Crude Oil desalter: Purpose, Working, Types, Parts,

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allaboutpiping.com/what-is-desalter/

April 25, 2021

Crude oil produced in the fields heavily consists of water in the form of an emulsion that
requires to be treated. Extracted crude oil normally contains salts, Chlorides of sodium,
calcium, and magnesium.

If crude oil is left untreated before processing, salt present in crude oil can cause
many types of operating failure and maintenance problems. Crude oil Desalter is an
important part of the refinery that helps to clean crude oil in its initial processing stage.

Before processing crude oil in the heater and stating its separation process in Crude or
Vacuum column every oil refinery needs to process crude oil through desalter. In this
article “Crude oil Desalter” you will learn:

1. What is desalter and why it is important.

2. Working principle of Desalter and Its transformer.
3. Process scheme of desalter
4. Type of desalter and its component
5. Frequently used desalter related terms and
6. Variable that affect the efficiency of desalter in crude processing.

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Table of Contents

What is Crude oil Desalter?

Why Desalter is important?
Advantage of Desalter in oil production
Desalter working principle
Method of Desalting of Crude Oil
Desalter transformer working principle
Process Scheme of Desalter
Electric Desalter Components
Types of Desalter
Desalter related Terms
Variable effecting Desalter Efficiency
Desalter Treatment challenges
Difference between Desalting and Desalination
Difference between Desalter and Desalination
Conclusion

What is Crude oil Desalter?

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Desalting is a water-cleaning process performed at the initial stage in crude oil
refineries. The equipment used to clean crude oil is called desalter.

In other words, Desalter is processing equipment in the refinery that removes salt and
other impurities from crude oil. Desalter in a refinery is one of the major components. It is
typically the first unit towards cleaning and processing crude oil and its distillation.

This equipment of refinery is of shape like a vessel on which transformers are installed for
the purpose of the emulsifying mixture of crude oil and emulsifying agent mixed to it for
crude oil cleaning. Desalters are generally mounted on the civil or structural base.

Why Desalter is important?

The main purpose of desalter is to remove undesirable impurities from crude oil before
processing it for distillation. The most concerning points for removing impurities from
crude oil are as follows:

Inorganic impurities like chlorides of sodium, calcium, and magnesium can be

decomposed in the Heating unit and Hydrogen Chloride will be formed which can
get condensate to Hydrochloric Acid.
This formation of hydrochloric acid may cause corrosion to other equipment and
piping systems resulting in less life span than expected.
By-products of Salts present in crude oil can cause plugging of the heat exchanger,
column trays, coils of heat, and also they can cause corrosion to any surface they
contact.
Sand or Mud present in crude oil can damage Pumps and piping systems and will
require more maintenance.

Advantage of Desalter in oil production

The basic benefits of desalter for crude oil are as follows:

Cleaning of crude increases flowability in pipes, Pumps, Heat exchangers, etc.

Less plugging and choking of equipment and piping system.
No formation of scale in the Heat exchanger and heating unit
Less corrosion in the Heat exchangers, distillation towers, Piping systems, etc.
Less maintenance for pumps because of removal of mud, sand, and other
impurities.
Saving of oil from waste crude.

Desalter working principle

Crude oil received after transportation includes many types of salt traps in small droplets
of water staggered all locations of the volume. These droplets are so small that self-
extraction and settling are not possible. In general, there are 03 types of oleophobic
Impurities found in crude oil:

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 Salt: Mainly chlorides and Sulphates of Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca),
and Magnesium (Mg).
Sediments: Such as silt, sands, Mud, Iron oxide, and Sulphides.
Water: Present as soluble, emulsified, and finely dispersed form.

Apart from above mention impurities crude oil also have some Oleophilic impurities but
Desalter basics work to clear those 03 types of impurities for crude oil cleaning. The
basic principle to wash the salt from crude oil is called Desalting. This Desalting
process is done in two steps:

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1. 1st Step is to dilute the dispersed water-soluble salt content with fresh water
2. 2nd Step is to remove diluted dispersed brine from crude oil.

For the First Stage of desalting, The crude oil is heated up to 120ºC to 140ºC then
freshwater is added in crude oil in the amount of 4%-8% (Vo/Vo) with demulsifying
chemicals or Effluent.

Desalter effluent composition is consists of many things such as:

brine washing water used for removing salt, sand and

Mud washing water jet used at periodic intervals, connate water produced from the
reservoir with crude oil.

