METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING CRUDE OIL

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing crude oil may include adding water to crude oil, for example, in a desalter, to produce hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer emulsion, which may include hydrocarbon and brine and solids. The emulsion may be modified, including adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon and, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant, for example, in a mixer. The modified emulsion may be directed through a dead-end filter assembly to remove solids.

Description

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

During some crude oil refinery processes, an emulsion also known as a “rag layer” or “slop” may form. This rag layer may include an emulsion comprising any one or more of several substances, including, for example, oil or hydrocarbons, brine, asphaltenes, and/or solids. The solids may include small solid particles of metal or grit or other substances as well as colloidal particles, and the rag layer may cause fouling and corrosion of the refinery system. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems for processing crude oil.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, methods for processing crude oil may comprise adding water to crude oil to produce hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer emulsion. The methods may further comprise modifying the rag layer emulsion, including adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant to the emulsion, and directing the modified emulsion through a dead-end filter assembly to remove solids. A dead-end filter assembly is one in which all fluid entering the filter assembly passes through a permeable or porous filter medium. As the modified emulsion passes through the filter medium of the dead-end filter assembly, all or a substantial portion of the solids are removed from the modified emulsion.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, systems for processing crude oil may comprise a desalter, a mixer, and a dead-end filter assembly. The desalter may include one or more inlets for introducing crude oil and water into the desalter. The crude oil and water combine within the desalter to produce oil or hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer emulsion. The desalter may also include a first outlet for discharging at least a portion of the hydrocarbon and one or more additional outlets for discharging the rag layer emulsion. The mixer, which may be coupled to the desalter, modifies the rag layer emulsion, including mixing the emulsion and one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant added to the emulsion. The dead-end filter assembly may be coupled to the mixer to filter solids from the modified emulsion.

Methods and systems embodying the invention provide many advantages. For example, methods and systems embodying the invention may advantageously reduce or eliminate fouling and/or corrosion in oil refinery systems by removing solids that would otherwise damage the components of the refinery system. Further, methods and systems of the invention allow the rag layer to be effectively and efficiently processed, recovering much of the rag layer hydrocarbon, including oil, that would otherwise be lost if the rag layer were not processed. Accordingly, the methods and systems of the invention may advantageously increase the reliability, efficiency, and capacity of oil refinery processes.

BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a representative schematic view, not to scale, of one embodiment of a system for processing crude oil.

FIG. 2 is a representative schematic view, not to scale, of another embodiment of a system for processing crude oil.

FIG. 3 is a representative schematic view, not to scale, of another embodiment of a system for processing crude oil.

FIG. 4 is a representative schematic view, not to scale, of another embodiment of a system for processing crude oil.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Systems and methods for processing crude oil in accordance with the invention may be configured in a wide variety of ways. One of many different examples of a system 10 for processing crude oil within a refinery system is shown in FIG. 1. Generally, the system 10 may comprise a desalter 11, a mixer 13, and a dead-end filter assembly 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 may also comprise a separator 12 fluidly coupled between the desalter 11 and the mixer 13. The desalter 11 removes metals and/or salts and other dissolvables from crude oil by combining crude oil and water to produce oil or hydrocarbon, brine, and a rag layer. The rag layer may be located on top of the brine, e.g., at the interface between the brine and the hydrocarbon, and/or entrained as droplets or masses within the brine. The rag layer comprises an emulsion of at least hydrocarbon, brine, and solids and may also include other substances such as asphaltenes. Some or all of the rag layer emulsion and brine may be directed to the separator 12, which may remove a significant portion of the brine. The rag layer emulsion may be passed to the mixer 13 from the desalter 11 and/or the separator 12. In the mixer 13 one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant may be mixed with the emulsion to produce a modified emulsion that may be effectively filtered by the dead-end filter assembly 14. The modified emulsion may be passed to a dead-end filter assembly 14 to filter solids from the modified emulsion.

The components of the system 10 may be variously configured. For example, the desalter 11 may be configured in any of numerous ways. The desalter may take a variety of forms and shapes, including, for example, that of a tank, vessel, or receptacle, and may generally function as a coalescer, e.g., an electrostatic coalescer. The desalter may include ports for supplying substances to, and removing substances from, the desalter, and these ports may be positioned at a variety of locations on the desalter, e.g., on the top, bottom, or side of the desalter. For example, the desalter 11 may include one or more inlet ports 15, 16 for introducing crude oil and water into the desalter 11 from a source 20 of the crude oil and a source 21 of water, respectively. Alternatively, the crude oil and water may be combined upstream of the desalter and introduced into the desalter via a single inlet port. A heater (not shown) may be associated with the desalter and/or sources of the crude oil and water to heat the crude oil and water supplied to the desalter. The heater may be variously configured, including, for example, as a heat exchanger or a mechanism for injecting steam, e.g., directly into the desalter. Various other chemicals, including, for example, demulsifiers and/or corrosion inhibitors, may be supplied to the desalter via additional inlet ports or a common inlet port.

Within the desalter 11, the water washes metals and/or salts and other dissolvables from the oil, forming brine. The denser coalesced brine separates toward the lower region of the desalter 11 away from the less dense hydrocarbon at the upper region of the desalter 11, and a rag layer may form on top of the brine and/or at the interface between the brine and the hydrocarbon. The rag layer may also be entrained as droplets or masses within the brine. The rag layer may comprise an emulsion of hydrocarbon, brine, and solids and may include other substances such as asphaltenes.

