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Crude Oil Processing on O shore Facilities
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2. SCOPE
This design guide is prepared to provide
3. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
basic information and consideration for Your email:
3.1 De nitions the process design aspect of Crude Oil Enter email address...
3.2 Abbreviations Processing for typical o shore facilities.
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This document provides an overview of
4. DESCRIPTION separation of crude oil from well uid for
further processing.
4.1 Overview Production Popular Recent Comments
4.2 Product Speci cation
2.0 SCOPE Piping Layout Drawings Abbreviations and
4.3 Crude Oil Processing
This guide covers the overall summary of Legends
4.3.1 Wellhead and Manifold
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4.3.2 Separation Gas & Liquid processing schemes, typical crude
4.3.3 Crude Oil Stabilization
speci cation, and data to help Nozzle Orientation Drawing
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80 4.3.4 Crude Oil Dehydration and Desalting
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3.0 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Know to Work Smarter
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3.1 De nitions
API Gravity

API gravity is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water.
API gravity is de ned by the following formula;
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Asphaltenes are molecular substances in crude oil that are insoluble in low boiling Be the first of your friends to like this
hydrocarbon liquids such as heptane and are also non-distillable. These molecules are
made up of aromatic clusters containing a polar heteroatom group. In large molecules Or reach me on aj@piping-
the aromatic rings are interconnected by para nic groups and by sulphur engineering.com

Cloud Point

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Cloud point is the temperature at which dissolved solids are no longer completely
soluble, precipitating as a second phase giving the uid a cloudy appearance. In the
petroleum industry, cloud point refers to the temperature below which wax in crude oil
form a cloudy appearance. Cloud point is measured by ASTM D-2500 testing method.

Pour Point

Pour point is the temperature at which the crude oil becomes semi solid and ceases to
ow. The pour point is measured by ASTM D-97 testing method.

Reid Vapour Pressure

Reid Vapour Pressure (RVP) is measured by ASTM D-323 testing method. The sample is
placed in a chamber at a constant temperature of 100 oF. RVP is slightly lower than the
True Vapour Pressure (TVP) at 100 oF.

Stabilization

Crude stabilization is a process of removing volatile components from crude oil to

reduce its vapour pressure.

3.2 Abbreviations
BS&W : Basic Sediment & Water

FTHP : Flowing Tubing Head Pressure

GOR : Gas Oil Ratio

PTB : Pounds of salt per thousand barrels of oil

Ppm : Part per million

RVP : Reid Vapour Pressure

TEG : Triethylene Glycol

TVP : True Vapour Pressure

4.0 DESCRIPTION
4.1 Overview Production

The primary function of a production facility is to separate the product from the wells
into saleable products and dispose of the rest in an environmentally friendly manner.
The product from the wells typically consists of oil; gas; associated produced water and
sediment. Figure 1 shows a typical schematic of oil and gas production.

Figure 1. Typical Oil and Gas Production Schematic

Well uids enter a separation train where the crude oil, gas, and bulk water are
separated. The separation train may consist of several stages of separators. In the
separation train, most volatile components of the well uid will be vaporized. Thus the
crude oil will either be stabilized or partially stabilized. Crude stabilization is performed
to achieve the speci ed RVP

After free water removal, produced oil may contain residual emulsi ed water. The
crude oil is then further processed in a dehydration unit to reduce the water content to
a value that acceptable for transportation or sales. Dilution water must occasionally be
added to reduce the salt content of the residual emulsion to a suitably low level. The
addition of dilution water and followed by dehydration is called desalting process.

Gas separated from the separation train enters the gas processing train. The train
normally comprises of gas compression system and gas dehydration system. Gas
dehydration unit is required to remove water from the gas stream to prevent hydrate
and corrosion problem in the pipeline. The most common method for gas dehydration
is a TEG contactor unit which is completed with a TEG regeneration system. The TEG
(liquid) absorbs water from the gas stream to achieve the speci ed water content of the
export gas.

Compression of the gas to pipeline pressure is normally required to allow economic

transport in reasonable small diameter pipeline.