After adding Wash water to Crude oil a proper mixing is done that collects all small
droplets of staggered brine into bigger drops.

In the Second Stage, Water or brine collected is drained out effluent system, and
Cleaned Desalted oil is processed to preheat train for further processing.

Method of Desalting of Crude Oil

This Complete process of desalting can be in 03 ways:

1. Mechanical: Here heated crude mixed with wash water left in a large vessel for
settle down water drops because of gravity. This not so effective way and takes too
much time.
2. Chemical: In this method Surfactant or emulsion breakers are mixed with wash
water to expedite the process of settling water. This also works on the gravity
settling technique but because of the mixing of Emulsion breakers process is
respectively quick but no so effective though.
3. Electrical Desalting: This works on the method of the electric field where an
attractive force is generated because of High voltage field application. As water is
a bipolar Substance its attractive force development attracts all water molecules to
get collected and converted into bigger water drops which further drain out.

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Desalter transformer working principle
“When two immiscible liquids in which, One is electrically conductive and another
non-conductive pass through a high-intensity electric field, The conductive liquid
coalesces into large droplets“

This Phase separation fundamental of physics is the basic working principle of

transformer is used in Salt and water separation from crude oil. In crude oil-water
emulsion water mixed with salt content is an electrically conductive liquid and oil is non-
conductive.

When 15000-16500 volts of current passes through oil-water emulsion water droplets
begin to accumulate and separate from the oil-water interface.

Process Scheme of Desalter

A typical process scheme is illustrated as follows:

1. Wet crude flow to wet tank.

2. Demulsifier / Chemical injection.
3. Crude flow to the heat exchanger.
4. Flow to the heater.
5. Wash water recycled from 2nd stage vessel.
6. Flow to 1st stage desalting mixing valve.

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 7. Mixed fluid to 1st stage vessel.
8. Flow to 2nd stage desalting mixing valve.
9. Freshwater from the oil-water heat exchanger originated from the wash water tank.
10. Treated crude flow.
11. Effluent water from 1st stage Desalter vessel to water treatment plant and/or
disposal pit.
12. BS&W Analyzer – A signal to diverting Valve.
13. Formation (free) water settled down at the bottom of the wet tank, to the water
treatment plant and/or disposal pit

Electric Desalter Components

Components of electric desalter are as follows:

1. High-Frequency Power Unit: This power transforming unit mounted on top of the
desalter creates a high-frequency voltage in the Water-Oil mixture for Waterdrop
coalescence.
2. Oil collector Pipe: After separation of Oil and Water. A separate layer of Oil forms
on top of the emulsion which collected by Oil collector pipe. It is installed in the
topmost part inside the desalter.

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 3. Insulators: These are components of desalter which insulate electrodes from other
parts of desalters.
4. Electrodes: Power transmitted from Transformer are distributed through Electrodes
in Oil-water mixture.
5. Inlet distributor: This is the main header pipe connected to the Inlet distributor
heads.
6. Inlet distributor heads: these are
branches from the inlet distributor
header which distribute oil-water
emulsion into the desalter tank.
7. Crude oil inlet: This is the piping
system that allows crude to enter in
the Inlet distributor header.
8. Mix Valve: This valve connected to
crude oil inlet piping allowing or
isolating crude flow into the desalter.
This is also a common valve for
freshwater inlet line chemical injection
systems. In short, This valve allows
the creation of a mixture of Crude oil,
water, and demulsifying agent.
9. Water Outlet: This is the drainage of the desalter vessel which allows water to exit
from the desalter system.
10. Level control valve: This is a valve connected to a water outlet piping system that
controls the level of water inside the desalter vessel.
11. Desalter Feed Pump: Pumps sucking crude oil from preheating train and pumping
to desalter.

Types of Desalter
According to the processing of crude oil and water mixture for cleaning and desalting,
there are two types of the desalter present:

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1. Single-stage Desalter: This type of desalting unit has a single vessel to process
the crude oil-water mixture for removing oleophobic impurities from crude oil. In
single-stage desalter water, the intake ratio is about 5%-7%.