The desalter 11 may further include one or more outlet ports, e.g., an outlet port 22 for discharging desalted oil or hydrocarbon and an outlet port 23 for discharging some or all of the rag layer emulsion and the brine. The outlet port 22 for discharging desalted hydrocarbon may be positioned, for example, in the upper region of the desalter 11, and may fluidly communicate with the desalted hydrocarbon within the desalter 11. From the desalted hydrocarbon outlet port 22, the desalted hydrocarbon may be directed to other components of the refinery system for further processing, including, for example, a fractionator. The outlet port 23 for discharging the rag layer emulsion and brine may be positioned, for example, in the lower region of the desalter 11 and may fluidly communicate with the brine and the rag layer emulsion within the desalter 11. The discharged brine and rag layer emulsion may include varying amounts of brine and rag layer emulsion, from mostly brine with some of the rag layer emulsion to mostly rag layer emulsion with some brine. For some embodiments, the desalter 11 may include an outlet port 24 for discharging at least a portion of the rag layer emulsion. This outlet port 24 may be positioned, for example, in the side of the desalter 11, near the level of the rag layer emulsion, and may fluidly communicate with the rag layer emulsion within the desalter 11.

The separator 12 may also be configured in a variety of ways. For many embodiments, the separator 12 may be configured as a bulk separator and may have any of several shapes or forms including that of a tank, vessel, or receptacle. For example, the separator may comprise a settling tank, a gravity separator, or a plate separator such as a coalescing plate interceptor (CPI) separator. For many embodiments, the separator 12 may comprise a plate separator available from Pall Corporation of Port Washington, N.Y., USA under the trade designation LUCID.

The separator may be positioned at a variety of locations in the system. For example, the separator 12 may be positioned downstream of the desalter 11 and upstream of the filter assembly 14, e.g., upstream of the mixer 13. The separator may include one or more inlet ports positioned at a variety of locations on the separator and may be coupled to the desalter either directly or indirectly via one or more intervening components. For example, the separator 12 may include an inlet port 25 for receiving brine and the rag layer emulsion from the brine/emulsion outlet port 23 of the desalter 11 via a brine/emulsion feed line 26. Within the separator 11, a significant portion of the brine may be separated from the rag layer emulsion. The separator may also include one or more outlet ports positioned at a variety of locations on the separator. For example, an outlet port 27 for discharging brine largely or substantially free of any emulsion may be positioned in a lower region of the separator 12 and may fluidly communicate with the separated brine within the separator 12. The brine discharged from the separator may be returned to the desalter and/or treated to remove harmful substances before discharge or reuse. The separator 12 may further include an outlet port 28 fluidly communicating with the rag layer emulsion within the separator 12 and positioned, e.g., in an upper region of the separator 12, for discharging the rag layer emulsion with less brine. For some, but not all, embodiments the brine depleted emulsion may comprise up to about 50% water or brine.

The mixer 13 may be configured in any of a wide variety of different ways and may take any of a variety of shapes and forms. For example, the mixer may comprise an inline mixer or a mixing tank. Further, the mixer may be positioned in a variety of locations in the system. For example, the mixer may be positioned downstream of the desalter and upstream of the dead-end filter assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, the mixer 13 may be positioned downstream of the desalter 11, downstream of the separator 12, and upstream of the filter assembly 14. In addition, the mixer may be fluidly coupled to one or more components of the system, either directly or indirectly via one or more other components. For example, the mixer 13 may be fluidly coupled to the separator 12, e.g., directly coupled to the separator 12. For some embodiments, the mixer 13 may, alternatively or additionally, be fluidly coupled directly to the desalter 11.

The mixer may have one or more inlet ports positioned at a variety of locations on the mixer. For example, the mixer 13 may include an inlet port 29, e.g., on top of the mixer 13, for introducing the brine depleted rag layer emulsion into the mixer 13, e.g., via a brine/emulsion feed line 30 extending between the brine/emulsion outlet port 28 of the separator 12 and the brine/emulsion inlet port 29 of the mixer 13. For some embodiments, the mixer 13 may alternatively or additionally include an inlet port 31 positioned, e.g., on top of the mixer 13, for introducing into the mixer 13 at least some of the rag layer emulsion directly from the desalter 11, for example, via a rag layer emulsion feed line 32 extending between a rag layer emulsion outlet port 24 of the desalter 11 and the rag layer emulsion inlet port 31 of the mixer 13.

To modify the rag layer emulsion and allow the emulsion to be effectively filtered, one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant may be added to the rag layer emulsion from the separator 12 and/or the desalter 11. For example, the mixer 13 may include one or more inlet ports 33 positioned, e.g., in the upper region of the mixer 13, for introducing the additional hydrocarbon from a source 34 of the additional hydrocarbon, the demulsifier from a source 35 of the demulsifier, the reverse demulsifier from a source 36 of the reverse demulsifier, the coagulant from a source 37 of the coagulant, and/or the flocculant from a source 38 of the flocculant. Alternatively, the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and/or flocculant may be added to the emulsion upstream from the mixer. Mixing the emulsion and one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, the demulsifier, the reverse demulsifier, the coagulant, and the flocculant may promote destabilization of the rag layer emulsion and at least partial, and even substantial, disintegration and decomposition of the emulsion and/or substances within the emulsion, facilitating removal and recovery of the hydrocarbon bound up in the emulsion. For example, the additional hydrocarbon may dissolve stabilizing agents, such as asphaltenes, in the emulsion. The additional hydrocarbon may also reduce the viscosity of the emulsion and/or establish the hydrocarbon as the continuous phase in the emulsion. The demulsifier may break down oil-in-water emulsions, while the reverse demulsifier may break down water-in-oil emulsions. The coagulant and the flocculant may aggregate and agglomerate dispersed particles in the emulsion, forming larger aggregates that settle out of the emulsion. By mixing one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, the demulsifier, the reverse demulsifier, the coagulant, and the flocculant with the rag layer emulsion, the mixer 13 may produce a modified emulsion including a substantially disintegrated, decomposed, and less emulsified mixture of hydrocarbon, brine, and solids. For some, but not all, embodiments the modified emulsion may comprise up to about 5% water or brine.

