Service quality, specialty chemistry combine to solve off-spec crude challenges for refinery
Download PDFRefinery experiencing performance issues with crude blends from a pipeline
Latin America
A refinery in Latin America experienced performance issues with challenging crude blends coming from a pipeline. Higher rates of shale oil and tertiary oil recovery crudes which contained polymers, such as polyacrylamides, were causing process challenges.
The presence of polymers significantly affected desalting performance. These polymers prevented water droplets from coalescing and stabilized water-in-oil emulsions. Consequently, oil carry-under occurred in the brine, which led to increased slop oil generation. The refinery consistently generated an average of 132 m³/day, well above the maximum limit of 60 m³/day, and sporadic water carryover episodes further complicated operations, causing slowdowns and limiting production.
To address these challenges, Halliburton implemented a comprehensive solution:
We provided around-the-clock service to support early detection and resolution of potential issues in the desalters and the slop oil generation system. To assess challenges related to polymers, surfactants, and asphaltenes, daily brine extractions using toluene, heptane, and IPA were performed. Monitoring would allow them to adjust dosages and optimize performance.
While no other competitor could advise on polymer presence in the crude oil, including organic acid injection to break polymers in crude oil pipeline, Halliburton provided the entire set of adjunct chemistries and continuous service coverage for the desalters and slop oil system.
The implementation of these measures led to a significant improvement. Slop oil generation decreased from 132 m³/day to 55 m³/day, meeting the key performance indicator of less than 60 m³/day. Furthermore, no additional water carryover events were registered.
Halliburton helps enhance downstream operations through water and process treatment programs that deliver specialized chemicals, analysis, and more.