Abstract: A method for dehydrating a liquid/liquid production stream which is comprised of a heavy crude oil (i.e. about 30.degree. A.P.I. or less) and water which originally forms a water-in-oil emulsion wherein hydrocyclone is used as a primary separator to separate substantial amounts of the water from the stream. The stream is first treated without chemicals to sustantially alter of its characteristics by either (a) heating the stream to substantially reduce the viscosity of the heavy crude therein and/or (b) inverting the emulsion in the stream to an oil-in-water emulsion. Once the characteristics of the stream are so altered, the stream is passed through the primary hydrocyclone to separate out a significant amount (e.g. about 50% or more) of the water. The stream is then passed either to a second hydrocyclone or a stablization tower to separate additional water from the oil and bring it within shipping and/or sale specifications.

Abstract: A method of processing one or more multi-component sidestreams from a separation tower through a hydrocyclone(s) to remove a particular component from the sidestream before returning the remaining components of the stream to the tower for further processing. A sidestream is withdrawn from a first vertical point along a separation tower and is passed through a hydrocyclone which is operated at a split ratio so that the maximum amount of the unwanted component (e.g. water) is removed from the feedstream through the underflow of the hydrocyclone. The remaining components in the feedstream (now substantially free of the unwanted component, flows out the overflow of the hydrocyclone and are passed back into tower through a second vertical point below the withdrawal point to be further processed in the tower. Additional sidestreams can be withdrawn from the tower and processed in the same manner through respective hydrocyclones.