The mixer may have one or more outlet ports positioned at a variety of locations on the mixer. For some embodiments, the mixer 13 may include a recirculation outlet port 40, e.g., in the lower region of the mixer 13, for discharging the modified emulsion to a recirculation pump 41 in a recirculation line 42. The recirculation pump 41 and recirculation line 42 may recirculate the modified emulsion to a recirculation inlet port 43, e.g., in the upper region, of the mixer 13, facilitating further disintegration and decomposition of the rag layer emulsion within the mixer 13. To further promote disintegration and decomposition of the emulsion within the mixer 13, a heater (not shown) may be associated with the mixer 13 or the recirculation line 42. For many embodiments, the heater may heat the emulsion to a temperature up to about 300° F. or more. The mixer 13 may also include a modified emulsion outlet port 44, e.g., in the lower region of the mixer 13, for discharging the modified emulsion from the mixer 13 to the dead-end filter assembly 14, for example, via a feed pump 48 in a modified emulsion feed line 45.

The dead-end filter assembly may be configured in any of numerous ways and may have any of several shapes or forms including that of a tank, vessel, or receptacle. For many embodiments, the filter assembly 14 may include one or more filter elements 46, e.g., an array of several filter elements, contained within a housing 47. The housing 47 may include an inlet port 50 positioned, e.g., at one end region of the housing 47, for receiving the modified emulsion and one or more outlet ports 51 positioned, e.g., at an opposite end region of the housing 47, for discharging the filtrate. The housing 47 may define a fluid flow path between the inlet and outlet ports 50, 51 within the housing 47. One or more filter elements 46, e.g., a plurality of filter elements 46, may be positioned within the housing 47 across the fluid flow path, and the filter elements 46 may be variously configured. For many embodiments each filter element may have a hollow, generally cylindrical body which includes a permeable filter medium for removing solids from fluids flowing inside-out or outside-in through the filter element. Any of a wide variety of filter media may be included in the filter element, including permeable metallic, ceramic, or polymeric media. The filter media may be in the form of a pleated or spirally wound sheet or a hollow, cylindrical mass or sleeve and may be fashioned from a permeable membrane, a fibrous or sintered sheet or mass, or a mesh sheet. The filter medium may have any of variety of filtering characteristics. For example, the filter medium may have a removal rating in the range from about 1 micron or less to about 100 microns or more. Each filter element may further include an end element, e.g., an end cap, on each axial end of the cylindrical body to direct fluid into or out of the hollow interior of the filter element and generally radially through the filter medium. For some embodiments, the dead-end filter assembly may comprise filter elements having a polymeric fibrous filter medium available from Pall Corporation of Port Washington, N.Y. USA under the trade designation Profile AS.

The dead-end filter assembly may be positioned at a variety of locations in the system. For example, the filter assembly 14 may be positioned downstream of the desalter 11, downstream of the separator 12, and/or downstream of the mixer 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the dead-end filter assembly 14 may be fluidly coupled to the mixer 13. For example, the modified emulsion outlet port 43 of the mixer 13 may be coupled to the modified emulsion inlet port 50 of the filter assembly 15, e.g., via the modified emulsion feed line 45 and feed pump 48, to direct the modified emulsion into the dead-end filter assembly 15. Within the filter assembly 15 the modified emulsion of hydrocarbon, brine, and solids may be filtered by the filter elements 46, removing the solids, including colloids and undissolved asphaltenes. A substantial portion of the modified emulsion, including the hydrocarbon, brine, and dissolved asphaltenes, passes through the filter medium as filtrate. The filtrate may be discharged from the filter assembly 15 via the filtrate outlet port 51. From the filtrate outlet port the filtrate may be directed to any of numerous components. For example, the filtrate may be directed to a downstream separator for separating the filtered hydrocarbon from the brine. In the illustrated embodiment, the filtrate may be recirculated to the desalter 11, e.g., from the filtrate outlet port 51 of the dead-end filter assembly 15 to a filtrate inlet port 52 of the desalter 11 via a filtrate recirculation line 53. Within the desalter 11, the filtrate mixture of the hydrocarbon and brine, with the dissolved asphaltenes, may separate into the hydrocarbon, which can be discharged via the desalted hydrocarbon outlet port 22, and brine, which can be discharged via the brine/emulsion outlet port 23.

Embodiments of the invention further include numerous methods for processing crude oil. For example, methods for processing crude oil may comprise adding water to crude oil to produce hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer, the rag layer including an emulsion comprising hydrocarbon and brine and solids. The methods may further comprise modifying the emulsion, including adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant to the emulsion, and then directing the modified emulsion through a dead-end filter assembly to remove the solids.

Water may be added to crude oil in a variety of ways. For example, water may be added to the crude oil before the water and crude oil are supplied to a desalter, or the water may be added to the crude oil in the desalter. In the illustrated system 10, the oil and water may be introduced into the desalter 11 separately, e.g., through separate inlet ports 15, 16. Alternatively, the crude oil and water may be supplied sequentially or simultaneously to the desalter through a common inlet port. Within the desalter, the water and crude oil combine, and the water may remove metals and/or salts and other dissolvables from the crude oil, forming brine. The nature of the crude oil, including the chemical composition of the crude oil itself and the amount and chemical composition of the solids and other substances entrained and/or dissolved in the crude oil, may vary widely depending on many factors, including the geological source of the crude oil and the substances added to extract the crude oil from the geological source. Water may be added to the crude oil in varying amounts sufficient to remove the metals and/or salts and other dissolvables. For example, water may be added to the crude oil in an amount from about 3% water or less to about 10% water or more by volume. Various other chemicals, including, for example, demulsifiers and/or corrosion inhibitors, may be added to the crude oil, the water, and/or the mixture of oil or hydrocarbon and water (brine) in the desalter to further treat the crude oil.

