| Abstract: | Electrostatic desalters are commonly used to separate water from crude oil emulsions. In this study, a novel mathematical model based on a bivariate population balance equation has been proposed to model the steady state distribution of water droplet sizes and salt concentration along an Alternative Current (AC) electrostatic desalter. Pilot plant data for two heavy crude oils are used to validate the model. Effect of different operational parameters on the outlet dehydration efficiency and salt content of crude oil have been studied. Furthermore, the effect of two-stage desalting on the outlet Basic Sediment and Water (BS&W) and salt content of oil have been studied and the optimized parameters of such configuration have been found by differential evolution method to get the best performance of the electrostatic desalters. |