2. Two-Stage Desalter: Field desalting requires water in some required percentage to

efficiently process the cleaning of crude oil. But in places where freshwater has
some scarcity, two-stage desalters are used.
In this desalting method, an Oil-water mixture enters 1st desalting with the mixing of
emulsifying agents only. With the application of high voltage current in the mixture of
1st stage, some amount of staggered saline water accumulates and transferred to
2nd stage desalting vessel which 3%-4% wash water is mixed into the emulsion for
further processing and desalting method.

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Desalter related Terms
Terminologies related to desalter and its operational processing are as follows:

1. Gravity separation: refers to the primary free settling of water and is related to the
residence time that takes place in both settling tanks and desalting vessels.
2. AC: Alternating electrical current
3. Desalination: Process of removing salts from water sources
4. Fouling: The reduction in performance of process equipment (heat transfer tubing,
membranes, etc.) that occurs as a result of scale buildup, biological growth, or the
deposition of colloidal material.
5. Membrane: In desalting, used to describe a semipermeable film. Membranes used
in electrodialysis are permeable to ions of either positive or negative charge.
Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes ideally allow the passage of pure
water and block the passage of salts
6. Precipitate: A substance separated from a solution by chemical or physical change
as an insoluble amorphous or crystalline solid.
7. Wash Water: Freshwater added to crude oil for desalting purposes.
8. Saline water: Water with dissolved solids exceeding the limits of portability. Saline
water may include seawater, brackish water, mineralized ground, and surface water,
and irrigation return flows.
9. Salt diffusion: The movement of ions or molecules under influence of a
concentration difference.
10. Solubility: A measure of the maximum amount of a certain substance that can
dissolve in a given amount of water, or other solvents, at a given temperature.
11. Specific conductance (conductivity): Quantitative expression for the capability of
a particular solution to conduct electricity. It is defined as the conductance of a cube
of that particular water that is 1 cm long and has a cross-sectional area of 1 cm2.
Conductivity is usually expressed in micromhos per centimeter.
12. Stage: A unit of desalting equipment capable of purification and separation of the
feed water into product and concentrate. If separation is insufficient, more than one
stage can be arranged in series
13. Turbidity: Opaqueness or cloudiness caused by the presence of suspended
particles in water, usually stirred-up sediments. The turbidity of water is measured
by its capacity for absorbing or scattering light.
14. S&W content: Oil, as produces from the well and production equipment, may
contain considerable amounts of brine, as well as solid materials. The water solids
content is referred to as sediment and water (S&W) or basic sediment and water
(BS&W).
15. Demulsifier: or demulsifying chemicals are a mixture of chemicals used to break
the emulsion by destroying a weakening the stabilizing film around the dispersed
droplets.
16. Electrodes or grid: plates or rods used to establish the electric field in electrostatic
treaters.
17. Electrostatic treated: treater using electric fields in the oil coalescing area.

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 18. Emulsifier: in addition to oil and water, a third substance called an emulsifier or
emulsifying agent must be present for a stable emulsion to be produced. The
emulsifiers usually exist as a film on the surface of the dispersed droplets.
19. Emulsion: a combination of two immiscible liquids. One liquid is broken into
droplets and is known as the discontinuous, dispersed, or internal phase. The liquid
that surrounds the drops is a continuous or external phase.
20. Interface: the contact surface between the boundaries of the two immiscible liquids.
For e.g., the surface area between water droplets and the surrounding oil or the
surface between separated crude and water in a vessel.
21. Water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion: Crude oil emulsions nearly always consist of water
drops dispersed in a continuous oil phase. This type is also called a regular or
normal emulsion.
22. Oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion: an emulsion consisting of oil drops dispersed in a
continuous water phase. This do-called reverse emulsion often occurs on
wastewaters and produced brines. The water content is generally greater than 85
volume percent.
23. Desalting: Reducing the salt content of crude oil by diluting the
entrained/emulsified water and then dehydrating.
24. Dehydration: Removing water droplets or S&W or BS&W from crude oil
(sometimes called treating)
25. Wetting: refers to the adhesion or sticking of a liquid to a solid surface. If the solid
surface (grain of reservoir rock, fines, etc.) is covered preferentially by oil, the
surface is called oil wetted. Conversely, if water is preferentially attracted, the
surface is water wetted.

