Patent Publication Number: US-11376524-B2

Title: Crude oil demulsification

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application is a Divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/450,427, filed on Jun. 24, 2019, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to separation of fluids, for example, crude oil emulsions. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Crude oil from a subterranean formation typically includes water with salt. If the water is not separated from the crude oil, the salt content can cause corrosion and deposition of salts in downstream equipment (such as pipelines and heat exchangers). It can be beneficial to demulsify the crude oil to separate the oil and water phases. Three example factors associated with crude oil demulsification include the rate at which the oil and water phases separate, the amount of water left in the crude oil after separation, and the quality of the separated water for treatment and/or disposal. 
     SUMMARY 
     This disclosure describes technologies relating to separation of fluids, and more specifically, demulsification of crude oil. Certain aspects of the subject matter described can be implemented as a system. The system includes a device disposed within a storage tank. The device includes a cyclonic separator and an electrostatic coalescer. The cyclonic separator is configured to receive and separate phases of a multi-phase fluid stream. The cyclonic separator is configured to induce cyclonic flow of the multi-phase fluid stream to separate the multi-phase fluid stream into a gas stream and a liquid stream. The liquid stream includes a first liquid phase and a second liquid phase. The cyclonic separator is configured to discharge at least a portion of the gas stream and at least a portion of the liquid stream. The electrostatic coalescer is downstream of and fluidically connected to the second outlet of the cyclonic separator. The electrostatic coalescer is configured to demulsify the liquid stream by causing coalescence of liquid droplets of one of the first or second liquid phases. 
     This, and other aspects, can include one or more of the following features. 
     The cyclonic separator can include an inlet for flowing the multi-phase fluid stream into the cyclonic separator. The inlet can be configured to induce cyclonic flow of the multi-phase fluid stream in the cyclonic separator. The inlet can be disposed tangentially to a circumference of the cyclonic separator. The cyclonic separator can include a first outlet for discharging at least the portion of the gas stream. The cyclonic separator can include a second outlet for discharging at least the portion of the liquid stream. 
     The electrostatic coalescer can include a housing configured to discharge coalesced liquid droplets to the storage tank. 
     The housing can include a tubular with an open end for discharging the coalesced liquid droplets to the storage tank. 
     The electrostatic coalescer can include multiple electrodes disposed within the housing. The electrostatic coalescer can include a power supply connected to the electrodes. The electrodes can be configured to produce an electric field in response to receiving power from the power supply. 
     Certain aspects of the subject matter described can be implemented as a method. 
     Within a storage tank, cyclonic flow is caused in a multi-phase fluid stream through a cyclonic separator. Within the storage tank, the multi-phase fluid stream is separated into a gas stream and a liquid stream. The liquid stream includes an emulsion of oil and water. Within the storage tank, the water in the emulsion is electrostatically coalesced. 
     This, and other aspects, can include one or more of the following features. 
     The liquid stream can be flowed from the cyclonic separator to an electrostatic coalescer. 
     The gas stream can be flowed from the cyclonic separator into a vapor space of the storage tank through a first outlet of the cyclonic separator. The droplets of water and the oil can be discharged from the electrostatic coalescer to the storage tank. 
     Electrostatically coalescing the water in the liquid stream can include supplying power to an electrode of the electrostatic coalescer. 
     Flowing the liquid stream from the cyclonic separator to the electrostatic coalescer can include flowing the liquid stream through a second outlet of the cyclonic separator to the electrostatic coalescer. 
     The cyclonic separator and the electrostatic coalescer can be disposed within the storage tank. 
     The second outlet of the cyclonic separator can be connected to the electrostatic coalescer. 
     Certain aspects of the subject matter described can be implemented as a system. The system includes a storage tank and a device disposed within the storage tank. The device includes a cyclonic separator and an electrostatic coalescer. The cyclonic separator is configured to receive and separate a multi-phase fluid stream into a gas stream and a liquid stream. The cyclonic separator includes a conical housing, an inlet, and a tubular. The conical housing includes a first end, a second end smaller than the first end, and a lateral surface between the first end and the second end. The first end, the second end, and the lateral surface define an inner volume of the cyclonic separator. The inlet is disposed tangentially to a circumference of the lateral surface of the conical housing. The inlet is configured to receive the multi-phase fluid stream. The tubular penetrates the first end of the conical housing and extends into the inner volume of the cyclonic separator. The tubular is configured to discharge at least a portion of the gas stream from the cyclonic separator. The second end of the conical housing is configured to discharge at least a portion of the liquid stream from the cyclonic separator. The electrostatic coalescer is downstream of and fluidically connected to the second end of the conical housing. The electrostatic coalescer is configured to cause coalescence of liquid droplets in the portion of the liquid stream. The electrostatic coalescer includes a housing, a power supply, and multiple electrodes disposed within the housing. The housing includes an open end configured to discharge the coalesced liquid droplets of the portion of the liquid stream to the storage tank. The electrodes are connected to the power supply. The electrodes are configured to produce an electric field in response to receiving power from the power supply. 
