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US 5,080,779 AGranted
Methods for removing iron from crude oil in a two-stage desalting system
AssigneeBetz Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsSpencer S. Awbrey, Ronald W. Gropp
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AssigneeBetz Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsSpencer S. Awbrey, Ronald W. Gropp
Estimating the term…
Methods of diminishing the content of soluble and insoluble forms of iron from crude are disclosed. Crude and water soluble chelant are mixed prior to addition of wash water. After wash water addition, an emulsion is formed. After resolution of the emulsion, iron laden water phase is separated resulting in decreased iron content in the crude. In a two-step desalting process, water soluble chelant is mixed with crude separated from the resolved emulsion emanating from the first, upstream, desalter. After such mixing, fresh wash water is added, with the so-formed crude/chelant/wash water mixture being fed to the second, downstream, desalter, for resolution. Crude separated from the second desalter has substantially diminished iron content compared to crude fed to the first desalter.
In a two-stage desalting system having an upstream and downstream desalter and wherein a crude oil/water emulsion is formed and resolved in said upstream desalter with crude separated from said upstream desalter being fed to said downstream desalter, a method for decreasing iron content of said crude comprising, mixing a water soluble chelant with said crude after separation of said crude from said upstream desalter, subsequently mixing said separated crude with fresh wash water, feeding said separated crude and water to said downstream desalter to form an emulsion in said second desalter, and removing crude oil having diminished iron content from said second desalter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.