Patent ID: 11873454
Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  B  H | IPC B  C  H

Claim 0:
1. A method of demulsifying a process fluid, the method comprising:
providing a pipe that comprises a circumferential wall defining a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and an interior region that provides a fluid flow-through area of the pipe;
providing a plurality of heating coils in a first section of the pipe that are configured to generate heat and that pass through the interior region of the pipe respectively at a plurality of heights from a bottom end of the pipe;
flowing the process fluid through the pipe, the process fluid comprising a first fluid and a second fluid that is immiscible with the first fluid, and the first fluid and the second fluid being separated by an interfacial layer, wherein the fluid inlet, the fluid outlet, an elongate axis of the pipe, and a bulk flow direction of the pipe together form an in-line arrangement;
achieving a substantially constant height of the interfacial layer in line with the in-line arrangement within a second section of the pipe that is located upstream of the first section;
identifying a heating coil, from among the plurality of heating coils, which has a height, from among the plurality of heights, that is nearest to a height of the interfacial layer;
selectively activating the heating coil from among the plurality of heating coils;
selectively applying targeted heat to the interfacial layer from the heating coil;
at least partially demulsifying the interfacial layer of the process fluid with the targeted heat;
flowing the process fluid to a separator with the interfacial layer having been heated by the targeted heat; and
within the separator, heating an interface between the first fluid and the second fluid with an electrostatic grid located on the interface.