A more complex gas processing train may include gas sweetening system to remove
the acid gases which are CO2 and H2S. Both gases are very corrosive when liquid water
is present. Gas sweetening usually uses aqueous solution of various chemicals.
Therefore a gas sweetening, if required, is normally placed upstream of dehydration
unit. However, gas sweetening system is not common for o shore processing facilities.
Generally, any sour gas produced from o shore will be further processed in onshore
gas plant.

Separated water from the well uids is directed to the produced water treatment unit
to render the water suitable for disposal to the sea. Oil removal is the rst treatment
for produced water. Oil-water emulsions are di cult to clean up due to the small size
of the particles, as well as the presence of emulsifying agents. Hydrocyclone is common
equipment for produced water de-oiling purpose.

As an alternate of disposing water into the sea, the produced water could be re-injected
into water injection wells. Before re-injection, produced water is usually ltered and
treated with biocides. Booster pumps and injection pumps are normally installed for
water injection system.

This guideline discusses the treatment of the crude oil to meet the product
speci cations such as vapor pressure, base sediment and water, salt content, and H2S
concentration.

4.2 Product Speci cation

Crude oils vary widely in composition and physical properties. Some are almost gas-like
materials of 65o API gravity, whereas others are semisolid asphaltic material with API
gravities of less than 10o. Light crude are generally more valuable to re neries and are
easier to handle than heavy crudes. Heavy crudes are more di cult to produce and
sell.

O shore crude oil product may be stored on the platform in large tanks (i.e. FPSO, FSO)
and exported by a tanker, or exported through a pipeline. Typical speci cations of
crude oil are as follow:

Maximum vapor pressure : 10 – 12 psia RVP

A low vapor pressure is important for stability of the crude during storage and
transport, especially if the crude is transported via tanker. A high vapor pressure
results in loss of volatile components in storage tanks or tankers. Gases evolved from
unstable crude are heavier than air and di cult to disperse. Consequently the risk of
explosion is greater. To prevent the release of gas during transport or storage, the
vapor pressure speci cation is usually from 10 to 12 psia RVP.

For pipeline export, the crude oil is sometimes partially stabilized. The true vapor
pressure (TVP) of the crude is typically 6.9 Bara at 38 ◦C. This value is considered to
retain a large part of C3-C4 components in the liquid stream. The crude oil will be
further stabilized at onshore terminal facilities and the C3-C4 can be converted into LPG
product. The TVP will be set in conjunction with the operating parameters of the
pipelines and must be lower than the proposed arrival pressure at the delivery location.
The crude oil must be pumped to ensure pipeline is liquid phase throughout.

BS & W : 0.2 – 1.0%


The presence of water in the crude oil must be limited for the following reasons;

– Shipping emulsi ed oil wastes costly transportation capacities occupied by water

– Mineral salts present in produced water corrode equipment, pipeline, and storage
tanks.

– Dissolved sediments in water can cause plugging and scaling problems to heat
exchangers and column trays in the re nery.

In the Gulf of Mexico, 1% BS & W typically meets o shore crude sales speci cations.
Other parts of the world require crudes with less than 0.5% water by volume, especially
if the crude is loaded o shore to tankers.

Maximum salt concentration : 10 – 30 PTB

Salts can cause severe corrosion in tankers, pipeline, and re ning equipment. Salts cake
out inside equipment, cause poor ow and plugging, reduce heat transfer rates in
exchangers. Under some circumstances chlorides can hydrolyze to HCL, which is
extremely corrosive. In addition, some mineral salts can poison expensive catalysts.
Therefore the salt concentration in the crude oil must be limited. The salt content in the
crude product is typically speci ed at 10 – 30 PTB

Maximum H2S : 10 – 100 ppmw

H2S is removed from crude oil together with ash gas at each separation stage. 50 ppm
by volume can normally be achieved using simple separators and heating. Though
normally not used in o shore facilities, 20 ppm and lower can normally only be
achieved by the use of a re-boiled stripper.

