Electrostatic Coalescers

Electrostatic coalescers use electrical fields to induce droplet coalescence in

water-in-crude-oil emulsions to increasing the droplet size. The squared
dependence of droplet diameter in Stokes Law, increase the settling speed and
destabilizes the emulsion. The effects on the water droplet arise from the very
different dielectric properties of the conductive water droplets dispersed in the
insulating oil. Water droplets have a permittivity that is much higher than the
surrounding oil. Furthermore, water with dissolved salt is also a very good
conductor. When an uncharged droplet is subjected to an AC electric field the
field will polarize the droplet creating an electric field around the droplet to
counteract the external field. As the water droplet is very conductive the induced
charges will reside on the surface. The droplet has no net charge but one positive
and one negative side. Inside the droplet the electric field is zero. When two
droplets with induced dipoles gets close to each other, they will experience a
force pulling the droplets closer until they coalesce.

In oil production, co-produced water is mixed with the oil in choke valves and
process equipment producing water-in-oil emulsions. The amount of water
increases during the production life of the reservoir. The emulsions are
destabilized using gravitational separators, and the settling rates are increased
by applying heat, demulsifiers, and AC electric fields. The AC electric field gives
rise to attractive forces between water droplets and increases the probability of
coalescence at contact. According to Stokes law, the settling rate increases
proportionally with the square of the drop diameter. By promoting coalescence of
small water droplets, the settling rate can be greatly increased. The water
content is normally reduced to <0.5 vol% if this is the final treatment stage
before the crude oil is exported.

Typical electrocoalescers are large settling tanks containing electrodes and

operates under laminar-flow conditions with bare electrodes that may be
vulnerable to short circuiting. An alternative to this type of coalescer is a flow
through pre-coalescer that is installed upstream in a separator tank. In the
Compact Electrostatic Coalescer.[2] droplet coalescence is achieved by applying
AC electric fields (5060 Hz) to water-in-oil emulsions under turbulent-flow
conditions. The turbulence increases the collision frequency between the water
drops. The electrodes are insulated to prevent short circuiting, and permits water
contents of up to 40% as well as water slugs. The equipment is a separate flowthrough electrostatic treatment section installed upstream of a gravity separator
to improve the performance. By keeping the treatment and settling sections
separate, a compact electrostatic coalescer can be obtained that can also be
retrofitted.

Liquid-liquid coalecers are also widely used in oil refining industry to remove the
last traces of contaminants like amine or caustic from intermediate products in
oil refineries, and also for the last stage dewatering of final products like
kerosene (jet fuel), LPG, gasoline and diesel to <15 ppmw free water in the

hydrocarbon phase. These coalescers are often electrostatic type, in which a DC

electrical field encourages the water droplets to coalesce thus settling by gravity.

Crude oil contains water and contaminants that need to be removed. Frames
electrostatic coalescers ensure adequate separation through competitive
solutions.
Electrostatic treatment
To improve the economics of transport, limit the requirements of downstream
equipment and prevent negative effects on downstream refining processes,
water and other contaminants present in crude oil need to be removed. This
process generally comprises two principles: dehydration and desalting. For this
purpose electrostatic coalescers are used in both upstream and downstream
applications. In oilfields, the emphasis is generally on a combination of
dehydration and desalting, whereas in refineries the focus is primarily on
desalting.
How does it work?
In the coalescer, the Frames inlet distributor injects crude just below multiple
layers of electrostatic grids. Between these grids the water droplets present in
the crude are exposed to the electrostatic field that rearranges the (salt) ions
within the droplets. Droplets will then attract each other and as a result coalesce
(1), grow in size and fall out (2) of the upward flowing crude. The treated crude is
collected at the top of the vessel while the effluent water is collected at the
bottom.
Why a Frames coalescer?
The Frames electrostatic coalescers are designed using alternating current (AC),
which is a proven and reliable technology. Although other types of power supply
are available and promoted (DC, AC+DC), these are operationally demanding
and bring significant drawbacks like a tendency for arcing (short-circuiting) and
electrical complexity. Frames values reliability and operational simplicity and has
embraced the AC technology at the core of its designs.
Besides the use of AC technology, the Frames electrostatic coalescers are
equipped with the unique Frames inlet distributor. This device has been
specifically designed to ensure optimal (uniform) distribution of the oil-water
mixture just below the grid. This results in efficient use of the electrostatic area
and therefore in smaller vessels than with other, more traditional distributors
commonly used in the industry.

Why our clients choose the Frames electrostatic coalescer:

Sturdy and reliable design
AC technology: reliable, proven and cost-effective
Operational simplicity

Only essential electrical components; no DC-related complexity

Competitive coalescer size
Optimum flow distribution through the unique Frames inlet distributor
Use of our proprietary sizing model
Significant engineering experience
In-house models, engineering and continuous development.
An electrostatic coalescer uses weak electric charges to attract molecules of
water to the surface where they undergo collection. Here a weak electric charge
is passed through a collection device which imparts a tiny charge that attracts
molecules of water or other matter designated for removal.
Here, electrostatic force is used to break oil-water emulsions and subsequently
increase in water droplet size. This technology is quite common in offshore
production facilities to ensure the maximum allowable water content in oil is less
than one percent. A coalescer forces small water droplets to merge and form
larger and thus faster separation. Therefore, the settling velocity of water
droplets in oil not only depends on viscosity and density, but also on the droplet
radius.
The main feature of electrostatic coalescers is the effect its electrostatic field
strength has on the conductive droplets such as water in an insulating medium
such as oil. In the presence of an electric field, the water droplets become
dipoles whose electric charges can overcome the repulsive surfacesurface
interactions, resulting in oil film drainage and consecutive coalescence. The
coalescing of droplets is mainly dependent on electrostatic induced forces, film
rheology, collision frequency depending on laminar or turbulence level and
concentration.