Method for removing metals and amines from crude oil
AssigneeEcolab USA Inc.
InventorsJuan M. Garcia, III, Samuel A. Lordo, Michael L. Braden
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Abstract
A method of removing metals and amines from crude oil comprising adding an effective metal removing amount of one or more hydroxycarboxylic acids selected from lactic acid and malic acid and salts thereof to said crude oil; adding wash water to said crude oil; mixing said crude oil, acid and wash water to form an emulsion; and resolving said emulsion into an aqueous phase and crude oil having a reduced metals content.
Claims13
A method of removing metals and/or amines from crude oil comprising adding an approximately 40% to approximately 70% aqueous solution of malic acid or a salt thereof to said crude oil;
- separately adding wash water to said crude oil and mixing said crude oil, acid and wash water to form an emulsion;
- and resolving said emulsion into an aqueous phase and crude oil having a reduced metals and amines content, wherein the malic acid or salt thereof is added to the crude oil upstream of the wash water.
A refinery desalting process for removing metals and/or amines from crude oil comprising:
- (i) providing crude oil;
- (ii) adding wash water to the crude oil;
- (iii) mixing said crude oil and said wash water to form an emulsion;
- and
- (iv) resolving the emulsion to provide an aqueous phase and crude oil having a reduced metal and amine content, the improvement comprising adding an approximately 40% to approximately 70% aqueous solution of malic acid or a salt thereof to the crude oil separate from addition of the wash water, wherein the malic acid or salt thereof is added to the crude oil upstream of the wash water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.