Bp Corporation North America Inc.

Jason English

Craig Hackett

Chengxiang Zhou

Ming Wei

A process for optimising the removal of calcium from a hydrocarbon feedstock in a refinery desalting process, the refinery desalting process comprising the following steps: (a) mixing one or more wash water streams with one or more hydrocarbon feedstock streams; (b) at least partially separating the wash water from the hydrocarbons in a refinery desalter; and (c) removing the separated water and hydrocarbons from the refinery desalter as one or more desalted hydrocarbon streams and one or more effluent water streams; the process optimisation comprising: (i) providing at least one x-ray fluorescence analyser at at least one point in the refinery desalting process; (ii) measuring the concentration of calcium at the at least one point in the process using the at least one x-ray fluorescence analyser; and (iii) optionally adjusting at least one process condition of the refinery desalting process in response to the calcium concentration measurement in step (ii). An apparatus comprises a desalter; a line through which one or more hydrocarbon feedstock streams are passed to the desalter; optionally a line through which one or more wash water streams are passed to the desalter; and one or more x-ray fluorescence analysers configured so as to measure the concentration of calcium in water or hydrocarbons at one or more positions within the apparatus.

Calcium removal optimisation

A method comprises correlating&#x2014;in a system which comprises a non-aqueous phase comprising a hydrocarbon fluid, and an aqueous phase&#x2014;partitioning levels of a basic contaminant and/or an acid of interest into the aqueous phase with the pH of the aqueous phase. The partitioning levels of the basic contaminant and the acid of interest, as well as the pH of the aqueous phase, are obtained under conditions which are representative of those used in a partitioning process in which a basic contaminant is removed from a hydrocarbon fluid. The correlations may be used in a method for selecting an acidic environment for use in a partitioning process, for estimating corrosion risk downstream of a partitioning process, or for controlling a partitioning process.

Removing contaminants from crude oil

A process for analyzing a hydrocarbon stream comprises: withdrawing a hydrocarbon sample from a hydrocarbon stream; passing the hydrocarbon sample to an analysis device at a target temperature of greater than 120&#xb0; C. and a target flow rate of greater than 20 liters per minute; and returning the hydrocarbon sample to the hydrocarbon stream. The process may be used for the on-line analysis of crude oil, in order to optimize a refinery operation.

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Aurora, IL, United States of America

Jason English