The global resources of light crude oil are steadily decreasing and the share of both crude oil that becomes heavier and heavier and sources that are more difficult to extract is continuing to grow. Challenges that affect the entire industry and its process chains – from upstream extraction to processing into end products such as fuels, liquefied petroleum gas and petrochemical raw materials in downstream refineries. The demand for crude oil as an energy source will continue to play a major role in the coming decades. Both the growing world population and economic development and the associated increase in prosperity are the basis for the continuously growing demand. Thus, the abundant heavy (“unconventional”) oils, in addition to the challenges they pose, also represent the market’s greatest future growth potential. Therefore it is all the more important to enable stable and economically attractive process control for these oil qualities as well.
Different tasks – one system solution
Thanks to its modular design, the GEA Crude Oil Treatment System can be operated independently or integrated upstream or downstream into the existing overall process.
The following basic process flows can be realized:
Design of the GEA Crude Oil Treatment System – comprehensive know-how from a single source
The centrifuge unit is the central component that is designed either for the dehydration or the desalting of crude oil, depending on the requirements. To this end, GEA offers various types of centrifuges and capacities that are optimized for the respective separation task.
The centrifuge unit can be optionally supplemented by the following additional units:
The feed pump unit is only required if the product does not have the feed pressure required for centrifuge operation.
Capacity:
30 - 150m3 / h | 5,000 - 23,000 BPD
In case the crude oil feed has to be heated in order to achieve the optimum separation viscosity, the scope of supply can be optionally extended by a crude oil heating unit.
Heating capacity:
45 °C – 105 °C | 113 - 220 °F
If high efficiency in desalting of the crude oil feed is required, this unit can be added to the scope of supply. The purpose of the mixing unit is to dilute the crude oil with wash water and to achieve a smooth mixing with a corresponding retention time of water and crude oil.
Capacity:
30 - 150 m3 / h | 5,000 - 23,000 BPD
Energy efficiency is key, and with the implementation of the heat recovery stage(s) the overall efficiency is increased and the invested energy is minimized. The carbon footprint of the process is also reduced.
Heating capacity:
660 - 3,300 kW
If tight emulsion or interfacial tensions occur, e.g. during process setup, they can lead to a reduced overall process performance. To counteract these effects and to keep the process performance at satisfactory levels, the use of chemicals may be unavoidable. For such cases we can supply customized dosing systems.
Capacity:
1 - 2 m³ / h | 4,4 gpm
Your benefits at a glance