DESALTER EMULSION SEPARATION BY DIRECT CONTACT VAPORIZATION

摘要

A petroleum desalting process in which the oil/water emulsion layer which forms in the desalter vessel between the settled water layer and the settled oil layer is separated into the oil and water components by contact with a heated high boiling hydrocarbon to break the emulsion and vaporize water from the emulsion in a flash drum. The vessel has an emulsion outlet for removing an emulsion stream from the emulsion layer and a conduit connecting the emulsion withdrawal port to an inlet of an optional settling drum to effect and initial separation into an oil-enriched phase and a water phase with the oil-enriched phase led to the flash drum.

主权项

1. A petroleum desalting process which comprises:
mixing a crude oil to be desalted with desalting water and passing the mixture of oil and water to a desalter vessel to form (i) a settled water layer containing salts dissolved from the oil in the lower portion of the vessel, (ii) a settled supernatant, desalted oil layer in the upper portion of the vessel and (iii) an emulsion layer formed from the oil and the water and comprising emulsified oil and water, between the settled water layer and the settled oil layer, removing a stream of the emulsion from the emulsion layer, contacting the removed emulsion stream with a hydrocarbon heating medium to transfer heat from the heating medium to the emulsion to break the emulsion and vaporize water from the emulsion.