Adding water to the crude oil may also include pressurizing and/or heating the crude oil and/or water, for example, in the desalter. For many embodiments, the hydrocarbon and brine may be heated in the desalter to a temperature in the range from about 200° F. or less to about 300° F. or more, e.g., in the range from about 225° F. to about 275° F. The hydrocarbon and brine may be pressurized within the desalter to a pressure in the range from about 10 psig or less to about 200 psig or more. In some embodiments, the crude oil and/or water may not be heated or may not be pressurized.

Adding water to the crude oil may further comprise separating hydrocarbon or oil from brine within the desalter and producing a rag layer. Separating the brine and the hydrocarbon may include coalescing brine droplets in the desalter. For example, an electrical field may be applied to the mixture of oil and brine in the desalter, the electric field inducing a dipole in droplets of the brine and coalescing the brine droplets. The denser coalesced brine droplets may then collect as an aqueous phase, e.g., in the lower region of the desalter, and the less dense desalted oil or hydrocarbon may collect substantially or largely brine-free, e.g., in the upper region of the desalter. The rag layer may collect on top of the brine, e.g., at the interface between the hydrocarbon and the brine, and/or may be entrained as small droplets or masses, for example, in the brine. The rag layer may comprise any of several substances, including an emulsion of oil, brine, and solids, as well as asphaltenes. The composition of the rag layer emulsion may vary depending, for example, on the nature of the crude oil supplied to the desalter. For example, some rag layer emulsions may comprise water-in-oil emulsions, while other rag layer emulsions may comprise oil-in-water emulsions. Further, some rag layer emulsions may be chemically-stabilized by stabilizing agents such as asphaltenes, and some rag layer emulsions may be particulate-stabilized by particulates in the emulsion and may include little or no asphaltenes in the emulsion. One of many examples of a rag layer emulsion may comprise about 30% to about 40% oil or hydrocarbon by weight, about 30% to about 40% brine by weight, about 5% to about 20% solids by weight, and up to about 10% asphaltenes by weight. These substances may be bound up with one another in the emulsion of the rag layer.

The desalted hydrocarbon and the brine comprising the rag layer emulsion may be separately discharged from the desalter. The desalted hydrocarbon may be discharged at a flow rate in the range from about 20,000 bbl/day or less to about 100,000 bbl/day or more, where one barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons (159 liters). The brine comprising the rag layer may be discharged at a flow rate in the range from about 600 bbl/day or less to about 6000 bbl/day or more. The desalted hydrocarbon may be discharged from the desalter 11 via the desalted hydrocarbon outlet port 22 and may be further processed, e.g., fractionated. The brine comprising the rag layer may be discharged from the desalter 11 via the brine/emulsion outlet port 23. The brine and rag layer emulsion that are discharged from the desalter 11 may include varying amounts of brine and emulsion, from mostly brine with the rag layer emulsion to mostly rag layer emulsion with some brine.

For some embodiments, methods for processing the crude oil may further comprise separating at least some of the brine from the brine and rag layer emulsion discharged from the desalter 11. For example, in embodiments where a significant amount of brine is removed from the desalter 11 along with the rag layer emulsion, it may be beneficial to further separate some of the brine in a separator 12, e.g., a bulk separator as previously described. The brine and rag layer emulsion may, for example, be discharged from the brine/emulsion outlet port 23 of the desalter 11 and supplied to the brine/emulsion inlet port 25 of the separator 12 via the brine/emulsion feed line 26. Within the separator 12, at least some of the denser brine may separate from the less dense rag layer emulsion in a variety of ways. For example, the brine may settle from the rag layer emulsion in a settling zone, or the brine may diverge from the rag layer emulsion along a plate separator. Separating the brine from the rag layer emulsion may also include separating larger solids from the rag layer. The larger solids, e.g., solids having a particle size of about 20 microns or more, may settle into the brine from the emulsion, leaving the rag layer emulsion in the separator with finer solids and less brine. The brine with or without larger solids may be discharged from the separator 12, for example, via the brine outlet port 27. The larger solids may then be removed, e.g., filtered, from the brine, and some of the clean brine, e.g., up to about 50%, may be returned to the desalter 11, while the reminder of the clean brine may be treated and reused or discharged from the refinery system. The brine-depleted rag layer emulsion may be discharged from the separator 12 and supplied to the mixer 13. For example, a brine depleted rag layer emulsion comprising up to about 50% water or brine by volume may be discharged via the brine/emulsion outlet port 28 of the separator 12 and supplied via the brine/emulsion feed line 30 to the brine/emulsion inlet port 29 on the mixer 13. The flow rate into the mixer 13 from the separator 12 may be in the range from about 6 bbl/day or less to about 600 bbl/day or more.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rag layer emulsion may be supplied to the mixer 13 from the desalter 11 after removing some of the brine in the separator 12. In other embodiments, the rag layer emulsion, for example, a rag layer emulsion with little brine, may additionally or alternatively be supplied to the mixer directly from the desalter. For example, the rag layer emulsion may be discharged from the rag layer emulsion outlet port 24 on the desalter 11 and supplied via the rag layer emulsion feed line 32 to a rag layer inlet port 31 of the mixer 13.