4.3 Crude Oil Processing

Well uids are complex mixtures of di erent compounds of carbon and hydrogen with
di erent densities, vapor pressure and physical characteristics. As the well uids travel
from the reservoir to the production facility, it experiences pressure and temperature
reduction. The characteristics of the well stream continuously changes with the
evolving gas from the liquid as the pressure reduces. The separation of these phases is
one of the basic operations in production, processing and treatment.

4.3.1 Wellhead and Manifold

The oil production system begins at the wellhead, which includes at the least one choke
valve, whose percentage opening determines the owrate from the wells. Most of the
pressure drop between the well owing tubing head pressure (FTHP) and the separator
operating pressure occur across the choke valve.

Whenever two or more wells are installed on a wellhead platform, a production

manifold as well as test manifold should be installed to gather uid from the wells prior
to be processed in separator or exported via pipeline. The test manifold is provided to
allow an individual well to be tested either via a Test Separator or Multiphase
Flowmeter (MPFM).

4.3.2 Separation Gas & Liquid

As described earlier, the well-stream may consist of crude oil, gas, condensates, water
and various contaminants. The purpose of a separator is to split the ow into desirable
fractions. Primary separation of produced water from gas and oil is carried out in
production separator. Separators work on the principle of gravity separation.

Following type of separators are generally used in the industry:

Two Phase Separator;

A two phase separator is used to separate well uids into gas and liquid mixtures.

Three Phase Separator

This type of separator is used when the expected outlet streams are gas, oil /
condensate, and water.

Figure 2. Typical Three Phase Separator with Internals

A separator can be either horizontal or vertical con guration,

Horizontal separator

Horizontal separator is preferred for low GOR well uids and three phase separation.

Table below shows the advantages and disadvantages of horizontal separators:

Advantages Disadvantages

Provide su cient residence time for liquid-liquid Only part of shell available for passage of gas
separation

Large liquid surface area for foam dispersion generally Larger foot print / plot area

reduces turbulence
 Large surge volume capacity Liquid level control is more critical

Lend themselves to skid mounting and shipping More di cult to clean produced sand, mud, wax,
para n. etc.

Vertical separator

Vertical separator is preferred high GOR well uids and two phase separation

Table below shows the advantages and disadvantages of vertical separators:

Advantages Disadvantages

Have full diameter for gas ow at top and oil ow at Not suitable for bulk liquid-liquid separation
bottom

Occupy smaller plot area Occupy more vertical spacing between decks in
o shore

Liquid level control is not so critical More di cult to skid mount and ship

Have good bottom drain and clean out facilities. Can More di cult to reach and service top-mounted
handle more sand, mud, para n, wax, etc. instruments and safety devices

Production separators of all types are sized according to the following parameters, to
suit product speci cations:

– Fluid ow rates

– Operating Pressure and Temperature

– Oil in Water Speci cation (500-1000 ppm)

– Water in Oil Speci cation (1-3% vol)

– Liquid losses to vapor stream (subject to demister type)

– Liquid droplet size in gas outlet (150 microns and larger droplets can be removed
when internals are not used)

In an oil system, separators are generally sized on the basis of liquid residence time.
Particular attention must be given to foam and emulsion forming tendency of the crude
oil. Data can be obtained from laboratory analysis or from previous experience. The
tendency of crude oil to foam will require

– larger separator in order to maintain satisfactory vapor/liquid separation e ciency,

– chemical injection,

– specialist internals e.g. foam breaker.

Separation between water and oil is subject to the quality of emulsion and the terminal
velocity of droplets as given by Stokes’ Law. Crude oil with high viscosity and density (i.e
Heavy Oil), will result in a very low droplet settling velocity and hence will require more
residence time and consequently a large vessel size. Where emulsions are formed, de-
emulsifying chemicals and heating may facilitate the water removal, although the
provision of a separate two phase (oil/water) separator may be required in severe
cases.

At the design stage of crude oil separation train, an increased water production should
be considered. Separators must be sized for the worst operating case, or alternatively,
adjustments may be made to existing separator internals and level control set points in
order to change the hold-up times of the two phases.

