desalting crude oil

[chemical13]

If process design for desalting crude oil is to be carried out can the design be done using any simulation software?
I am not sure if my question is menaingful. I have lots of questions regarding desalting crude oil. Can anyone help me regarding this? Thank You.

 

[mbeychok]

chemical13:

There is no point in trying to re-invent the wheel. I suggest you contact these desalter manufacturers:

(1)The Petreco desalters from:

http://www.c-a-m.com/content/pet/index.cfm

(2) The Natco desalters from:

http://www.natcogroup.com/Content.asp?t=ProductPage&ProductID=50

Milton Beychok
(Visit me at www.air-dispersion.com)
.

 

[djack77494]

I am not aware of any commercially available general purpose simulation (like Hysys or ProII) that can simulate Desalter performance. You can use your simulation software to estimate the Desalter temperature, but then follow Milton's advice to get a vendor's estimate of the resulting salt content of the crude leaving his Desalter. I'd like to hear if there are other alternatives.
Doug

 

[MortenA]

The one purpose you could have would be to make an mass and energy ballance for the washing just looing at the oil and water?

But actually modelling the ions and how the move from oli to water etc. i think thats beyond the value of the input data. The models etc may be there but your lab measuremens will usually be too poor.

Best regards

Morten

 

[CJKruger]

chemical13, I agree with all three replies above. The only value of a desalter simulation (in Hysys, PROII, etc), is to generate the mass and energy balance.

1) Based on my experience with a bi-electric Petroco revamp, I think the vendors are good at predicting performance.

2) Traditional equations of state (such as SRK, PR, etc) are not necessarily good at predicting water solubility in crude. Although it seems the vendor modifications improve it. Either way, you have to verify your simulation somehow (API data books,etc).