Methods for processing crude oil may further comprise adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant to the rag layer emulsion from the desalter or the separator to modify the emulsion and prepare the emulsion for filtration. For example, any of a variety of hydrocarbons may be added to dissolve substances, including asphaltenes, within the emulsion. Asphaltenes, which help to stabilize the emulsion, can quickly foul most filter media. The added hydrocarbon may dissolve the asphaltenes and other substances within the emulsion and enhance the decomposition of the emulsion, allowing the modified emulsion to be effectively filtered. The additional hydrocarbon may also reduce the viscosity of the rag layer emulsion, allowing the liquid components of the emulsion to move readily pass through the filter elements, and may establish the hydrocarbon as the continuous phase of the emulsion. The added hydrocarbon, which may be aromatic or nonaromatic, may include, for example, one or more of reformate, naphtha, gas oil and hydrocarbon condensate. Any of a variety of demulsifiers and/or reverse demulsifiers may be added to at least partially break down the emulsion and further facilitate filtration of the emulsion. The added demulsifiers may include, for example, one or more of ethoxylated or propoxylated acid- or base-catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resins, ethoxylated or propoxylated polyamines, ethoxylated or propoxylated di-epoxides, and ethoxylated or propoxylated polyols. The added reverse demulsifiers may include, for example, organic polymers, such as liquid cationic acrylamides. Any of numerous coagulants and/or flocculants may also be added to aggregate and agglomerate solids in the emulsion, allowing the larger agglomeration of solids to settle from the emulsion. The coagulant may include liquid inorganic or organic coagulating polymers, including, for example, a liquid, organic, water-soluble, low cationic quaternary ammonium polyelectrolyte. The flocculant may include, for example, a liquid organic acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymer with a high molecular weight and/or a low-to-medium anionic charge.

The amount of the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifiers, reverse demulsifiers, coagulants, and/or flocculants added to the rag layer emulsion from the desalter or separator may vary depending on a variety of factors, including, for example, one or more of temperature; pressure; pH; amount of shear; composition of the organic and inorganic solids; concentration of asphaltenes, well-treating chemicals, paraffins, or sulfur; API gravity of the crude oil, the difference in density between the brine and the crude oil, and the composition and stability of the emulsion. For many embodiments, hydrocarbon may be added to the emulsion in an amount up to about ten or more times the volume of emulsion. For some embodiments, the amount of stabilizing agents, e.g., asphaltenes, in the rag layer emulsion may be small and less hydrocarbon may be added, e.g., one to two to more times the volume of the emulsion. The demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and/or flocculant may be added in an amount in the range from 0% to about 1% or more of the rag layer.

The additional hydrocarbon, deemulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and flocculant may be added to the rag layer emulsion from the desalter or the separator in any of a variety of different ways. For many embodiments, the additional hydrocarbon, deemulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and/or flocculant may be added to the rag layer emulsion within the mixer 13. Within the mixer one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and flocculant are mixed with the rag layer emulsion to produce a modified emulsion that is sufficiently broken down into its constituents, including hydrocarbon, brine, solids, and dissolved asphaltenes to allow the solids to be effectively filtered from the hydrocarbon and brine. Mixing one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and flocculant with the rag layer emulsion may then comprise substantially dissolving one or more substances, including asphaltenes, from the rag layer emulsion and/or destabilizing or decomposing the rag layer emulsion. For example, a modified emulsion comprising up to about 5% water by volume may be discharged from the modified emulsion outlet port.

For many embodiments, mixing one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, deemulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and flocculant with the rag layer emulsion may further comprise recirculating the modified emulsion through the mixer. For example, the modified emulsion may be discharged from the mixer 13 via the recirculation outlet port 40 and recirculated through the mixer 13 via the recirculation pump 41 in the recirculation line 42, reentering the mixer 13 at the recirculation inlet port 38. Recirculating the modified emulsion allows asphaltenes and other substances to be even more completely dissolved and even more thoroughly destabilizes and decomposes the emulsion, facilitating the recovery of an even greater amount of the hydrocarbon in the emulsion.

Heating the emulsion may further promote dissolving substances such as asphaltenes and destabilizing and decomposing the emulsion. The emulsion may be heated to a temperature in a range up to about 300° F. or more, for example, in the mixer 13, in the recirculation line 42, or en route to the dead-end filter assembly 14.

After mixing, the modified emulsion may be directed through a dead-end filter assembly to remove solids and produce a filtrate principally comprising filtered hydrocarbon and brine. The modified emulsion may be discharged from the mixer and supplied to the dead-end filter assembly either directly or indirectly via one or more additional components. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the modified emulsion may be discharged from the mixer 13 via the modified emulsion outlet port 44 and supplied to the dead-end filter assembly 14 via a feed pump 48 in the modified emulsion feed line 45, entering the dead-end filter assembly 14 via the modified emulsion inlet port 50. The modified emulsion may be supplied to the dead-end filter assembly at a variety of flow rates and pressures, depending, for example, on the size of the dead-end filter assembly and the amount of the modified emulsion to be processed. For some embodiments, the flow rate of the modified emulsion into the dead-end filter assembly may be in the range from about 12 bbl/day gpm or less to about 6000 bbl/day gpm or more. The pressure may be in the range from about 10 psig or less to about 200 psig or more.