More to Read: Common Abbreviations used in Piping

Variable effecting Desalter Efficiency

There are some factors that affect desalter efficiency. these variable works very effectively
towards desalter optimization are:

1. Temperature: For an effective desalting temperature of the crude oil-water mixture

must have an optimum temperature in the range of 120ºC to 140ºC. If
temperature increase more than the optimum range oil becomes conducting and
the basic principle of the desalting method will not work. again if the Temperature
decreases below optimum temperature won’t reach the minimum required viscosity
and density for settling down saline water.
2. Wash water: Mixing freshwater plays an important role here. If less amount of
wash water is mixed into it dissolution of all salt content will not be possible. In the
same way, if more wash water is mixed into crude oil separating water from crude
will become a tough job to press. The optimum range for water is 4% to 8%
3. Wash water pH value: with a change in the pH value higher or lower than 7, wash
water conductivity of increases. So, it is necessary to maintain the wash water pH
value at 7 for optimum efficiency of the desalter.

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 4. Level of water-crude interface: This level should keep constant as per designed
value as this affects the quantity of desalted crude extraction from desalter. if the
Water-crude interface increase then oil extraction in the oil collector pipe will have
some amount of water in it. while if the Water-crude interface decreases Oil will
drain out with saline water and get wasted
5. Pressure drop in mixing valve: A high-pressure drop operation results in the
formation of a fine stable emulsion and better washing. however if the pressure drop
is excessive, the emulsion might be difficult to break.
6. Charge Rate: API gravity or specific gravity of crude should not differ more than
10% of the designed value. If the value is less than 10% crude will be lighter and
foot on water because of which extraction of the salt content from crude oil will not
be possible. and if the value is greater than 10% Crude will sink in water which
makes the separation of crude from water very difficult.
7. Demulsifing Chemicals: Nature of demulsifying agent effect how affectively water
droplet will be separate from crude. The commonly used demulsifying chemical
is Ethylene oxide-Propylene oxide copolymer.

Desalter Treatment challenges

Desalting treatment find some challenges during its processing and separation are as
follows:

Heavy Crude processing can lead to poor emulsion resolution

High quantity of Amines/Ammonia content in wash water causing emulsion and
increased salt deposition in-unit overheads
An increase in water recycle can cause cycling up of amines/ammonia
Presence of trapped amines in crude oil due to excessive usage in oil exploration,
leading to the emulsion in desalter & fouling in the downstream unit.
Crude Metals Content, Organic Calcium (Calcium Naphthenate), Calcium
Carbonate, Iron Naphthenate, and Iron Sulfide
A high amount of Solids, for example, Silica & Iron sulfate (FeS) causing solids-
stabilized emulsion inside desalter and fouling of heat exchangers downstream of
the desalters, especially in synthetic/tar sand crudes
Potential crude blend incompatibility causing desalter emulsion issues
Water/Solids Slugs causing frequent upsets that shut down the power grids due to
excessive grid amperage
Fouling of the Desalter Brine circuit due to incremental solids
High H2S levels in the brine

Difference between Desalting and Desalination

Difference between Desalter and Desalination

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 SL.
NO. Factors Desalting Desalination

01 Purpose Removes salt content from Remove mineral components

crude oil from saline water

02 Process Demulsification Generally Reverse osmosis

03 Working Density and visocity difference Pressure difference to Separate

method to Separate salt content from minral from saline
crude

04 Processing 120ºC to 140ºC Not required to heat until

Temperature thermal energy is not applied for
processing

05 Hazard Drained out water can be By product is highly hazardous

recycled to non-hazardous b to environment
product

06 Cost Comparatively low Comparatively high

Conclusion

Desalting is a method to extract salt

content and other oleophobic
impurities from crude oil and the
equipment used for this purpose is
called desalter. Desalter and
Desalting process can be
summarised as:

1. Desalter is important to
extract impurities that corrode
equipment and piping.
2. Because of desalting flowability of crude increases because of the absence of
impurities from crude.
3. Desalting tends to less maintenance for equipment and piping systems.
4. There are mainly 03 types of impurities present in Crude: a. Salt b. Sendiments c.
Water
5. There is 03 method of desalting: Mechanical, Chemical, and electrical.
6. There are two types of Desalter according to process: Single-stage desalter and
two-stage desalter.
7. Mixing of water to crude is 4%-8% for efficient working of desalter.
8. Crude is preheated up to 120ºC to 140ºC before adding water for making the
mixture conductive.
9. Desalting is done with help of the generation of high voltage from the transformer to
the oil-water mixture.

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 10. Desalination and Desalting are two quite different processes.

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