Crude Oil Desalting

INTRODUCTION
 Oil desalting is the process of removing water-soluble salts
from an oil stream.
 Most crude oil is produced with some entrained water, which
normally contains dissolved salts, principally chlorides of
sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
 A large part of this salt water is normally removed in the
separation and treating process; however, when the crude is
finally sent to a refinery some entrained water usually remains.
 When this crude oil is heated as part of various refining
processes, the entrained water may be driven off as steam.
 The salts in the water, however, do not leave with the steam.
 They crystallize and may either remain suspended in the oil or
form scale within the heat-exchange equipment.
INTRODUCTION
 Entrained salt crystals may deactivate catalyst beds and plug
processing equipment.
 A typical salt specification would be 10 pounds per thousand barrels
(10 PTB).
 Crude oils are often contaminated with various solid materials such
as silt, sand, iron oxide, sulfur, and carbon.
 The process of desalting will also remove portions of these
solids from the oil.
 Deposition of salts in exchangers and furnaces results in loss on
stream time and reduced production along with increased cost from
shutdowns and clean-out operations.
 Deposits in furnace tubes cause increased pressure drop as well as
hot spots on the tubes.
 Desalting Gives these Benefits
 Increased crude throughput by:
 Longer runs
 Running at maximum capacity
 Less down time for maintenance
 Less water charged to the crude unit
 Uniform crude charge without slugs of water
during tank switching.
Less cost for labor due to:
 Frequent turnarounds
 Worn or corroded equipment
 Fouled exchangers
 Furnace tube hot spots
Less erosion by solids in:
Control valves
Exchangers and furnaces
Pumps
Saving or recovery of oil from:
 Slops from waste oil recovery system
 Cleanout of storage tank bottoms
 Oil in process water (sour vacuum tower
condensate)
 Less dumping of oil to sewer for maintenance
 Less slopping of off specification products.

Less plugging, scaling, coking and slaging of:

Improved products because of:
 Exchangers
 Better operational control
 Furnaces
 Removal of catalyst poisons
Less corrosion due to sulfur, salts and
 Less salt and solids in residual fuel
organic acidity in:
 Exchangers
 Fractionators
 Receivers and lines.
 
Single-Stage Desalting
Two-Stage Desalting
Oleophilic Impurities
Sulfur Compounds 0.1 - 5 Wt. % as sulfur
Organo-Metallic Compounds 5.400 ppm as the metal
(Nickel, Vanadium, Iron, Arsenic, etc)
Naphthenic Acids 0.03 - 0.4 Vol. %
Nitrogen Compounds 0.05 - 15 Vol. %
Non-Acidic Oxygen Compounds 0 - 2 Wt % as oxygen
(Resin, etc)

These oleophilic materials cannot be effectively removed by electrical

desalting methods and except to recognize them; they will be given no
further consideration.
Oleophobic Impurities
Salts 10- l000 ptb
Water 0.1- 2 Vol. %
Sediment 1 – 500 ptb.

Ptb = pounds per thousand barrels of oil

 These oleophobic constituents are insoluble in crude oil and

are present as a second phase, being carried as discrete
particles by the oil.
High Velocity Desalter
 The high velocity type contains the
same elements as the low velocity
type except that the wet oil
containing the dispersed phase
enters the electric field through a
distributor that is placed in
between the electrodes.
 This arrangement is particularly
suitable for certain types of very
stable emulsions.
 The high velocity is necessary in
some cases to prevent the
emulsion particles from forming a
chain between the electrodes
causing a short circuit.
 Low velocity desalter
 The low velocity type is used, in oil field production where the
incoming wet oil may contain up to 50% of a dispersed phase, which
is usually salt water, in a continuous phase of crude oil.