Within the dead-end filter assembly 14, all of the modified emulsion passes through one or more filter elements 46. Passing the modified emulsion through the filter elements 46 includes directing all of the modified emulsion through the filter media of the filter elements 46, where at least a substantial portion of the solids are removed. For many embodiments, directing the modified emulsion through the filter medium may include directing the modified emulsion through a filter medium having a removal rating in the range from about 1 micron or less to about 100 microns or more, e.g., from about 1 micron or less to about 40 microns. Filtered hydrocarbon and brine, as well as dissolved asphaltenes, may then emerge as filtrate from the filter elements 46 and may be directed by the housing 47 to the filtrate outlet port 51. The filtrate may be discharged from the dead-end filter assembly to a variety of components for further processing. For example, the filtrate may be discharged to a separator to separate the filtered hydrocarbon from the filtered brine. The filtered hydrocarbon may then be further processed, e.g., fractionated, within the refinery system. In the illustrated embodiment, the filtered hydrocarbon and brine may be recirculated to the desalter. For example, filtrate, including both the filtered hydrocarbon and brine, and any dissolved asphaltenes, may be discharged from the filtrate outlet port 51 of the dead-end filter assembly 14 and returned to the desalter 11 via the filtrate recirculation line 53, entering the desalter 11 via one of the inlet ports, e.g., the filtrate inlet port 52. Within the desalter 11, the filtered hydrocarbon and brine and any dissolved asphaltenes combine with the crude oil and water in the desalter 11, where they may begin the process of breaking down the rag layer emulsion and dissolving substances, including asphaltenes, in the rag layer emulsion. The filtered hydrocarbon and brine may separate within the desalter 11 and may be respectively discharged from the desalter 11 along with the desalted hydrocarbon and the brine, e.g., via the desalted hydrocarbon outlet port 22 and the brine/emulsion outlet port 23.

Methods embodying the invention may further comprise cleaning and/or replacing the filter elements in the dead-end filter assembly after the filter elements become sufficiently fouled to require cleaning or replacing. For example, after the pressure drop across the filter elements 46 rises to a predetermined level, or the flow rate through the filter elements 46 falls to a predetermined level, flow of the modified emulsion through the dead-end filter assembly 14 may be terminated. The filter elements 46 may then be cleaned in any of numerous ways. For example, the filter elements may be cleaned in situ, i.e., within the filter housing, or ex situ, i.e., outside the filter housing, using a variety of solvent soaking techniques, including hot hydrocarbon soaking, and/or washing or backwashing techniques, with or without gas assist. Alternatively, the fouled filter elements 46 may be replaced with new filter elements 46. Flow of the modified emulsion may then be reestablished through the dead-end filter assembly 14.

Although the invention has been disclosed in the embodiments previously described and/or illustrated, the invention is not limited to those embodiments. For instance, one or more features of an embodiment may be eliminated or modified, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of other embodiments, or embodiments with very different features may be envisioned, all without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the separator 12 may be eliminated from the system 10 of FIG. 1, the remainder of the system including the previously described components operating as previously described. The rag layer emulsion may be discharged from the rag layer emulsion outlet port 24 of the desalter 11 and supplied directly or indirectly to the mixer 13, e.g., via the rag layer emulsion feed line 35. Brine with little or no rag layer emulsion may be removed from the desalter 11, e.g., via the brine/emulsion outlet port 23, treated, and then reused within the refinery system or discharged from the refinery system.

As another example, a system for processing crude oil may include a modified dead-end filter assembly 14, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. The remainder of the system may include the previously described components operating as previously described. The modified dead-end filter assembly 14 may include a settling zone 54 within the housing 47 downstream of the filter elements 46. Within the settling zone 54, the less dense filtered hydrocarbon, along with other substances such as the dissolved asphaltenes, may separate, e.g., toward the upper region of the housing 47, away from the denser filtered brine, e.g., in the lower region of the housing 47. The housing 47 may further include a brine trap 55 in the lower region of the housing 47 to collect the brine. A filtered hydrocarbon outlet port 56 for discharging the separated filtered hydrocarbon, along with the dissolved asphaltenes, may be positioned on the housing 47, e.g., in the upper region, and a filtered brine outlet port 57 for discharging filtered brine may also be positioned on the housing 47, e.g., in the brine trap 55. All or a portion of the discharged filtered brine may be sent to the desalter or any other component of the refinery system or may be treated and discharged from the refinery system. All or a portion of the discharged filtered hydrocarbon may be returned to the desalter, e.g., via the filtrate recirculation line 53, or may be directed to other components of the refinery system for further processing, e.g., fractionation.

As an alternative, the system 10 of FIG. 1 may further include a separator (not shown) downstream of the dead-end filter assembly 14. The filtrate from the dead-end filter assembly 14, including the filtered hydrocarbon, the filtered brine, and any dissolved asphaltenes, may be discharged from the filtrate outlet port 51 and passed, directly or indirectly, to the separator, where the filtered hydrocarbon may be separated from the filtered brine within the separator. The separator may comprise a bulk separator as previously described or any other separator suitable for separating the filtered hydrocarbon from the filtered brine. The filtered hydrocarbon may be discharged from the separator and sent to the desalter or any other component of the refinery system. The filtered brine may be discharged from the separator and sent to the desalter or any other component of the refinery system or treated and discharged from the refinery system.

Methods for processing crude oil may further comprise separating the filtrate from the dead-end filter assembly into filtered hydrocarbon, along with other substances such as the dissolved asphaltenes, and filtered brine, e.g., within the dead-end filter assembly or within a separator. For example, in the illustrated embodiment separating the filtrate may include passing the filtrate into a settling zone 54 in the housing 47 of the dead-end filter assembly 14 downstream of the filter elements 46. In the settling zone 54, the denser filtered brine may settle in a lower region of the housing 47, e.g., into the brine trap 55, away from the less dense filtered hydrocarbon in an upper region of the housing 47. Methods may further comprise separately discharging filtered hydrocarbon and the filtered brine from the dead-end filter assembly 15, e.g., via the filtered hydrocarbon outlet port 56 and the filtered brine outlet port 57, respectively, as previously described.