     The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter of this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram of an example device for fluid separation. 
         FIG. 1B  is a top view of the device of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1C  is a schematic diagram of an example electrostatic coalescer of the device of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1D  is a schematic diagram showing an example of flow through the device of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1E  is a top view showing an example of flow through the device of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an example system including the device of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of an example method for fluid separation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This disclosure describes crude oil demulsification. The crude oil can be demulsified by one or more processes, such as cyclonic separation and electrostatic coalescence. The subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented, so as to realize one or more of the following advantages. A device including a cyclonic separator and an electrostatic coalescer can be disposed within a storage tank to demulsify the crude oil within the storage tank. The large residence and settling times in storage tanks (for example, residence times ranging from about 30 minutes to about 90 minutes) allow for effective use of the electrostatic coalescer. This is in contrast to conventional gravity separation tanks which, in some cases, experience turbulence and slugging, both of which negatively affect coalescence. Implementation of the subject matter described in this disclosure can allow for smaller downstream processing equipment (such as a wet crude oil dehydrator, heat exchangers, pumps, and vessels), thereby resulting in capital cost savings. The use of the device in the storage tank can allow for the storage tank to be smaller in size in comparison to storage tanks without the device. The use of the device can also result in operating cost savings, as water can be separated from the crude oil upstream of the wet crude oil dehydrator, thereby reducing heating requirements. 
       FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram of an example device  100  for fluid separation. The device  100  can be used, for example, to demulsify crude oil. The device includes a cyclonic separator  120  and an electrostatic coalescer  140 . The device can be disposed within a storage tank. The storage tank can have a total storage volume in a range of from about 2,000 barrels to about 20,000 barrels. The total storage volume of the storage tank can depend on the desired residence time and on characteristics of the crude oil. The cyclonic separator  120  is configured to receive and separate phases of a multi-phase fluid stream. The cyclonic separator  120  can include a frusto-conical housing. The frusto-conical housing can include a first end  125   a , a second end  125   b  smaller than the first end  125   a  (with respect to diameter), and a lateral surface  125   c  between the first end  125   a  and the second end  125   b . The first end  125   a , the second end  125   b , and the lateral surface  125   c  define an inner volume of the cyclonic separator  120 . 
       FIG. 1B  shows a top view of the device  100  shown in  FIG. 1A . The cyclonic separator  120  includes an inlet  121  for receiving and flowing the multi-phase fluid stream into the cyclonic separator  120 . The inlet  121  is configured to induce cyclonic flow of the multi-phase fluid stream in the cyclonic separator  120  to separate the multi-phase fluid stream into a gas stream and a liquid stream. As shown, the inlet  121  can be disposed tangentially to a circumference of the cyclonic separator  120 . For example, the inlet  121  is disposed tangentially to the lateral surface  125   c  of the cyclonic separator  120 . Such disposition of the inlet  121  can induce the cyclonic flow of the multi-phase fluid stream in the cyclonic separator  120 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1A , the cyclonic separator  120  includes a first outlet  123   a  for flowing at least a portion of the gas stream separated from the multi-phase fluid stream. The first outlet  123   a  can include a tubular  127   a  penetrating the first end of the conical housing and extending into the inner volume of the cyclonic separator  120 . The cyclonic separator  120  includes a second outlet  123   b  for flowing at least a portion of the liquid stream separated from the multi-phase fluid stream. 
     The cyclonic flow of the multi-phase fluid stream in the cyclonic separator  120  can cause phases of the multi-phase fluid stream to separate in the cyclonic separator  120 . Cyclonic flow can be described as flow of fluid in a substantially helical pattern. The cyclonic flow can cause the heavier (that is, denser) phase(s) of the multi-phase fluid stream to flow along a lateral (that is, circumferential) surface of the cyclonic separator  120 , while the lighter (that is, less dense) phase(s) flow closer to the central, longitudinal axis of the cyclonic separator  120 . For example, if the multi-phase fluid stream includes gas, oil, and water, then the gas (the lightest phase) can be separated from the other components in the cyclonic separator  120  and flow out of the first outlet  123   a , and the oil and water can flow out of the second outlet  123   b . The oil and water (the heavier phases) can flow out of the second outlet  123   b  in the form of an emulsion (that is, water dispersed in oil or vice versa). 
