22-03-2021

Chapter

Crude Oil Distillation

Impurities in crude oil

• Classified as Oleophobic (insoluble in crude) and Oleophilic (soluble in crude)

Oleophobic impurities
• Includes salts - mainly chlorides and sulphates of Na, Ca, Mg
• Sediments - as silt, sand, drilling mud, iron oxide, iron sulphate, etc.
• Water - as soluble, emulsifies and finely dispersed water
• Caused corrosion in atmospheric distillation over head system caused by HCl
• Increased consumption of ammonia to neutralize liberated HCl
• Erosion of crude oil pumps, pipe line and valves by suspended matter
• Plugging of equipments and fouling of heat transfer surfaces
• Product degradation (e.g. High ash content in fuel oil)
• Trace metal in distillates works as catalyst poison

1
 22-03-2021

• Removal of oleophobic impurities result in longer on-stream time, reduced

maintenance cost

Oleophilic impurities
• Includes sulphur compounds and nitrogen compounds
• Organometallic compounds containing Ni, V, Fe, As, etc.
• Natphthenic acids, etc.
• Must be removed to remove problems in subsequent operations

Need for desalting of crude oil

• Every crude oil has salt water together with sediments. Even crude oil can be
contaminated during shipping in tankers.

• Salt content is normally measured as pounds of salt, measured as sodium chloride, per
thousand barrel of oil (PTB), Normal salt range in oil = 10-200 lbs PTB of oil

• Early method of separating impurities was primarily settling. Improvements were

made by heating the oil before settling. Sometimes, chemical addition further
improved settling process also.

• Electrical desalting is used by most refinery presently to reduce salt content.

2
 22-03-2021

Electrical desalting of crude oil

• Mostly, 95% of salt content is found as brine solution and water (BSW), extremely
small droplet dispersed through the crude.

• In desalting operation, salt content can be brought down to the extent of 95% removal.

• Two step process: Initially emulsification of crude & water and later de-emulsification
by means of electrical fields

• Crude oil is heated at 120-130°C to reduce viscosity and to permit efficient mixing.
• Diluting high salt contained water with fresh water (normally 3-8% by volume of
crude oil) to form low salt water.
• Process of demulsification is accomplished by coalescing the small particles of
emulsion together so that they form droplets of sufficient size to permit separation by
gravity settling.

3
 22-03-2021

• In presence of electric field (20-24 kV), water becomes polarized, orient themselves
in a straight line in electric force field and by random collision from larger droplets
which settle.
• Desalted crude overflows while the water along with salt and crude sludge is
withdrawn from bottom of the desalter vessel.
• Additional stages can be used to get additional reduction in salt content of crude oil
before atmospheric distillation column.

Variables affecting desalting

• Process variables which favour/ do not favour emulsification/ demulsification. So, a
compromise is required.
• Pressure drop through mixing valve
• Chemical addition: Required when emulsion is tight, known as de-emulsifiers
• Water injection rate
• Conductivity: High conductivity, high current, low voltage drop and poor de-
emulsification
• Voltage
• De-salter temperature: low viscosity leads to better emulsion and better settling
• Desalter pressure: should be kept high only to prevent vaporization in desalter.
• pH value: Either at high or low pH, conductivity increases.
• Solids at water-oil interface

4
 22-03-2021

Table: Typical operating conditions in desalters of different Indian refineries

Crude Oil Distillation

Figure: Block diagram of two stage distillation process

5
 22-03-2021

• Desalted crude flows to atmospheric and vacuum distillation through crude pre
flashing section.

• Heavier fraction of crude oil obtained from atmospheric column requires high
temperature. In order to avoid cracking at higher temperature, the heavier fractions
are fractionated under vaccum.