Another embodiment of a system for processing crude oil may further comprise a coalescer assembly 60, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. The remainder of the system may include the previously described components operating as previously described. The coalescer assembly may be fluidly coupled, directly or indirectly, to a dead-end filter assembly, for example, to the filtered hydrocarbon outlet port 56 of the dead-end filter assembly 14 of the system of FIG. 2 or to the filtrate outlet port 51 of the dead-end filter assembly 14 of the system 10 of FIG. 1. In both systems, the coalescer assembly may serve to break any remaining emulsion and/or to coalescer the filtered brine, including any small droplets of filtered brine, as the discontinuous phase, entrained in the filtered hydrocarbon, as the continuous phase. The coalesced filtered brine and the filtered hydrocarbon may then be separated from one another, for example, in the coalescer assembly 60.

Any of numerous coalescer assemblies may be employed. Generally, the coalescer assembly 60 may include a housing 61, e.g., a tank, a vessel, or any other receptacle. The housing 61 may have an inlet port 62 positioned, e.g., at one end of the housing 61, and one or more outlet ports. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing 61 may include a hydrocarbon outlet port 63 positioned, e.g., at the opposite end in an upper region of the housing 61, and a brine outlet port 64 positioned, e.g., at the opposite end in a lower region of the housing 61. The housing 61 may include a brine trap 65 for collecting the brine, and the brine outlet port 64 may be located on the brine trap 65.

The coalescer housing 61 defines a fluid flow path within the housing 61 between the inlet port 62 and the outlet ports 63, 64. One or more coalescer elements 66, e.g., a plurality of coalescer elements 66, may be positioned within the housing 61 across the fluid flow path. Each coalescer element 66 may be variously configured. For many embodiments, each coalescer element may have a hollow, generally cylindrical body which includes a permeable arrangement for coalescing small filtered brine droplets, as the discontinuous phase, entrained in the filtered hydrocarbon, as the continuous phase. Each coalescer element may further include end elements, e.g., an end cap, on each axial end of the cylindrical body to direct fluid into or out of the hollow interior of the coalescer element and generally radially through the coalescing arrangement. For some embodiments, the coalescing assembly may comprise coalescing elements available from Pall Corporation of Port Washington, N.Y. USA under the trade designation PhaseSep.

The coalescer assembly 60 may further include a separating region downstream of the coalescer elements 66 for separating the coalesced filtered brine from the filtered hydrocarbon. The separating region may be variously configured. For example, the separating region may include a permeable separation medium which allows passage of one of the components, e.g., the filtered hydrocarbon, but retards passage of the other component, e.g., the filtered brine. The hydrocarbon outlet port may then fluidly communicate with one side, e.g., the downstream side, of the permeable separation medium, while the brine outlet port fluidly communicates with the other side, e.g., the upstream side, of the separation medium. In the illustrated embodiment, the separating region may comprise a settling zone 67 within the housing 61 downstream of the coalescer elements 66. Within the settling zone 67, the less dense filtered hydrocarbon, along with other substances such as the dissolved asphaltenes, may separate, e.g., toward the upper region of the housing 61, away from the denser coalesced and filtered brine, e.g., in the lower region of the housing 61. The coalesced, filtered brine may be discharged from the coalescer assembly 60, e.g., via the brine outlet port 64, and sent to the desalter or any other component of the refinery system or may be treated and discharged from the refinery system. The filtered hydrocarbon may have less than about 25 ppmw free water and may be discharged from the coalescer assembly 60, e.g., via the hydrocarbon outlet port 63. From the coalescer assembly 60, some or all of the discharged hydrocarbon may be sent to the desalter 11 or to the mixer 13. Returning some or all of the discharged hydrocarbon to the mixer 13 allows reuse of the hydrocarbon, reduces the volume of fresh additional hydrocarbon to be added to the mixer 13, and helps establish the hydrocarbon as the continuous phase in the modified emulsion. For many embodiments, the coalescer assembly 60 may so effectively break any oil/brine emulsion that the hydrocarbon may be directly sent to any other component of the refinery system, e.g., a fractionator, for further processing.

Methods for processing crude oil may further comprise coalescing filtered brine, including any small droplets of filtered brine, as the discontinuous phase, entrained in the filtered hydrocarbon, as the continuous phase, along with any dissolved asphaltenes, and then separating the coalesced, filtered brine from the filtered hydrocarbon. Coalescing the filtered brine may include directing the filtered hydrocarbon and brine through one or more coalescer elements 66 within a coalescer assembly 60, including aggregating small droplets of filtered brine and producing larger droplets or masses of filtered brine. Separating the coalesced, filtered brine filtered hydrocarbon may, for example, include settling the denser coalesced brine away from the less dense filtered hydrocarbon in a settling zone 67. Alternatively, separating the brine from the hydrocarbon may comprise passing one but not the other of the brine and hydrocarbon through a permeable separation medium. Methods may further comprise separately discharging the filtered hydrocarbon and the filtered brine from the coalescer assembly 60, e.g., via the hydrocarbon outlet port 63, and the brine outlet port 64, respectively, as previously described. Discharging the filtered hydrocarbon from the coalescer assembly 60 may include returning some or all of the filtered hydrocarbon to the desalter 11 or the mixer 13 or sending the filtered hydrocarbon to any other component of the refinery system.

Another embodiment of a system for processing crude oil may comprise a magnetic filter 70, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. The remainder of the system may include the previously described components of FIGS. 1, 2 and/or 3 operating as previously described. The magnetic filter may serve to remove magnetic solids, e.g., magnetic particles, and may be positioned at a variety of locations in the system, including downstream of the desalter, downstream of the separator, and/or downstream of the mixer. In the illustrated embodiment, the magnetic filter 70 may be positioned upstream of the mixer 13 to remove magnetic solids from the emulsion entering the mixer 13 and inhibit fouling of mixer 13. Alternatively or additionally, a magnetic filter may be located in the recirculation line of the mixer or between the mixer and the dead-end filter assembly to remove magnetic solids from the modified emulsion.

