# US 12,180,427 B2 · Composition and method for improved desalter brine quality > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,180,427 B2 - Document ID: US12180427B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/633,337 - Filed: 2020-07-08 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-15 - Applicants: Bl Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Javier Gonzalez; Michael Dion; Peter L. Perez-Diaz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180427B2 ## CPC - C10G 31/08: by treating with water - B01D 17/04: Breaking emulsions - C02F 1/26: by extraction - C02F 1/682: {by addition of chemical compounds for dispersing an oily layer on water} - C10G 33/04: with chemical means - C02F 2103/365: {from petrochemical industry (e.g. refineries)} - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) ## Abstract A method of improving effluent brine quality, the method (i) providing a mud wash solvent comprising a hydrocarbon having a specific gravity less than that of a desalter brine to be treated; and (ii) adding the mud wash solvent to a mud wash stream of a desalter system to provide a treated effluent brine. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of improving effluent brine quality in a mud wash system comprising a desalter vessel for processing raw crude oil, wherein the desalter vessel comprises a mud wash header located at a bottom portion of the desalter vessel, the method comprising: (i) directing wash water into the mud wash header via a wash water pump located upstream of a mud wash pump directing mud wash water to the mud wash header, wherein the wash water is in turbulent contact with solids separated from the raw crude oil at the bottom portion of the desalter vessel and removes at least a portion of the solids from the desalter vessel thereby creating a mud wash stream to either route the solids to a wastewater system or to be recirculated back to the desalter vessel via the mud wash header, wherein the mud wash stream comprises water, oil, and grease; and (ii) adding a mud wash solvent directly into the mud wash stream prior to the mud wash stream entering the mud wash pump within the desalter system to provide a treated effluent brine, wherein the mud wash solvent comprises a hydrocarbon having a specific gravity less than that of the mud wash to be treated, wherein the mud wash solvent is added to the mud wash stream at about 0.1-100% solvent per gallons per minute of mud wash stream, and wherein the mud wash stream comprises an oil and grease content of (i) up to 10,000 ppm, (ii) 10,000 ppm or higher, or (iii) about 1,000-10,000 ppm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon comprises (i) kerosene, (ii) naphtha, (iii) diesel, (iv) aromatic naphtha, and/or (v) heavy aromatic naphtha. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mud wash solvent is directly injected into the mud wash stream, and wherein the mud wash solvent is injected into the mud wash stream at approximately 0.1-10% per gallons per minute. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the desalter system comprises (i) a single stage desalter process, (ii) a two-stage desalter process, or (iii) more than a two-stage desalter process. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the treated effluent brine comprises an oil and grease content of (i) less than about 1000 ppm, (ii) less than about 500 ppm, or (iii) of less than about 125 ppm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mud wash solvent further comprises an emulsion breaker composition, wherein the emulsion breaker composition comprises polyacrylamides, polyols, resin esters, sulfonates, succinates, tannins, polyamines, alkyl phenol resin ethoxylates, non-alkoxylated phenolic resin, hydroxy acids, polyisoalkyl succinimide derivatives, succinate derivatives, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method as recited in claim 6, wherein (i) less than about 50 ppm of the emulsion breaker composition is added to the mud wash solvent, or (ii) greater than about 50 ppm of the emulsion breaker composition is added to the mud wash solvent. ### Claim 8 A method of improving effluent brine quality in a mud wash system comprising a desalter vessel for processing raw crude oil, wherein the desalter vessel comprises a mud wash header located at a bottom portion of the desalter vessel, the method comprising: (i) directing wash water into the mud wash header via a wash water pump located upstream of a mud wash pump directing mud wash water to the mud wash header, wherein the wash water is in turbulent contact with solids separated from the raw crude oil at the bottom portion of the desalter vessel and removes at least a portion of the solids from the desalter vessel thereby creating a mud wash stream to either route the solids to a wastewater system or to be recirculated back to the desalter vessel via the mud wash header, wherein the mud wash stream comprises water, oil, and grease; (ii) adding a mud wash solvent directly into the mud wash stream prior to the mud wash stream entering the mud wash pump within the desalter system to provide a treated effluent brine, wherein the mud wash solvent comprises a hydrocarbon having a specific gravity less than that of the mud wash to be treated, wherein the mud wash stream comprises a desalter brine having an oil and grease content of at least 1,000 ppm, to provide a treated effluent brine having an oil and grease content of less than about 500 ppm.