For sizing criteria and calculation of a separator, refer to the company developed
guideline and validated spreadsheets.

4.3.3 Crude Oil Stabilization

Dissolved gas in the crude oil must be removed to meet pipeline, storage, or tanker RVP
speci cation. The presence of most volatile hydrocarbons increases the RVP. Removal
of the dissolved natural gas components is called oil stabilization.

Crude oil can be stabilized by passing it through multiple separators in series where the
volatile components will vaporize. A stabilization column might replace the simple
ash-separation stages to achieve the required RVP, but these columns are rarely
found o shore.

Stabilization of the crude oil often requires heat to be added or removed at certain
points in the processing train. Crude heating may be required for:

Emulsion breaking and improved separation of oil and produced water.

Adjustments of nal product vapour pressure and H2S content.

Particular attention should be given for high temperature well stream uids, it may be
necessary to cool the crude in order to avoid excessive vaporization resulting in lower
than required RVP of the nal product speci cation and loss of potential liquid product.

For crude oils containing wax, care must be taken in assessing skin temperature inside
coolers so that wax deposition is avoided. Skin temperatures should be at least 5oC
above the crude oil cloud point. When the cooling water supply temperature is below
this temperature, a cooling water recycle can be incorporated to raise the cooling water
inlet to the required temperature. When the minimum cooling water temperature is
marginal for wax deposition, wax inhibitor injection may be considered instead of a
cooling water recycle system.

Number of Separation Stage

The well uid pressure is often reduced in several stages of separation. If the reservoir
conditions are such that the reservoir uid can ow adequately against a wellhead
pressure, separation in more than one stage will generally o er an economic
advantage. The purpose of multi stage separation is to achieve maximum hydrocarbon
liquid recovery, to get the liquid stabilized, and minimize compression power required
for the gas stream. Multi stage separation of oil and gas involves a series of separators
operating at sequentially reduced pressures, with liquid owing from rst separator to
the next lower pressure separator.

When hydrocarbon liquids are removed from separator at equilibrium, the liquid is at
its bubble point. With each subsequent pressure reduction, additional vapors are

liberated. If the liquids were removed directly from a high pressure separator into a
stock tank, the resulting vaporization would cause the loss of some heavier ends.
Making pressure reductions in several stages can help reducing these losses.
Therefore, increasing number of separation stages can increase the volume of oil
recovered in the stock tank.

If the produced gas is to be gathered and compressed to sales transmission pressure,

the allowable compression ratios and compression power requirements will usually
determine the pressure ratios between the various stages of separation. Therefore, the
process engineer must evaluate the number of separation stages, compression
requirements, and economics of each speci c installation.

A process simulation program such as HYSYS is generally used to design and optimize a
crude oil processing system to meet a given crude speci cation, usually vapour
pressure (either TVP or RVP). Selection of a system is based on maximizing the crude
output whilst minimizing energy requirement (i.e. heating/cooling loads, compression
power, etc.). Equipment size and weight is also a critical criterion.

The o gas from each separation stage can be compressed and treated for use as fuel
gas, exported, or ared if quantities are minimal and applicable regulations permit
aring. In designing the oil processing system the gas compression requirements
in uence the total energy input. Additionally the recycle of hydrocarbon condensate
from the gas compression system must be included as this will in uence the
performance of the system.

The optimum number of separation stages varies with Flowing Wellhead Pressure
(FWHP), reservoir composition, o -gas compression requirement, and export
speci cation for crude vapor pressure. A quick assessment of separation stages
number based on FWHP is given in the table below:

FWHP, Bara Number of Stage

1-20 1 or 2

20-70 2 or 3

Over 70 3 or 4

In o shore facilities, generally the numbers of separation stages are limited to three
stages (HP/MP/LP) for the following reasons:

High construction, installation and maintenance cost of additional Separators and

interstage compressors.
Space limitation and weight concern.
There is a trade-o between number of stages and oil recovery. However, the
numbers of stages are optimized to achieve required RVP of oil recovered from last
stage. High pressure in the rst stage separator can sometimes reduce oil
production from wells, particularly in late life.

