IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,499,748
Granted Patent B2
US 9,499,748 · App. 14/279,428 · Granted Nov 22, 2016

Petroleum crude oil desalting process and unit

Inventors: Michel Daage (Hellertown, PA); Magaly C. Barroeta (Herndon, VA); Brian D. Albert (Fairfax, VA); Mohsen S. Yeganeh (Hillsborough, NJ); Andrew T. Sullivan (Kingwood, TX); Jose X. Simonetty (Kingwood, TX); Christopher J. Wolfe (Alexandria, VA)
Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
C10G21/08C10G31/08C10G33/04C10G53/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,499,748
App. No.
14/279,428
Granted
Nov 22, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

An improved method and process unit for desalting petroleum crude oils in which a portion of the stable emulsion layer which forms in the desalter vessel is withdrawn from the desalter and diluted with a liquid diluent, typically oil or water or both to destabilize the emulsion which is then separated into separate oil and water phases.

Claims (12)

1. A crude oil desalting process which comprises:

(i) mixing a crude oil to be desalted with desalting water and passing the mixture of oil and water to a desalter vessel to form (a) a settled water layer containing salts dissolved from the oil in the lower portion of the vessel, (b) a settled supernatant, desalted oil layer in the upper portion of the vessel with (c) an intervening emulsion layer formed from the oil and the water,

(ii) withdrawing a portion of the emulsion from the desalter vessel,

(iii) mixing the withdrawn emulsion with a diluent liquid to destabilize the emulsion and form a diluted emulsion, wherein the diluent liquid comprises at least one of water and process water, and

(iv) separating the diluted emulsion.

2. A process according to claim 1 in which the diluted emulsion comprises 1 to 70 vol % of the withdrawn desalter emulsion and 30 to 99% vol of diluent.

3. A process according to claim 2 in which the diluted emulsion comprises 1 to 50 vol % of the withdrawn desalter emulsion and 50 to 99% vol of diluent.

4. A process according to claim 1 in which the viscosity of the withdrawn emulsion is reduced by 10% by the addition of the diluent.

5. A process according to claim 1 in which the viscosity of the withdrawn emulsion is reduced by 30% by the addition of the diluent.

6. A process according to claim 5 in which the viscosity of the withdrawn emulsion is reduced by 50% by the addition of the diluent.

7. A process according to claim 1 in which the diluted emulsion is separated by gravity separation.

8. A process according to claim 1 in which the diluted emulsion is separated in a secondary desalter under an electrostatic field.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 17, 2014
From: DAAGE, MICHEL; BARROETA, MAGALY C.; ALBERT, BRIAN D.; YAGANEH, MOHSEN S.; SULLIVAN, ANDREW P.; SIMONETTY, JOSE X.; WOLFE, CHRISTOPHER J.
To: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 033116/0730 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61828963 · May 30, 2013
Related Publication 20140353214A1 · Dec 4, 2014