GEA Crude Oil Treatment Systems

GEA Crude Oil Treatment Systems

Modular centrifugal process lines for the efficient dehydration and desalting of crude oil

GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS · 3

CENTERPIECE OF PEFORMANCEEvery GEA Crude Oil Treatment System consists of a

centrifuge for dehydrating or desalting the crude oil.

Introduction Tackling your challenges, keeping your 04

business running profitably

Our solutions for your challenges Ready to use, wherever needed 06 Process setups 08

GEA Separation Technology Customized solutions for the highest demands 12

GEA crude oil Dehydrators 14

GEA crude oil Desalters 16

Modular systems 18 In-house process engineering solutions 20

GEA – your service partner Trouble-free operation in demanding environments 22

Contents

2 · GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS

4 · GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS

According to Statista, global oil production has increased steadi-

ly over the past 50 years – to a peak of around 94.72 million bar-

rels a day in 2018. This means that daily production has roughly

tripled over the same period. Increasing global consumption,

particularly in the emerging markets of China, India, Brazil, the

Russian Federation and Mexico, requires more efficient technol-

ogies and new ways to also handle heavy-to-extract oil wells. The

role of unconventional crude oil production and the difficult to

recover oil reserves is becoming more important.

More and more oil companies are turning to unconventional

sources such as deep-sea oil, oil sand, and heavy crude oil (HCO).

Even resources that have already been developed still offer

considerable untapped potential. The conventional deposits

exploited by primary methods are – depending on the properties

of the deposit and the crude oil – only depleted on average by

around 35 %. There, the yields can be increased by up to 60 %

using a new “Enhanced Oil Recovery” (EOR) production method.

This method has also proven effective in the extraction of heavy

crude oil.

Centrifugal separators from GEA are the efficient, state-of-the-art

solution for the continuous treatment of crude oil. With the

new Crude Oil Treatment Systems, GEA has most flexibly im-

plemented 125 years of separation technology know-how and

designed a modular but easy-to-integrate solution for various

process setups, as side or full stream installation or as a pre-de-

hydrating option – both stationery and mobile.

The heart of the Crude Oil Treatment Systems is a unit with a

high-performance GEA centrifuge, which can be optionally

supplemented with additional units with transfer pump, heater

and mixer, providing a tailor-made solution for each customer

and process requirement. The innovative GEA solution can

process crude oils with high densities and high water/salt con-

tent efficiently while minimizing the consumption of chemicals,

which leads to considerable savings in operating costs.

The result: a more economical process, which is in addition safer

and more stable and thus easier to control. As an experienced

supplier to the oil & gas industry, our systems comply with all

relevant safety and production standards such as IEC, ATEX,

NEC, NACE, ANSI/ASME.

Tackling your challenges, keeping your business running profitably

Thanks to technological progress and the development of new oil reserves, crude oil will remain the most important source of energy and raw material for the global economy in the coming decades.

CONTINUOUS FLOWNew technologies and strategies enable operators to

give new life to mature fields and old platforms and

handle a wide range of process conditions.

GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS · 5

Ready to use, wherever needed

The GEA solution separates crude oil of almost any quality and

composition into both a compliant crude oil stream and water

stream and a concentrated solids stream.

When produced from the reservoir, crude oil contains contam-

inants such as water, suspended solids and water-soluble salts

in changing compositions. Since these contaminants impact

the lifetime of downstream equipment, they must be removed

before the crude oil can be further processed.

Static and electrostatic systems are still state of the art in many

cases to remove contaminants from oil. However, they may

reach their limits to produce sufficient results with challenging

oils to be processed.

With the GEA Crude Oil Treatment System, it is no longer a challenge to meet industry standards, since contaminants are not only reduced to the required specifications, but our system enables oil qualities that even exceed these standards.

Increasing water cuts have a

negative impact on overall

performance and can affect

the operation of the electro-

static system.

Installation of the GEA Crude

Oil Treatment System as a pre-

dehydration stage upstream of

the electrostatic gravity settler.

Reduction of the amount of

water to < 5% to increase

overall performance and

ensure stable operation of

the electrostatic system.

Here, our ready-to-use yet flexible treatment systems provide an effective and reliable option to tackle the following challenges:

The treatment capacity of

the existing system must be

increased or the crude oil quality

degrades, resulting in decreasing

production rates.

Installation of the GEA Crude Oil

Treatment System as a parallel

side stream to the existing setup.

Increased or recovered

performance.

With oil qualities lower than

API 16, conventional equipment

can reach its economical limit.

Full stream installation of the

GEA Crude Oil Treatment System

Converting opportunity crude oil

into a full-value product.

Treatment of opportunity crude

oil in refineries, which requires

more rigorous desalting.

Full stream tank-to-tank

desalting with the GEA Crude

Oil Treatment System.

Treatment of extra heavy and / or

salt-charged oils is thus possible.