Since the owing tubing pressure usually decrease during the life of the eld, a
common practice is to install separate production manifolds for each separator. In this
case, wells with decreased well pressure would be rerouted to a lower pressure
separator, thus maximizing production. Figure 3 shows a typical ow scheme of 3
stages separation

Figure 3. Typical 3 Stages Separation

1. 1. HP (1st Stage) Separator

The rst stage Separator is generally a 3-phase separator. The separator pressure must
be low enough to allow e ective choke operation and thus control of well behavior.
Therefore, wells with high enough owing wellhead pressure are routed to the HP
Separator.

Gas separated from the HP Separator normally ows to the gas compression and
dehydration system, and then exported through pipeline.

Bulk water in the well uid is generally removed from the rst stage separator, in order
to minimize heating/cooling of excess liquid at further processing. The removed water
is routed to the produced water treatment before it is disposed to the sea or used as
water injection.

From the rst stage separator, water content in the oil stream typically reduces to 5 –
10 % volume, and then ows to the 2nd stage separator.

1. 2. MP (2nd Stage) Separator

MP Separator is similar to the HP Separator but operates in lower pressure. The MP

separator receives liquid (oil) from the HP Separator, and due to pressure reduction,
the light components of the liquid will vaporize. Gas separated from the MP separator
normally ows to an inter-stage compressor and then combines with the gas o from
HP separator.

The remaining water is removed from the oil, and routed to the produced water
treatment.

From the MP separator, water content in the oil stream typically reduces up to 2%
volume or less, and then ows to the LP separator.

1. 3. LP (3rd Stage) Separator

LP Separator is a 2-phase (gas/liquid) separator which operates slightly above

atmospheric pressure. The operating pressure and temperature of the nal gas-oil
separation stage dictates the vapor pressure of the export crude. Generally stable
crude (10-12 psia RVP) requires a very low pressure and high temperature.

At the very low operating pressure, the last heavy gas component will ash out from
the liquid. In some processes where the initial temperature is low, it might be necessary
to heat the liquid (in a heat exchanger) before entering the LP separator to achieve
good separation of the heavy components.

Having selected an operating pressure, the required operating temperature can be

chosen to meet speci cation. By minimizing the operating pressure, the corresponding
temperature is minimized, thus if heating is required, the heat input will reduce. In the
case of tanker quality crude, the minimum nal stage pressure is xed by the method
of gas disposal. The gas from the LP separator normally ows to are system or feeds a
vapor recovery unit. The oil outlet which still contains small amount water is then
processed in the oil treatment facilities (i.e. dehydration, desalting) to meet the oil
export / storage speci cation.

4.3.4 Crude Oil Dehydration and Desalting

Crude oil dehydration and desalting are performed in electrostatic coalescers. Usually
for deep dehydration and desalting, a two stage process is used where the entrained
produced water is removed in the rst electrostatic coalescer. This is followed by the
second “desalting” stage, where wash water is injected upstream, and removed in the
coalescer. The number of stages required depends on the produced water quantity, the
inlet salt concentration and the salt speci cation required in the product crude. The
electrostatic coalescers must be located after crude degassing is completed, and
su cient pressure maintained to prevent vaporization in the unit.

Figure 4. Typical Dehydrator and Desalter Arrangement

1. a. Dehydration Stage

Crude oil from gravity based separators normally contains up to 2% produced water.
When the product speci cation calls for a BS & W less than 0.5 %, electrostatic
coalescer is commonly used. In dehydration stage by electrostatic coalescer, up to 10%
water in inlet oil reduces to less than 0.2% volume water in oil after coalescing.

