Spray Nozzle Dilution Water Atomization for Crude Oil Desalting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crude oil desalting processes face inefficiencies due to large dilution water droplets greater than 1000 microns in size, which hinder effective contact and coalescence with brine droplets, leading to suboptimal desalting performance.
Innovation Solution
The use of spray nozzles within a vertically oriented mixing vessel that atomize dilution water into droplets of 10 to 300 microns in diameter, enhancing contact efficiency with brine droplets, and optionally combined with a mixing valve or static mixer for further improvement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If medium pressure spraying through disperser holes is used to disperse dilution water, then dispersion is achieved, but droplet size becomes greater than 1000 microns which reduces contact efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the key parameter of droplet size by replacing medium pressure spraying with high pressure spraying. The spray nozzles operate at high pressure to atomize dilution water into droplets of 10 to 300 microns, significantly reducing droplet size compared to the prior art's greater than 1000 microns. This parameter change directly improves contact efficiency between wash water and brine droplets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical disperser system with spray nozzles that use fluid dynamics and atomization. Instead of relying on medium pressure spraying through holes, the invention uses high pressure spray nozzles that leverage fluid mechanics to create fine droplets, replacing the less effective mechanical dispersion method.
2Productivity
If high pressure spray nozzles are used to atomize wash water, then contact efficiency increases to 60-70%, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wash water delivery system into multiple spray nozzles positioned at different locations within the mixing vessel. This segmentation allows for distributed atomization throughout the crude oil stream, improving overall contact efficiency while managing system complexity through modular nozzle placement rather than a single complex mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach increases desalting performance by enhancing the contact efficiency between wash water and brine droplets, achieving contact efficiencies of 60 to 70% and up to 90% when used with conventional systems, significantly improving the removal of salt from crude oil streams.
Implementation Method 1
The spray nozzles atomize wash water from the dilution water source into the crude oil stream
Implementation Method 2
The degree of emulsification of the dilution water primarily depends on the pressure drop imparted by the valve
Implementation Method 3
followed by electrostatic dehydration of the resulting mixture
Data Source
AI summary
A system for desalting a crude oil stream includes vessel that has an interior piping structure that releases wash water into a crude oil flow within the vessel. The piping structure, which may have more than one level, has a plurality of spray nozzles for dispersing or releasing the wash water into the flowing crude oil stream. The spray nozzles may be located on a same side or opposite sides of the piping structure. Where multiple levels are used, the number of spray nozzles on each level may be the same as or different than the number of spray nozzles on other levels. The pressure drop through each spray nozzle is no greater than 300 psi and the nozzles deliver a dilution water droplet no larger than 300 microns in diameter. A mixing valve, static mixer, or both can be placed downstream of the vessel.