     The electrostatic coalescer  140  is downstream of and fluidically connected to the second outlet  123   b  of the cyclonic separator  120 . The electrostatic coalescer  140  can be connected to the second outlet  123   b  by a tubular  127   b . The liquid stream flowing out of the second outlet  123   b  can flow through the tubular  127   b  to the electrostatic coalescer  140 . The electrostatic coalescer  140  is configured to cause coalescence of liquid droplets in the portion of the liquid stream. Coalescence of liquid droplets involves merging of liquid droplets. The electrostatic coalescer  140  can generate an electric field. The generated electric field can cause coalescence of liquid droplets. For example, for an emulsion of water in oil, the electrostatic coalescer  140  can cause the water droplets to coalesce, thereby demulsifying the water and oil. The water present in crude oil typically has salt content. The generated electric field can induce dipole moments in the water droplets and cause the water droplets to be attracted to each other (in other words, cause coalescence of the water droplets). 
     The electrostatic coalescer  140  can include a housing  141  configured to discharge coalesced liquid droplets to the storage tank (not shown). In some implementations, the housing  141  includes a tubular  141   a  with an open end  141   b  for discharging the coalesced droplets to the storage tank. 
       FIG. 1C  illustrates a more detailed view of the electrostatic coalescer  140  that is part of the device  100 . The electrostatic coalescer  140  can include multiple electrodes  143  disposed within the housing  141 . Although shown in  FIG. 1C  as including five electrodes  143 , the electrostatic coalescer  140  can include fewer electrodes (for example, two, three, or four electrodes) or more electrodes (for example, six electrodes or more than six electrodes). The number of electrodes  143  included in the electrostatic coalescer  140  can depend on one or more factors, such as flow rate of crude oil to the device  100 , physical properties of the crude oil flowed to the device  100 , composition of the crude oil flowed to the device  100 , and temperature of the crude oil flowed to the device  100 . The electrostatic coalescer  140  can include a power supply  145  connected to the electrodes  143 . The electrodes  143  are configured to produce an electric field in response to receiving power from the power supply  145 . In some implementations, the power supply  145  provides power at a voltage in a range of from 400 volts (V) to 16,000V. One or more of the components of the electrostatic coalescer  140  (for example, the power supply  145 ) can be insulated to avoid short-circuiting and arcing faults. 
       FIGS. 1D and 1E  illustrate an example of the flow of fluid (dotted arrows) through the device  100 . A multi-phase fluid stream can be, for example, crude oil including water with dissolved salt. The crude oil can be from, for example, a wellhead or a flow line. The multi-phase fluid stream enters the device  100  via inlet  121 . The multi-phase fluid stream flows cyclonically in the cyclonic separator  120 . Gas from the multi-phase fluid stream can exit the cyclonic separator  120  through the first outlet  123   a . Liquid from the multi-phase fluid stream (for example, water, oil, or a mixture of both) can exit the cyclonic separator  120  through the second outlet  123   a  and flow to the electrostatic coalescer  140 . The electrostatic coalescer  140  can cause demulsification, and the separated liquid phases can discharge from the device  100  and into the storage tank (not shown). The lighter liquid phase (for example, the crude oil) can form a layer on top of the heavier liquid phase (for example, the water including salt). 
       FIG. 2  shows a system  200  in which the device  100  is disposed within a storage tank  250 . A crude oil stream  201  can include a mixture of crude oil and water. In some cases, the crude oil stream  201  includes entrained gas, dissolved gas, or both. The water can include salt (for example, in the form of dissolved salt in the water). The crude oil stream  201  can be flowed to a separator  202 . The separator  202  can be, for example, an American Petroleum Institute (API) oil-water separator. Gas  201   a  from the crude oil stream  201  (for example, any gas entrained or dissolved in the crude oil stream  201 ) can be discharged from the separator  202  and flowed to a gas compression unit  290 , which can compress and process gas for delivery, for example, to a pipeline, or another downstream processing unit. The lighter liquid phase  201   b  of the crude oil stream  201  (for example, the crude oil) that is separated in the separator  202  can be flowed to a heater  204 . The heavier liquid phase  201   c  of the crude oil stream  201  (for example, the water including salt) that is separated in the separator  202  can be flowed to another separator  206 . 
     It is noted that the crude oil stream  201  may not completely separate into the gas phase, the lighter liquid phase, and the heavier liquid phase in the separator  202 . For example, some gas may still remain in the lighter liquid phase  201   b , the heavier liquid phase  201   c , or both. For example, some of the heavier liquid (water including salt) may still remain in the lighter liquid phase  201   b . Therefore, in some implementations, the lighter liquid phase  201   b  includes an emulsion of crude oil and water (and in some cases, dissolved gas). 
