases the thermal energy
of the droplets and, therefore, increases the
frequency of drop collisions. It also reduces
the interfacial viscosity, which results in a
faster film-drainage.
4- PH of Brine
• The pH of water has a strong influence on
emulsion stability The stabilizing, rigid
emulsion film contains (Organic acids , bases,
Asphaltenes with ionizable groups, Solids )
• interfacial films formed by asphaltenes are
strongest in acids (low pH) and become
progressively weaker as the pH is increased.
4- PH of Brine (cont.)
• Low (PH) produces water in oil
emulsion(w/o)
• High (PH) produces oil in water
emulsion(o/w)
Emulsion formation factors
I. Two Immiscible liquids
II. Sufficient mixing
III. Surface acting component

If we have only 2 items of these 3 emulsion occurs


but emulsion will be un-stable
Stages of emulsion breaking
1) Aggregation
2) Flocculation
3) Coalescence
Rate of flocculation , coalescence depends on :
1. water cut in emulsion ( PH )
2. Temperature
3. viscosity of oil
4. density difference of 2 phases
5. Electrostatic field increases flocculation
so attraction among water particles
increase
Methods of emulsion breaking

1. Thermal providing heat


2. Mechanical increasing residence time
3. Electrical electrostatic grids
4. Chemical demulsifier
Electrostatic desalter

• high electrical field is


applied in desalter
vessel to coalesce and
group the salty water
droplets as a flow of
water which settles
under the effect of its
weight.
Electric field

• High voltage Electric


field is provided to
break Emulsion.
• Alternating electric
field is provided where
the 2 poles change
then settling occurs
Wash water, API, temperature

API Wash Temperature


water f
>40 3-4 115-125
30>..>40 4-7 125-140
<30 7-10 140-150

• There is no problem with temperature


increase as liquids (light) ratio is very low as
heavy ratio is high
Vielen
danke
moüsa

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