CRUDE DESALTER SYSTEM

• Heavy crude oil is becoming more important option in terms of crude oil
refining
• Crude oil production is usually associated with the co-production of varying
amounts of water, formation solids, and corrosion products.
• Oil produced in most oil fields is accompanied by water in the form of an
emulsion that must be treated.
• This water normally contains dissolved salts, principally chlorides of sodium,
calcium, and magnesium (NaCl, CaCl2 and Mg Cl2) and bicarbonates of alkali
metals
• Separation processes are applied at the production site in order to minimize the
unnecessary transportation costs and to prevent corrosion in the
transportation system.
• The salt content of crude oil is highly variable and results principally from
production practices used in the field.
 Effects of Salts
• The bulk of the salt present will be dissolved in coexisting water and can be
removed in Desalter, but small amounts of salt may be dissolved in the crude oil
itself.
• The salt can cause various operating and maintenance problems
• Even in small concentrations, salts will accumulate in stills, heaters, and
exchangers, leading to fouling that requires expensive cleanup.
• During flash vaporization of crude oil certain metallic salts, the high
temperatures that occur downstream in the process could cause water
hydrolysis that can be hydrolyzed the metallic salts to hydrochloric acid which
extremely corrosive. According to the following reactions:
2NaCl + H2O → 2 HCl + Na2O
MgCl2 + H2O → 2 HCl + MgO

• CaCl will typically hydrolyze first with MgCl requiring higher temperatures.
NaCl on the other hand has a high hydrolyzation temperature not normally
reached in a crude charge furnace. For this reason Caustic or NaOH can be
injected into the Desalter crude stream to lower overhead chlorides.
• Salts and evolved acids can contaminate both overhead and residual products,
and certain metallic salts can deactivate catalysts.
• Salt cakes out inside equipment, cause poor flow and plugging
• If a certain amount of salt remains it may cause fouling problems in pipes and
reduces heat transfer rates in exchangers, and cause high heater tube-wall
temperatures.
• Plugged fractionators trays and burned-out fire tubes
• Metals from salts can also cause catalyst deactivation and sintering which
result in lower catalyst activity. Sodium has been found to be the most
harmful metal for catalysts
• Metals from salts can also cause catalyst deactivation and sintering which
result in lower catalyst activity. Sodium has been found to be the most
harmful metal for catalysts.
• Scale develops and accumulates by means of calcium sulphides precipitations.
• Refiners usually desalt the entering crude to less than 1 PTB (lb salt/1000
bbl)
• The desalted water can, after suitable treatment, be re-injected back into the
reservoir.
 Process Steps
• Mixing the dilution water with the crude to dilute the sediment and water
(S&W) droplets in the crude
• Dehydration (emulsion treating) to separate the crude oil and diluted brine
(S&W) phases.
• Desalting can be performed in a single stage or in two stages, depending on
the requirements of the refinery.
• Dehydration efficiency of a Desalter is usually 95% in a single stage and up to
99% in two stages.
• A mixing device to co-mingle the dilution water with the S&W drops entrained
in the brine
• A second treater (nearly always an electrostatic heater treater) to separate
the crude and the dilution water.
 Single stage desalting process

The desalting process works by mixing raw crude oil with water in a mix valve with
a high differential pressure. This causes the water and oil to form an emulsion with
the salt mostly dissolved in the water phase. During mixing, salt content in oil is
washed with the water and a W/O emulsion is formed. This emulsion is then
broken in the Desalter by use of gravity, heat, electrical energy and chemical
additives.
• Crude oil is typically brought into a refinery by pipeline and goes to the raw
crude tanks.
• The crude is then pumped to be heated into a series of heat exchanges against
hot overhead and product side streams in the Crude Unit prior to entering the
Desalter to a temperature of anywhere from 230-300F depending on the type
of crude and the facility.
• At a preheat temperature of about 200–250◦F water at the ratio of 1:20 is
injected into the crude to dissolve salt that is usually present.
• It is common that a demulsifier substance is also added, usually 0.005 to 0.01
lb/barrel
• Mixture takes place in a mixing device, which is commonly a valve with a 5 to
20 psi pressure drop.
• It has been observed that good mixing allows for appropriate salt removal
from oil.
• The crude is then desalted and leaves the Desalter at 190 F then send through
another set of exchanges, then into a crude charge furnace which is leaves at
600 F and finally into the crude unit distillation column.
 Two stage desalting process

• In single desalting, the required dilution water injection rate is usually 5-7% of
the crude flow rate.
• Two stage desalting usually reduces the dilution water required to 1-2% of the
crude flow rate.
• The water leaving from the second Desalter with lower salt concertation will be
injected to the first desalter unit.
 Electrostatic Desalter

• The Electrostatic Desalter is a system consisting of electrostatic mixing, a control system

• Under the same operating conditions, the power consumption of the AC‐DC electrostatic
desalting technology is only about 60% that of the AC electric desalting technology.
• The AC‐DC electrostatic desalting technology is widely applied to get rid of the salt in
crude oil because of its character of dehydrating deeply rate.
• AC electric field is effective for big water droplets diameter over 30μm, while DC electric
field has a preferable dehydrating effect for small water droplets diameter less than
30μm.
• It has better adaptability to all kinds of crude oil and keeps the AC‐DC electrostatic
Desalter running smoother based on the distribution of electric conductivity of the
crude oil
• The AC‐DC electrostatic desalting technology has more powerful and demulsifying
the different water content from 1%~30%.
• The most important variables affecting desalting performance are (1) settling time, (2)
demulsifier injection, (3) heat, (4) freshwater, (5) mixing (emulsion, chemical, and the
freshwater), and (6) electricity.
 Applicability of Electrostatic-field Desalter
• Difference in specific gravity between oil and water is greater than 0.001
• Fluid viscosity is less than 50 centipoises at separation temperature
• Electrical conductivity of the oil phase does not exceed 10-6mho/cm.
• Space is limited and more than one stage of desalting is required.
• Outlet salt specifications are very low (less than one pound per thousand
barrels of oil, PTB).
• Dilution water quantity or quality is limited.
• Minimization of wastewater is required.