Crude oil normally contains water in various percentages in an emulsion. Mainly the water is salty and the crude oil must be demulsified and desalinated with chemicals at the production site to get a higher price.
These chemicals can be added in various ways: By injection through a bore hole at high pressure, by injection at the collection point at low to medium pressure or by injection into the storage tank - intermittent metering at low pressure.
Demulsifying systems have been built by LEWA since the early 1960's; numerous installations have been in operation for over 40 years.
Advantages of LEWA packages for the injection of demulsifiers:
Demulsifiers are compounds that dispersed in very small amounts into the emulsion during injection that diffuse into the oil-water interface and function as stabilizers. They have a multitude of action mechanisms:
Description of the demulsification process:
The demulsifier concentrates on the surface of the small water drops and "collects" them. The drops form an increasing concentration of water. The water drops which refract the light, are removed. The visible effect is the brightening of the oil layer. The water droplets finally combine and are separated.
Why is the demulsifier a mixture?
Demulsifiers normally offer a combination of effects as:
A single substance cannot offer these combined properties, thus commercial demulsifier mixtures consist of several substances.
The most widely used methods are demulsifier injection systems at the bore hole and at collection points.
Bore hole injection is recommended:
Considerable cost reduction due to demulsifying crude oil:
LEWA has been your expert in pumps and packages since the 1950s. With us, you get everything from a single source: Our custom-built packages are used all around the world for offshore crude oil and natural gas production. From China to the United Arab Emirates, strong partners rely on our expertise for crude oil exploration applications.
More DetailsLEWA ecosmart is an innovative, compact and multiplexing diaphragm metering pump at a smart price. With it, we of course guarantee our renowned LEWA quality and offer you our expertise derived from 70 years in the market.
More DetailsThe innovative ecoflow diaphragm process pump shows its strengths in high-pressure applications in the oil and gas, refinery and petrochemical industries as well as in the sensitive areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food and beverage production.
More DetailsDeveloped and manufactured by the leading pump manufacturer. Customer-specific packages for chemical injection in the oil and gas industry.
More DetailsReady-to-operate, custom-designed pump units with a small-footprint design. We choose all the pumps, materials, and accessories for these pump skids.
More DetailsWith the help of LEWA Flow Distribution Systems and several Injection Rate Control Devices (IRCDs), a fluid can be metered to the process at several points.
More DetailsFind the right product series quickly and easily in our pump navigator.
Open the pump navigatorUse our customer portal for: digital asset management, document download and smart monitoring.
Customer portal