Clariant Oil Services Provides Cutting edge Technology for Slop Oil Treatment in Alberta

Benefits

• Highly cost-efficient and almost ubiquitous solution for slop oil treatment 
• Able to treat slop oil contaminated with drilling mud
• Enables faster and more efficient mechanical processing of troublesome streams

Background

A series of slop treatment facilities in Alberta, Canada, required a cost-effective treatment chemical program to aid the processing of slop oil (typically 8° API to 12° API) and slop oil contaminated by drilling mud. A typical facility was operating under the following conditions:

• Series of 1,000 bbl capacity tanks 
• Heated coils and heat exchangers to aid slop treatment within the tanks
• Centrifuge to deal with particularly troublesome slop with high solids and low water content

Clariant Oil Services was asked to provide a suitable chemistry that would aid fluid and solid separation, because the treating performance of these fluids showed wide fluctuations due to the variety of crude oil types arriving at the plant. At the time, no demulsifier was being used.

Clariant Oil Services Solutions and Value Delivered

The main challenge in treating the fluids at a particular plant was the high amount of solid particles in the fluids. Therefore, focus for testing was directed at finding a demulsifier product that would help wet these particles so they could fall to or through the water-oil interface and pass into the water phase. 

Testing by Clariant Oil Services showed that just mixing water with the emulsion resulted in tying up the additional water in the emulsion. However, when the Clariant Oil Services’ demulsifier PHASETREAT 6767 was present, the water helped wet the solids, effectively destabilizing the whole emulsion and enabling much faster separation of the solids and water from the crude. 

Provided that enough water is present in the sample, nearly dry cuts were obtained after 12 to 16 hours at ambient temperature, a period much shorter than the actual retention time at the plant. This added significant value for the operator of the plant because a much higher throughput could be achieved using PHASETREAT 6767, which resulted in additional revenue.

This information corresponds to the present state of our knowledge and is intended as a general description of our products and their possible applications. Clariant makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the information’s accuracy, adequacy, sufficiency or freedom from defect and assumes no liability in connection with any use of this information. Any user of this product is responsible for determining the suitability of Clariant's products for its particular application.*Nothing included in this information waives any of Clariant’s General Terms and Conditions of Sale, which control unless it agrees otherwise in writing. Any existing intellectual/industrial property rights must be observed. Due to possible changes in our products and applicable national and international regulations and laws, the status of our products could change. Material Safety Data Sheets providing safety precautions, that should be observed when handling or storing Clariant products, are available upon request and are provided in compliance with applicable law. You should obtain and review the applicable Material Safety Data Sheet information before handling any of these products. For additional information, please contact Clariant.

*For sales to customers located within the United States and Canada the following applies in addition: NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY IS MADE OF THE MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR OTHERWISE OF ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE.

Copyright © Clariant International Ltd, 2012.