Crude oil dehydration in electrostatic coalescer is performed based on the following

principles:

Destabilization of oil-water emulsion. This is accomplished by chemical injection

and/or heat treatment. The addition of a chemical in proper type and right amount
will reduce interfacial tension between the continuous (oil) phase and the dispersed
(water) phase. The addition of heat to ensure the uid temperature reduces the
emulsion viscosity to 25 Cp or less, for adequate movement of the water droplet.
Coalescence of water droplets. This is achieved by introduction of electric eld into
the oil–water emulsion. When the emulsion passes through the electric eld, the
water droplets are electrically charged, and then dipole will be created. Dipole
attraction between water droplets causes the coalescence of droplets.
Sedimentation to separate the two phases. The allowance of adequate settling time
for the coalesced particles to separate.

The coalescer is completely lled with liquid: water at the bottom and oil on the top.
Inside electrodes form an electric eld to break surface bonds between conductive
water and isolating oil in an oil water emulsion. The coalescer eld plates are generally
steel, sometimes covered with dielectric material to prevent short circuits. Field
intensity and frequency as well as the coalescer grid layout are di erent for di erent
manufacturers and oil types. Figure 5 shows typical electrostatic coalescer with the
internals

Figure 5. Typical Electrostatic Coalescer with Internals

Electrostatic coalescer is popular o shore because the space and weight can be
minimized. This type of treater can reduce chemical consumption. Electrostatic

coalescing allows the treating process to operate at lower temperatures than those of
conventional treaters. The use of lower temperature reduces fuel costs. For cold
weather operation, it may be necessary to use heating element in this unit.

Design criteria for the electric grid section of the electrostatic coalescer should be
closely coordinated with the manufacturer. The manufacturers of electrostatic
coalescers consider the design techniques for their grids as proprietary information;
therefore, the actual grid spacing and voltage data must be designed by the
manufacturer.

Normally, a sample of the crude oil and salt water is required by the supplier for design
purposes. The sample should be taken at separator discharge (or point that will feed
the dehydrator).

1. b. Desalting Stage

Although not widely used in production facilities, desalting of crude oil in the eld is
required where produced water has a signi cant salt content. Re neries perform this
function, but they are having increasing problem disposing the salt in environmentally
stringent location. Salt should be reduced below 10 to 30 pound per 1000 barrels (PTB)
to prevent corrosion and/or heat exchanger fouling.

The desalting process is similar to the dehydration stage in electrostatic coalescer. The
di erence is the injection of less saline diluent water and the use of a mixing valve for
crude / diluent water contact. Desalting is a process whereby fresh water is mixed with
the crude oil. The fresh or low salinity water dissolves crystalline salt in the oil or dilutes
the entrained produced salt water. When the oil is dehydrated, any entrained water left
in the oil will be less salty, thus reducing the crude oil’s salt content (PTB) to
speci cation. This is the basic approach used by all eld desalting system.

Desalter sizing is strongly in uenced by viscosity which is dependent on the operating

temperature. A desalter feed temperature of at least 70˚C should be allowed in the
design of very viscous oils. Higher temperatures will decrease the size of desalter
vessels, but is a trade-o of vessel cost versus heating costs.

The crude oil to a desalter is required to be below its bubble point to ensure no free
vapour is liberated in the process. Desalters are designed to be ‘gas free’ since the
presence of vapour in high voltage eld cause arcing which in turn leads to more
vapour formation. A vapour switch is normally mounted on the top of the vessels which
will shutdown the desalter units if vapour is detected.

Typically desalters are designed to handle maximum inlet water content of 10% with
the crude, although it is possible to design the desalter for 15% water cut.

The desalting technology might be provided with traditional AC current designs or

newer technology such as Dual Polarity (AC and DC currents). Dual Polarity technology
increases throughput and salt removal e ciency.

Desalting basically removes harmful salts and residual entrained moisture from the
crude charge. The chemical composition of these salts varies widely with the major
portion being sodium chloride with lesser amounts of barium, calcium and magnesium
chlorides

Process Description

The rst step towards e cient desalting is the preparation of a water-in-oil emulsion
su ciently dispersed to be e ective but still susceptible to separation. Wash water is
added to the crude charge stream to dissolve or to wet the impurities.

