448 Chapter 17

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Example E17.12
10,000 BPD of 30 API crude oil and a wash water rate of 5 vol% on the crude
are used in a desalter. The crude oil contains 100 ppm of sulphides and the wash
water contains 100 ppm of sulphides. Using a water/oil partition coefficient of
4, calculate the sulphide concentration in the wash water effluent.

Solution:
Crude oil of 30 API ¼ 10,000 BPD ¼ 128,000 lb/h
Wash water used ¼ 0.05 (10,000 bbl/day) (42 gal/bbl) (35.3145 ft3/264.17 gal)
(62 lb/ft3) (day/24 h) ¼ 7252 lb/h
Total sulphides entering the process ¼ [100  106(128,000) þ 100  106
(7252)]
¼ 13.525 lb/h
Let x be the sulphide content in effluent water and the water oil partition
coefficient equal 4 then,
sulfide in water ðx=7252Þ
4¼ ¼ gives x ¼ 2:5 lb=hr
sulfide in oil ð13:525  xÞ=128; 000
The sulphides concentration in the wash water effluent ¼ (2.5/(7252)) (106) ¼
345 ppm

17.3.2.2. Treatment and Control

Petroleum refineries typically utilize primary and secondary wastewater
treatments. Table 17.12 shows typical effluents after treatment.

Table 17.12 Typical water effluent composition (World Bank, 1996; USEPA, 1995)

Primary Secondary
treatment treatment USEPA
effluent effluent standard
composition composition emissions
(mg/l) (mg/l) (kg/day)
Oil 40 0.05–9.8 99
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) 300 30–225 2371
Biological oxygen demand (BOD) 150 2–50 338
Total suspended solids (TSS) 10–20 2–8 270
or applicable copyright law.

Phenols 12 0.03–1.0 2.1

Sulphide 5 0.01–1.0 1.8
MTBE 0–3 <1
PAH 0.1 0.005–0.05
BTX 5 <0.001
Metals 1 0.1–1.0

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