Focused beam reflectance measurement to optimized desalter performance and reduce downstream fouling

Abstract

Performance of equipment, such as a desalter, in a refinery is monitored in real-time and on-line to minimize fouling of downstream equipment. Using an instrument to measure particles and droplets in-process allows monitoring of the various operations to optimize performance. Such measurement can also be used during crude oil blending to detect asphaltene precipitates that can cause fouling and can be used for monitoring other fouling streams.

1 . A process for optimizing a refining operation to mitigate fouling of heat exchangers, comprising:
 processing raw crude oil in a desalter with wash water to remove particles from the crude oil;   measuring particles in the processed crude oil and generating data based on the measurements; and   adjusting the processing based on the data generated from the measurements.   
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein measuring particles includes counting total particles. 
   
   
       3 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein measuring particles includes collecting the total particle counts and sorting the counts based on particle size. 
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein sorting the counts based on particle size includes determining a chord length for each particle counted. 
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein measuring particles includes using focused beam reflectance. 
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein generating data includes identifying the particles. 
   
   
       7 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein identifying the particles includes identifying the particles as one of a plurality of carry-over particles including salts, aqueous brine, asphaltenes, clays, alumino-silicates and corrosion by-products. 
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein measuring particles in the processed crude oil occurs at the output of the desalter. 
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein measuring particles in the processed crude oil occurs in the desalter. 
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising wherein measuring particles in the unprocessed crude oil prior to processing in occurs at the inlet of the desalter. 
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the processing includes controlling the wash water rate, mixing energy with the crude oil, pH and/or temperature. 
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the processing includes controlling at least one of the wash water rate, mixing energy with the crude oil, pH, and temperature. 
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the processing includes controlling addition rates of chemical additives to enhance flocculation of solids and dispersancy of asphaltenes. 
   
   
       14 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the processing includes controlling the applied voltage applied to the electrostatic grids in the desalter. 
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein measuring particles and adjusting the process occurs in real-time. 
   
   
       16 . A process for monitoring aqueous breakthrough in a stream of crude oil, comprising:
 providing a stream of crude oil from an oil reserve;   processing the stream of crude oil in a dewatering unit to reduce an amount of process water in the stream of crude oil;   monitoring aqueous breakthrough during the processing in real time;   controlling the processing based on the monitored aqueous breakthrough; and   distributing the processed stream of crude oil for transport to a refining facility.   
   
   
       17 . A process for evaluating components of a stream of crude oil in a refining operation, comprising:
 providing a stream of crude oil for processing;   measuring particles in the stream of crude oil by determining the size of the particles; and   identifying the measured particles in the stream of crude oil.   
   
   
       18 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the stream of crude oil is desalted crude oil. 
   
   
       19 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the stream of crude oil is a blend of at least two crude oils. 
   
   
       20 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein determining the size of the particles includes using focused beam reflectance. 
   
   
       21 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein determining the size of the particles includes collecting total particle counts and sorting the total counts based on chord lengths of each measured particle. 
   
   
       22 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein providing the stream of crude oil for processing includes blending at least two crude oils and identifying the particles includes identifying asphaltenes. 
   
   
       23 . The process of  claim 21 , further comprising adjusting the processing by adjusting the blending based on compatibility. 
   
   
       24 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the stream is at least two crude oils that are incompatible. 
   
   
       25 . The process of  claim 23 , wherein particles are asphaltene precipitates. 
   
   
       26 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein providing the stream of crude oil for processing includes providing a stream of raw crude oil to a desalter. 
   
   
       27 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein identifying the particles includes identifying salts, aqueous brine droplets or corrosion by-products. 
   
   
       28 . The process of  claim 26 , further comprising adjusting the processing of the stream by adjusting a desalting process of the crude oil based on the identification of the measured particles as aqueous brine carry-over. 
   
   
       29 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the stream is FCC cat slurry. 
   
   
       30 . A desalter for use in a refining operation, comprising:
 a raw crude oil input;   a wash water input in fluid communication with the raw crude oil input, including a mixer that mixes the raw crude oil with the wash water;   a vessel in fluid communication with the raw crude oil input that receives the raw crude oil and wash water mixture and a desalting mechanism connected to the vessel that operates on the mixture to dissolve salts from the mixture, to separate solids, and to separate the crude oil from the water;   a desalted crude oil output in fluid communication with the vessel for discharging desalted crude oil for processing;   a waste water output in fluid communication with the vessel for discharging waste water; and   at least one sensor connected to the output that measures particles and droplets in the desalted crude oil output and generates data based on the measurement.   
   
   
       31 . The desalter of  claim 29 , wherein the sensor is a particle measurement device including a focused beam reflectance device. 
   
   
       32 . The desalter of  claim 29 , further comprising a sensor connected to the vessel that measures particles and droplets in the mixture in the vessel. 
   
   
       33 . The desalter of  claim 29 , further comprising a sensor connected to the vessel that measures particles and droplets in the raw crude oil input mixture upstream of the vessel. 
   
   
       34 . The desalter of  claim 29 , further comprising a controller connected to the at least one sensor for receiving the data generated by the sensor and generating instructions based on the data. 
   
   
       35 . The desalter of  claim 29 , in combination with a refining facility.