     The heater  204  can improve the separation of gas from the lighter liquid phase  201   b . In some implementations, the heater  204  causes one or more components in the lighter liquid phase  201   b  to flash (evaporate). The heated lighter liquid phase  203  can flow to the device  100 . Gas from the heated lighter liquid phase  203  can be discharged from the device  100  (for example, from the first outlet  123   a  of the cyclonic separator  120 ) and into the vapor space of the storage tank  250 . Gas from the storage tank  250  can be flowed to the gas compression unit  290 . 
     The device  100 , as described previously, can cause coalescence of water droplets in the oil-water emulsion, thereby promoting separation of the lighter and heavier liquid phases. The lighter phase (oil) can settle as a layer on top of the heavier phase (water) within the storage tank  250 . The crude oil from the storage tank  250  can be flowed as a “dry” crude oil stream  203   b  for delivery, for example, to a pipeline, or another downstream processing unit (such as a refining unit). The water from the storage tank  250  can be flowed as a water stream  203   c  to the separator  206 . The water stream  205  from the separator  206  can be, for example, disposed or flowed to a water treatment unit (not shown). In implementations where the water stream  205  is flowed to a water treatment unit, the water treatment unit can treat the water stream  205 , such that it is suitable for disposal or injection into a reservoir. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart for an example method  300 , which can be implemented to demulsify crude oil. The method  300  can be implemented with the device  100  disposed within the storage tank  250 . At step  302 , cyclonic flow is caused in a multi-phase fluid stream through a cyclonic separator ( 120 ). The cyclonic flow can be induced by the inlet  121  of the cyclonic separator  120  because the inlet  121  is disposed tangentially to a circumference of the cyclonic separator  120 . 
     At step  304 , the multi-phase fluid stream is separated into a gas stream and a liquid stream. The multi-phase fluid stream can be separated in the cyclonic separator  120 . The liquid stream can include an emulsion of oil and water. The water can include salt. The gas stream can be discharged from the first outlet  123   a  of the cyclonic separator  120 . The gas stream can be flowed from the cyclonic separator  120  into a vapor space of the storage tank  250  through the first outlet  123   a  of the cyclonic separator  120 . The liquid stream can be discharged from the second outlet  123   b  of the cyclonic separator  120 . The liquid stream can be flowed from the cyclonic separator  120  to the electrostatic coalescer  140 . The liquid stream can be flowed from the cyclonic separator  120  to the electrostatic coalescer  140  through the second outlet  123   b  of the cyclonic separator  120 . 
     At step  306 , the water in the emulsion is electrostatically coalesced. That is, the water droplets are coalesced together to promote separation of the oil and the water (demulsification). The water droplets can be coalesced with the electrostatic coalescer  140 . Power can be supplied to one or more electrodes  143  to generate an electric field. As described previously, the electric field can induce dipole moments in the water droplets because of the ions in the water (from the dissolved salt). The induced dipole moments causes the water droplets to become attracted to one another, thereby resulting in coalescence of the water droplets. The coalesced water and the oil can be discharged from the electrostatic coalescer  140  to the storage tank  250 . 
     In some implementations, the method  300  includes disposing the device (including the cyclonic separator  120  and the electrostatic coalescer  140 ) within the storage tank  250  before step  302 . In some implementations, the method  300  includes connecting the second outlet  123   b  of the cyclonic separator  120  to the electrostatic coalescer  140 . 
     In this disclosure, the terms “a,” “an,” or “the” are used to include one or more than one unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated. The statement “at least one of A and B” has the same meaning as “A, B, or A and B.” In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed in this disclosure, and not otherwise defined, is for the purpose of description only and not of limitation. Any use of section headings is intended to aid reading of the document and is not to be interpreted as limiting; information that is relevant to a section heading may occur within or outside of that particular section. 
     In this disclosure, “approximately” means a deviation or allowance of up to 10 percent (%) and any variation from a mentioned value is within the tolerance limits of any machinery used to manufacture the part. Likewise, “about” and “substantially” can also allow for a degree of variability in a value or range, for example, within 10%, within 5%, or within 1% of a stated value or of a stated limit of a range. 
     Values expressed in a range format should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a range of “0.1% to about 5%” or “0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include about 0.1% to about 5%, as well as the individual values (for example, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (for example, 0.1% to 0.5%, 1.1% to 2.2%, 3.3% to 4.4%) within the indicated range. The statement “X to Y” has the same meaning as “about X to about Y,” unless indicated otherwise. Likewise, the statement “X, Y, or Z” has the same meaning as “about X, about Y, or about Z,” unless indicated otherwise. 
     While this disclosure contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the subject matter or on what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular implementations. Certain features that are described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented, in combination, in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations, separately, or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although previously described features may be described as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination. 
     Particular implementations of the subject matter have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications, substitutions, and alterations may be made. While operations are depicted in the drawings or claims in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed (some operations may be considered optional), to achieve desirable results. Accordingly, the previously described example implementations do not define or constrain this disclosure.