New Desalter

Configuration
By: Puneet Gupta
Vishwas Walivadekar
David I Howells
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Contents

Theory Of desalting
Why New Desalter
Design Basis & Process guarantees of New
Desalter
New Design Features
Instrumentation & Control
Agar Probes
Operating Variables
Construction Phases of new desalter

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Theory Of Desalting

Why?
To remove salt from crude that are normally dissolved in
residual water contained in crude oil
To remove suspended solid particles - Silt, Iron Oxide,
Crystalline Salt, Carbon & Sulfur

How?
Preheat Crude Oil
Fresh water added to contact residual water, salts &
Solids in the crude
Add Demulsifier Chemical for clean separation of Water
& Contaminants from Crude.
Crude, Fresh water & Demulsifier mix via mixing valve
Stream subjected to High Voltage Electric field
Water droplets coalesce, so fall to bottom of vessel &
removed
Clean Desalted oil discharged from top of desalter

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Why New Desalter

Existing desalter
Poor Desalting causing

High Crude Colmn ovhd Chlorides

Ovhd Cooler A05 tube leaks
High press drop across A05
Fouling & corrosion of Naphtha PA Circuit
High Chlorides to d/s units

poor dehydration because of

Low Residence Time - 4mins

Lower preheat temperature

Tput Limitation
Not designed for opportunity crudes

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Design Basis - New Desalter

New Desalter Design Capacity 250 kbpsd
Old desalter de-rated Capacity
175 kbpsd
Total desalting capacity/unit
425 kbpsd
Feed Characteristics
New Design Crude Blend 24v% AL+16v% AH + 60v% Maya
Blend Gravity oAPI
25.7(min)
Feed Salt Content as NaCl
140 ppm w (43.5 ptb)
Feed BS&W vol% max
1.0
Blend Viscosity -cSt @ 145 oC
1.43
Operating Conditions
Temperature oC
130 - 145
Pressure kg.cm2g 1.4 kg/cm2 above Vap Press

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Design Basis - New Desalter

Operating Conditions
Desalting water Requirement
7-8 % vol/vol on crude
Pressure Drop, Each Stg
Per Vessel
0.14 - 0.21 kg/cm2
Per Mix Valves + Static Mixer
0.35 - 1.76 kg/cm2
Other Design Features
New Equipment & Associated Lines with new desalter
are designed with rated flows of 250 kbpsd capacity.

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Process Guarantees

Na Content of desalted Crude

< 1ppmw (0.32 ptb)
by Atomic Absorption
BS&W of desalted Crude < 0.2 vol% by Centrifuge at
Op. Temp
Effluent Water Oil
< 250 ppmw

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Utilities

Process Water

Source
Temperature
Cl Content
Oil Content
pH Range
NH3 Content

Demulsifier
Dosage

PW/NPW/CC
100 Deg C
Nil
Nil
6-8
25ppm max
0-6ppmv

Power Supply
Supply Voltage
Power Consumption
Max Demand

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415V, 3 Ph, 50 Hz
150 KW per vessel
600 KVA per vessel

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Important Equipment Features

Desalter Vessels

ID
3658 mm (12 ft)
TTL
23470 mm (77 ft)
Head
Hemispherical head
Design Pressure
43.9 kg/cm2g
Design Temp 157 Deg C
CA
3mm

Mixing Valve
Static Mixer

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24, 2-elements

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Design Features

Inlet Distribution Header

Designed to evenly distribute oil/water mixture along across the width &
entire length of Vessel.
3-3/4 Orifice in the Inlet Header.
Located just above oil/water interface level but below electrodes.
Advantages
Minimizes amt of water in high voltage field.
Doesnt disturb water interface level.

Outlet Collection Header

Located in the top of vessel and spans the entire tangent length of the
vessel.
2-1/2 Orifices in the bottom of the header.

Effluent Water Header

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Located approximately 300mm (191 mm) above bottom of vessel

Effluent header provides an even draw off of water
Water residence time is maximized & so lower potential oil undercarry

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Design Features (Contd..)

Cuff Header(optional)
Provision for additional header located just above normal water
interface level to remove emulsion or Cuff.
Also these emulsion can be broken simply by injecting chemical
directly into the lag layer via this same header.

Mud Wash Header

Hydraulic wash header to minimize the accumulation of solids in
vessel bottom
Water injection 5 to 10 mins daily is sufficient to prevent solids
accumulation.

Electrical System
High Voltage Entrance System

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Two Pressure bushings enclosed in an oil filled housing

Gas venting provision.
On line bushing replacement
Bushing insulation material - high density Teflon

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Design Features (Contd.)

Electrical System(Contd.)
Transactor Unit

Non-overloading, 100% impedance, transactor unit designed to

maximize electrical flexibility and operation even at upset condition.
Secondary voltage level of 12KV, 16KV & 20KV are available on each
unit
Low Conductive crude-high voltage, High conductive crude-low voltage.

EDGE (Enhance Deep-Grid Electrical) Electrode

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4 electric field region

Increase capacity/capability to handle heavier crude
Reduced amount of oil in effluent water
Balanced electrical system

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Instrumentation & Control

Crude Flow split between old set & new set of desalter.
Control logic of one desalter & two desalter operation.
Control logic of new set or Old set desalter operation.
Level control of new desalter with three Agar probes system

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Agar Probes

Agar probes works on the principal of measuring Energy Absorption

by fluid. They are also known as EA Probes.
The energy absorption probe transmits a band of very high
frequency electromagnetic energy impulse into the fields around its
antenna and measures the energy absorbed.
By measuring absorption of signal generated, the interface detector
ensures the water concentration in an emulsion at a local point
regardless of the fluid density, viscosity & temperature.
Water absorbs much more energy than the crude oil. Agar probe
measures the energy absorbed and convert it to standard 4-20 mA
output.
These probes are able to detect very small amount of HC in Water.
The Agar probe is not temp or salinity sensitive and will work on
any two liquid that have different energy absorption property.

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Agar Probe (Contd.)

Agar Probe is made of

A Transmitter
Antenna
Signal Conditioner

Four Probe System Description for Desalter

Probe-1 Controls Brine o/l valve using the ability of measuring
small oil in water. It establish lower limit of emulsion
Probe-2 monitors water content below the lower electrical grid to
detect and alarm on emulsion growth.
Probe-3 installed on the crude oil feed line near the tank farm,
monitors the line for excessive water in the feed to unit.
Probe -4 monitor the water phase of desalter below the distributor,
alarming on the the presence of suspended oil & solids.

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Operating Variables

Crude Charge Rate - Turndown unlimited

Crude Temperature - Viscosity & Conductivity
Pressure At vessel - avoid vaporization -16.5 kg/cm2g
Press Drop Across mixing valve.
Process water rate
Water level control
Emulsion layer depends upon

natural emulsifying agents in crude

Waxy constituents of crude
Suspended solids in crude or process water
Degree of emulsification of water in crude.

Demulsifying Chemical
Transformer Voltage-(12-16-20 KV)
Bottom Sediments -Sludge Wash- once for 3mins per day initially.

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New Desalter Construction Phases

Phase 1A:
New desalter erection with jump-over to utilize existing auxiliary
facilities i.e.P-03, S-02, A02, Mud washing with tap-off for new
auxiliary
Also constructing new desalter pump out facility.
Since P-40 (similar to P-03) is arriving earlier, jump-over on P-03
not required

Phase 1B
Hook up of new auxiliary as they arrive.

Phase 2A
Construction on Old desalter circuit with Old desalter shut down.

Phase 2B
Construction with total Unit Shut down.

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