Any of a wide variety of magnetic filters may be employed. Generally, the magnetic filter 70 may include a housing 71 having the shape, for example, of a tank, vessel, or any other receptacle. The housing 71 may include a fluid inlet port 72 and a fluid outlet port 73 and may define a fluid flow path between the inlet and outlet ports 72, 73. In the fluid flow path within the housing 71, one or more magnetic elements 74 may be arranged to attract and remove magnetic solids from the emulsion, e.g., the rag layer emulsion or the modified emulsion, flowing along the fluid flow path in the magnetic filter 70. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid inlet port 72 of the magnetic filter 70 may be fluidly coupled, directly or indirectly via one or more other components, to the brine/emulsion outlet port 28 of the separator 12, e.g., via a first portion 30A of the brine/emulsion feed line. The fluid outlet port 73 of the magnetic filter 70 may be fluidly coupled, directly or indirectly, to the brine/emulsion inlet port 29 of the mixer 13, e.g., via a second portion 30B of the brine/emulsion feed line. The rag layer emulsion may thus be directed through the magnetic filter 70 to remove magnetic solids as the emulsion is passed between the separator 12 and the mixer 13.

Methods for processing crude oil may further comprise magnetically removing solids from the emulsion, e.g., either the rag layer emulsion or the modified emulsion. Magnetically removing the solids may comprise directing the emulsion through a magnetic filter, including passing the emulsion past magnetic elements that attract and remove magnetic solids from the emulsion. In the illustrated embodiment, directing the emulsion through the magnetic filter 70 may include passing the rag layer emulsion from the brine/emulsion outlet port 28 of the separator 12 into the fluid inlet port 72 of the magnetic filter 70, along the magnetic elements 74 where the magnetic solids are removed, and from the fluid outlet port 73 of the magnetic filter 70 to the brine/emulsion inlet port 29 on the mixer 13. In other embodiments, directing the emulsion through the magnetic filter may include passing the modified emulsion through a magnetic filter located in the recirculation line of the mixer or located between the mixer and the dead-end filter assembly.

Other embodiments of the system may include other components, such as one or more additional separators, located elsewhere in the system. For example, the mixer may comprise a static inline mixer which may be directly coupled to a separator for separating additional brine and/or solids from the modified emulsion before the modified emulsion is fed to the dead-end filter assembly.

In still other embodiments, the rag layer emulsion may be stored, e.g., in tanks or other receptacles. The one or more of the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and flocculant may be added to the rag layer emulsion either before or after storage. For example, the rag layer emulsion may be directed from the rag layer emulsion outlet port of the desalter or the brine/emulsion outlet port of the separator to a storage tank, where the rag layer emulsion may be stored for a period of time. From the storage tank, the rag layer emulsion may later be supplied, directly or indirectly via other components of the system, to the mixer. The rag layer emulsion may then be modified and filtered as previously described.

The present invention thus encompasses innumerable embodiments and is not restricted to the particular embodiments that have been described, illustrated, and/or suggested herein. Rather, the present invention includes all embodiments and modifications that may fall within the scope of the claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one” followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of A and B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listed items (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (A and B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having.” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as” and “e.g.”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Claims

1. A method for processing crude oil comprising:

adding water to crude oil to produce hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer including an emulsion comprising hydrocarbon and brine and solids;

modifying the emulsion, including adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant to the emulsion; and

directing the modified emulsion through a dead-end filter assembly to remove solids.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating a portion of the brine from the emulsion before modifying the emulsion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adding water to the crude oil includes passing crude oil and water into a desalter, the method further comprising recirculating filtrate from the filter assembly to the desalter.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing filtrate from the filter assembly to a coalescer assembly and separately extracting filtered hydrocarbon and brine from the coalescer assembly.

5. The method of claim 4, when the filtrate includes filtered hydrocarbon and brine, the method further comprising separating a portion of the brine from the filtered hydrocarbon and directing the filtered hydrocarbon to the coalescer assembly.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant includes mixing the additional hydrocarbon, demulsifier, reverse demulsifier, coagulant, and/or flocculant with the emulsion.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising directing the emulsion or the modified emulsion through a magnetic filter before directing the modified emulsion through the filter assembly.

8. A system for processing crude oil, the system comprising:

a desalter including one or more inlets for introducing crude oil and water into the desalter, the desalter producing hydrocarbon and brine and a rag layer including an emulsion comprising hydrocarbon and brine and solids, the desalter further including a first outlet for discharging at least a portion of the hydrocarbon and one or more additional outlets for discharging brine and the emulsion;

a mixer coupled to the desalter to modify the emulsion including adding one or more of additional hydrocarbon, a demulsifier, a reverse demulsifier, a coagulant, and a flocculant to the emulsion; and

a dead-end filter assembly coupled to the mixer to filter solids from the modified emulsion.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a separator coupled to the desalter to separate at least a portion of the brine from the discharged emulsion, wherein the mixer is coupled to the separator.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the filter assembly includes a filtrate outlet coupled to an inlet of the desalter.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a coalescer assembly coupled to the dead-end filter assembly to separate filtrate from the filter assembly into filtered hydrocarbon and brine.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the dead-end filter assembly includes a settling region for separating at least a portion of the filtered brine from the filtrate, the filter assembly including an outlet for the brine-depleted filtrate coupled to the coalescer assembly.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising a magnetic filter positioned upstream of the dead-end filter assembly to remove magnetic solids.