Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater improves crude oil dehydration

The Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater is the single most effective method of crude oil dehydration. Since its introduction in the 1970s, it has out performed mechanical and conventional AC electrostatic treaters in hundreds of applications. This treater provides lower operating temperatures, higher throughput rates, and lower BS&W content, while handling larger volumes in a smaller vessel.

Innovative AC/DC design accelerates coalescence, improves efciency

The Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater consists of a pressure vessel with a heating/degassing section and retubes, an oil spillover box, and a coalescing section with metered orice distributors (gure 1). In place of the conventional alternating current (AC) electrical system, the Dual Polarity Treater uses a system with both AC and DC elds. The crude oil emulsion enters the Dual Polarity Treater and ows downward over a hood bafe. Free water separates immediately and is not heated, which boosts heating efciency and saves fuel. The hood bafe also helps eliminate retube scaling by keeping the free water from coming directly into contact with the retube. Oil and emulsion is heated as it ows up past the retube. Larger water droplets coalesce and separate, while smaller water droplets continue with the oil as it ows into the coalescing section. Then, these remaining water droplets are subjected to the AC/DC electrostatic elds, causing them to coalesce and settle to the bottom of the vessel.

Typical Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater

Dual Polarity outperforms the single eld systems

Using the same dependable AC power supply as a conventional electrostatic treater, the Dual Polarity Treater splits the high voltage, with rectiers, into positive/negative components. Pairs of electrode plates are charged in opposition. Water droplets entering the eld are elongated and attracted to one or the other plate, accepting the charge of the electrode plate they are approaching.

The benets of this unique design are:

The Dual Polarity eld delivers twice the voltage of an AC eld, while using the same power supply/ transformer requirements as an AC eld. Because of the unchanging polarity of the DC eld, water droplets have time to respond by migrating between electrodes. Movement is virtually non-existent in a pure AC uid due to the very short cycle duration. Once water droplets approach one of the electrode plates, they become charged with the same high voltage static charge that is on that plate. In a pure AC eld no net charge is imparted to water droplets; only the attraction of polarization is available to cause coalescence.

Figure 1 NATCO Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater

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Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater

DC eld forces water droplets into collision course for faster coalescence
In an emulsion containing thousands of water droplets, roughly half will accept positive charges and the other half, negative. Particles are electro-kinetically driven toward the plate of opposite static charge head-on and coalesce. When they are large enough, gravity will overcome the DC eld which suspends them between the plates, and they fall to the water phase (Figure 4). conventional treaters. The Dual Polarity process creates larger droplets than conventional AC units. These droplets fall through the opposing emulsion ow more easily so more oil can be processed in a given size vessel. For example, with 32.5 API gravity crude, the throughput increase with a DP treater is 29% up from 70 to 90 as shown in Figure 7. That means the Dual Polarity Treater is ideal for offshore production platforms, housed arctic operations and for terminals where large volumes are handled.

Figure 5 Decreased operating temperature

Benets Advantages Lower operating temperatures mean lower fuel costs

The Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater is designed to operate at temperatures 15F lower than a conventional electrostatic treater, and up to 60F cooler than ordinary heater treaters. The dual polarity electrostatics provide for more complete dehydration. Consequently, it can process at higher viscosities, which means less heat is required to lower the viscosity of the oil at processing conditions. It provides sizeable savings in fuel costs for any gravity of crude oil. For example, with 32.5F API gravity crude at 10,000 bopd and 1,000 bwpd, the Dual Polarity Treater achieves a 15F reduction in temperature. This produces a saving of 1,156,250 btu/hr. At 60% heat transfer, this results in a fuel saving of 46,250 scf/day (Figure 5). The Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater may operate at the minimum crude oil inlet temperature, resulting in additional fuel savings and eliminating the need for a heating system in the vessel.

Figure 6 Percent loss by volume vs. temperature

Figure 2 Electrode conguration

Figure 7 Increased rates Figure 3 Electrostatic elds

For more information on NATCO Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater or other NATCO Group products contact:

Also reduces volume loss, produces more oil to sales

The lower operating temperature of the Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater also results in less vaporization and loss of light ends from the oil. Using the same example of 10,000 bopd, the 0.25% decrease in vapor loss, achieved by the DP treater, means an increase of 25 bopd produced (Figure 6).

NATCO Group Head Ofce Houston, USA Tel: +(1) 713 683 9292 Email: sales@natco-us.com
Figure 4 Electro-kinetic droplet movement between DC Electrodes

Benets
More crude to sales Higher gravity crude to sales Lower fuel usage Reduced chemical consumption Less crude inventoried in the treater Products sold, not stored Lower BS&W cuts Better control of gas Btu content Rapid recovery from upsets Advanced, yet most reliable technology available

NATCO Canada Calgary, Canada Tel: +(1) 403 236 1850 Email: sales@natco.ab.ca NATCO Japan Tokyo, Japan Tel: +(81) 33288 1901 Email: natco1@natcojapan.com Axsia Group Gloucester, England Tel: +(44) 1452 833800 Email: asbl@axsia.com Axsia Howmar Camberley, England Tel: +(44) 1276 681101 Email: ahl@axsia.com

Increased throughput rates

The Dual Polarity Electrostatic Treater requires less space because the vessel can handle much higher ow rates than
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