The second step is the re-solution of this water-in-oil emulsion into virtually salt free
crude oil and salt rich water. The emulsion is re-solved by introducing it into a high
voltage electrical eld inside the desalting vessel. The action of the eld coalesces the
dispersed water phase and forces its accumulation in the bottom of the vessel. The
water which contains the various impurities removed from the crude is continuously
discharged to the e uent system, and clean desalted crude ows from the desalting
vessel to the export pipeline or tanker

Water for Desalting

The required wash water for desalter is usually 4% to 8% by volume of the crude charge
stream. The ow rate depends on quality of the crude oil being processed. For o shore
application, the wash water is a fresh water which normally produced from a
desalination unit.

The water pressure must be high enough to enable injection upstream of the mixing
valve or pre-heat exchanger. The portion of wash water injected upstream of the crude
preheat exchangers should enter on the discharge of the crude charge pump. Injection
into the pump suction can lead to a creation of very stable emulsions, especially in the
case of using a multi-stage pump.

Mixing Valve

Mixing valve is located immediately upstream of the desalter. The valve is provided to
ensure good contact between wash water and the crude oil. The valve should be
designed properly to achieve high mixing e ciency but avoiding a tight emulsion of oil
and water. Normally 25 psi pressure drop across the mixing valve and desalting unit is
speci ed. The desalter vendor should be consulted for the pressure drop requirement,
since for some crude oils this value may be reduced.

Desalter Operating Pressure

It is not essential for desalter operation that pressure be controlled. However, for
e cient operation, pressure variations of short duration should be avoided. The
pressure should be maintained at a level adequate to suppress vaporization. The
operating pressure of the desalter is normally speci ed at 1 bar above the total vapour
pressure of the crude oil and water at the maximum operating temperature in the
desalter.

Treated product speci cation

The treated crude product speci cation should include maximum acceptable limits for
BS & W and salt content. Additionally the maximum acceptable oil content of the
e uent water must be speci ed. This is normally in terms of ppm and the value
depends on the acceptable limit to any downstream e uent plant or local authority

regulation for e uent waters or injection water (in case of water is injected to reservoir
via water injection wells)

It should be noted that if the speci cations for water and sediment content of treated
crude and oil content of e uent water are too stringent emulsifying chemical may have
to be injected to achieve the required levels.

Desalter Residence Time

A minimum residence time typically 10 – 30 minutes for preliminary desalter sizing. It

depends on the inlet crude oil quality and operating temperature. The desalter size is
largely dependent on the electric grids dimension and arrangement, hence the
manufacturer shall be consulted for the nal size

Two Stage Desalting

Figure 6 below is a schematic of a two-stage desalting system with dilution water

recycling capability. This system is similar to the dehydrator and desalter system
described in the previous section. The only di erence is that fresh water is injected
upstream of the 2nd stage. The water removed from the 2nd stage is pumped back to
the 1st stage to extract the salt in the crude inlet of the 1st desalter. The addition of this
recycle reduces the dilution water requirement compared to a single-stage dehydrator
and desalter system. If further desalting is needed, it is possible to add more stages in a
similar manner.

Figure 6. Two Stages Desalting

Since desalter is typically operated at high temperature (above 40 oC), hence before the
crude oil is exported, it normally needs to be cooled to avoid vaporization during
transport and storage. Stabilized crude is typically stored at ambient temperature.
Figure 6 shows the oil outlet of desalter is utilized to pre-heat the inlet oil. This
con guration is sometime considered to minimize the heating medium requirement of
the main heat exchanger.

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5 COMMENTS

imad
January 31, 2016 at 1:36 pm

very useful information ,

thanks
Reply

Karen
March 23, 2016 at 9:01 pm

coming into a new role, this information has been very useful – just needed a
baseline of understanding and I got more! Thank you.
Reply

Piping engineering
March 24, 2016 at 12:07 pm

Thank you Karen. I’m glad this post helped you.

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Kamal Ali
November 13, 2016 at 9:45 pm

Thanks a lot. Very valuable information

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Planning 
December 26, 2016 at 10:17 am
 Thanks so very much for your e orts. 2 yrs in O&G industry, and this info is very
valuable to me.
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