Patent ID: 10633598

Abstract:
The systems and methods reduce the total acid number (TAN) in crude oil. The crude oil, that includes naphthenic acid, is mixed with at least a caustic solution (e.g., sodium hydroxide) to produce a mixture. After mixing, the mixture is pumped to an atomizing tank. The mixture is spray-atomized in the mixing tank to produce a condensed liquid state of the crude oil that settles at the bottom of the atomizer tank and to produce minute droplets (e.g. mist, fog or the like) of the caustic. The minute droplets interact with and neutralize the naphthenic acid in the condensed liquid state of the crude oil for a predefined period of time. As a result, the resulting crude oil in the bottom of the atomizer tank has a reduced TAN and includes salt water. Additionally, the resulting crude oil has a water concentration that does not exceed 0.5%.