Stabiliser Desalters

Crude Oil Desalters form a critical step in the stabilisation of Crude Oil. But they provide an ideal opportunity for solids in the crude oil, to drop out! As a result, the sediment build-up in the Desalter causes operational issues and a requirement is ‘blow-down’ to reduce the volume of sludge in the bottom of the vessel. At turnarounds, it is necessary to remove the ‘sludge’. This is using a mixture of manual labour, vacuum trucks and water washing, involving hazardous ‘man-entry’. As a result, timescales of 1 to 2 weeks to achieve clean gas-free conditions.

CORE provides a chemical circulation technique that can wash, de-sludge and de-gas Desalters in as little as 48 hours. CORE applies formulation chemicals in several different ways, depending on the Desalter configuration and history. On opening, any solids left in low-lying areas of the Desalter are completely ‘water-wet’ and flush away easily with a fire hose, for example. This leaves a completely clean, gas-free Desalter.

CORE formulations work by penetrating the sludge, liberating the hydrocarbons that have been binding the solids together in a sticky mass. Secondly, temporarily emulsifying those hydrocarbons to facilitate easy removal from the vessel.

Please contact us to discover more about this stabiliser desalters. Our expert team at CORE (and J1) are on hand to discuss your exact requirements.