Previously, a multinational energy company requested ioMosaic perform a relief system revalidation of two crude desalter units at a throughput of 135,000 bbls/day. Now the client desired to evaluate the capacity and stability of the two desalter valves at a new flowrate of 165,000 bbls/day with different feedstocks. Electrostatic desalters are commonly used to separate water, salt and other impurities from crude oil emulsions.
To accommodate the higher throughput, the desalters were rated at a higher pressure and the relief valve set pressures were to be raised. ioMosaic recalculated the relief loads using the higher throughput for safe operation. We also updated the scenario identification for the proposed conditions and provided recommendations for corrective action.
ioMosaic provided the client with a summary report indicating that one of the valves had inlet losses of greater than five percent and recommended a remote-sensing pilot valve. The client subsequently indicated a relief valve model and ioMosaic reran the calculations to confirm that this model would be adequate to meet the increased flowrate. We also recommended a specific valve modification to prevent fouling of the valve after installation.