(103a) Benefits of Crude Pretreatment for Unconventional, Heavy Crude Processing

Heavy crudes represent a significant proportion of today’s global crude supply, and forecasts indicate the barrels of available heavy crude will continue to increase in the decades ahead. As refiners increase the percentage of these cost-advantaged feedstocks in their crude mix, they also increase the potential for downstream consequences, including waste water treatment plant excursions, catalyst poisoning, corrosion, and increased energy costs. The first defense against these many risks is generally the desalter; however, as a standalone process, desalting is limited in its ability to mitigate the downstream impacts of heavy crudes. Baker Hughes Crude Oil Management™ philosophy considers the desalter as one part of a much larger operation that encompasses the entire feed delivery and handling system. A central feature of Crude Oil Management is crude oil pretreatment: the application of proprietary low-temperature demulsifier technology in the crude delivery and storage facilities to improve feedstock quality, optimize desalter operations, and minimize the downstream impacts of heavy crudes. Case histories are presented, including a multi-year study of tank farm operations, detailing the benefits of crude oil pretreatment strategies.