Method for removing calcium from crude oil

Abstract

Methods for reducing calcium deposition along surfaces in contact with the water phase of a resolved water / oil emulsion are disclosed. High calcium crude oil and the like are contacted with a sequestrant to form a sequestered calcium containing complex that partitions to the water phase in the resolved emulsion. A specifically formulated polymeric deposit control agent is added to the water phase to inhibit calcium deposit formation therein and along surfaces in contact with the water phase.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION [0001] The invention pertains to improved methods for removing calcium from a hydrocarbonaceous medium via extraction by a sequestrant. The sequestrant, when added to the hydrocarbonaceous medium, results in the formation of a calcium complex that partitions to the water phase as the hydrocarbonaceous medium is brought in contact with an aqueous wash phase. A specifically formulated deposit control agent is brought into contact with the water phase to control calcium based deposit formation. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] All crude oil contains impurities which contribute to corrosion, heat exchanger fouling, furnace coking, catalyst deactivation, and product degradation in refinery and other processes. These contaminants are broadly classified as salts, bottom sediment, and water (BS+W), solids, and metals. The amounts of these impurities vary, depending upon the particular crude. Generally, crude oil salt content ranges between about 3-200 pounds per 1,000 b...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] In a more specific aspect of the invention, citric acid or its salts are used as the sequestrant, and the sequestered calcium containing complex is calcium citrate. The deposit control polymer inhibits calcium citrate scale formation in the water phase and along surfaces that contact the water phase. While calcium citrate scale control is important, the treatment should also not adversely affect desalter operation (longer water drop rates, etc.).

Problems solved by technology

Chloride salts are predominantly the source of highly corrosive HCl, which is severely damaging to refinery tower trays and other equipment.

Solids other than salts are equally harmful.

For example, sand, clay, volcanic ash, drilling muds, rust, iron sulfide, metal, and scale may be present and can cause fouling, plugging, abrasion, erosion and residual product contamination.

These materials promote fouling and can cause catalyst poisoning in subsequent refinery processes, such as catalytic cracking methods, and they may also contaminate finished products.

When the bottoms are fed, for example, to coker units, contamination of the end-product coke is most undesirable.

For example, in the production of high grade electrodes from coke, iron contamination of the coke can lead to electrode degradation and failure in processes, such as those used in the chlor-alkali industry.

Problems for the refiners associated with high calcium include exceeding metal specs for fuels oils that have resids blended in, poisoning catalysts for residual catalytic crackers, adversely affecting coke specs for metals, and contributing to crude unit fouling and delayed coker furnace fouling.

The method of Reynolds, while likely successful at the extraction of low levels of calcium (<30 ppm), has two significant drawbacks which make it impractical for use with the high calcium crudes.

One is that since the extraction process is stoichiometric, at the high levels of citric acid needed in the wash water, its pH drops significantly (to below 3) and causes a corrosion issue in the wash water circuit.

Thus, one can see that deposition of calcium citrate is an issue at typical desalter temperatures (250° F.-300° F.) and concentrations encountered when extracting higher levels of calcium with the typical 5% wash water rate.

Deposition in the brine heat exchanger and transfer piping was one of the problems that was experienced.

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