1

2

3

4

6 · GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS · 7

1

2

3

1 Crude oil 2 Wellhead choke 3 Wellhead desander 4 Sand 5 Compressor* 6 Knockout drum 7 Gas treatment / dehydration 8 Gas export 9 High pressure separator (FWKO) 10 Low pressure separator11 Electrostratic dehydrator12 Crude oil export13 Desander cyclone14 Deoiler cyclone15 Oil recycler16 Water recycler17 Corrugated plate interceptor18 Induced gas flotation 19 Produced water pump20 Filtration21 Produced water for re-injection22 Produced water for disposal23 Centrifugal separator24 “In-spec”tank25 “Off-spec”tank

5*

6 78

1

2 3

9 10 11 12

13 14

16

15

17 18

19

20

21

22

4

23

23

23

23

24

25

11

11

114

*Available from GEA

5*

Optional GEA disk-stack centrifuges

14

19


GAS PROCESS

WATER PROCESS

CONVENTIONAL SETUP

GEA SETUP

GEA SETUP

GEA SETUP

4GEA SETUP

CHALLENGE:INCREASE OF THE WATER CUT

GEA SOLUTION:UPSTREAM INSTALLATION

CHALLENGE: DECREASING API

GEA SOLUTION:PARALLEL INSTALLATION

CHALLENGE:(EXTRA) HEAVY / SALT-CHARGED OIL

GEA SOLUTION:STAND-ALONE INSTALLATION (SUBSTITUTION)

CHALLENGE: OFF-SPEC (OPPORTUNITY) CRUDE OIL IN REFINERIES

GEA SOLUTION:TANK-TO-TANK TREATMENT

Increasing water cuts that exceeds the treatment capacity of

the specified static separation equipment may limit the total

oil treatment capacity of an existing plant. At levels above

50 % WC, electrostatic systems may be subject to short

circuit and lack of residence time to achieve the required oil

quality.

Treatment systems with GEA crude oil Dehydrators can be

installed upstream of the electrostatic desalting system to

reduce the water cut from up to 90 % down to 5 %, so that

the capacity of the existing plant is recovered or exceeded.

The exploitation of heavy oil fields is a challenge to the

process due to lower density differences. At certain levels, the

flow through the electrostatic systems must be reduced to

maintain the desired oil quality.

Treatment systems with GEA crude oil Dehydrators and

Desalters installed in parallel with the existing static sepa-

rator avoid investment in a larger or additional electrostatic

system. As a result, parallel installations can also increase

overall system capacity.

Heavy crude oils have higher viscosity, higher density, can

have higher naphtenic acid content, and are more difficult

to dehydrate and desalt. By using earth gravitational settling

force for the separation process and relying on the principle

that an electrostatic field is evenly built up in their system,

electrostatic treatment systems may not reach the desired

performance.

Treatment systems with GEA crude oil Desalters operate at

high g-force (4,000 - 6,000 x g) and are not sensitive to oil

conductivity and higher water cuts. They can handle oils

down to API 12 as a substitute solution in 1- or 2-stage setups.

Opportunity crude oils are becoming a more attractive

option for refiners looking to improve flexibility, maximize

operating margins, increase distillate yields or convert high

sulfur fuel into diesel and gasoline, but they are not without

their difficulties. Whether it be oil sands, higher total acid

number (TAN) or increased level of elemental impurities and

contaminants, such as waxes, solids, all of these character-

istics can lead to processing issues. The efficient removal of

these impurities along with salts, sediments and water from

crude oil feedstock is imperative to maintain reliable opera-

tions, prevent unplanned shutdowns and outages, and reduce

corrosion and fouling.

Treatment systems with GEA centrifugal Desalters are the

ideal solution for tank-to-tank treatment. Fed from off-spec

storage tanks, the GEA systems may reduce the contaminants

to an acceptable level so that the oil can be returned to the

in-spec tank for further processing.

A blending of opportunity crude oil with “good” feedstock,

possibly resulting in challenges such as incompatibilities,

asphaltene destabilization and deposition, is therefore no

longer necessary. Refineries may even consider buying

off-specification crude oil to improve profit margins.

1GEA SETUP

2GEA SETUP

3GEA SETUP

4GEA SETUP

CHALLENGE:INCREASE OF THE WATER CUT

GEA SOLUTION:UPSTREAM INSTALLATION

CHALLENGE:DECREASING API

GEA SOLUTION:PARALLEL INSTALLATION

CHALLENGE:(EXTRA) HEAVY / SALT-CHARGED OIL

GEA SOLUTION:STAND-ALONE INSTALLATION

CHALLENGE:OFF-SPEC CRUDE OIL IN REFINERIES GEA SOLUTION:TANK-TO-TANK INSTALLATION


Customized solutions for the highest demands

This is why GEA centrifuges worldwide ensure smoothly

functioning and cost-optimized, resource-saving production

processes.

Our centrifuges are designed to always focus on reliability,

safety, cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness –

objectives that are also fulfilled by our dehydrating and

desalination systems.

EFFICIENT AND RESOURCE-SAVING TECHNOLOGIESWith the supply of plug and play processing systems which comply with even

the most stringent environmental requirements, GEA’s mechanical separation

solutions play a decisive role in making new resources available to the world

market efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner.

Being successful for more than 125 years in the field of centrifugal separation technology means constantly dealing with increasing and diverse challanges and tasks by the industry and setting new standards through continuous developments and innovations.

Their main features that you can continuously benefit from are:

High g-forces

of 5,000

to 7,500

• Drastically decreased

separation time

• Mechanical emulsion

breaking capability

• Allowing lower separation

temperatures

• Reduced use of chemicals

• In-situ impurities and solids

removal

365 / 24

availability

• Back-up capacity with

multiple separation units

in operation

Continuous

reliability

• Installed base of 1000s

of machines running

• Average operating time

of 20 years

Feed conditions

and operation

flexibility

• Flexible turndown capacity

(20 to 100 %)

• Automatic response on

changing feed conditions

• No dependency on low or

stable oil conductivity

GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS · 1312 · GEA CRUDE OIL TREATMENT SYSTEMS

Treatment systems with GEA crude oil Dehydrators

If the main task is to reduce the water content of the crude oil and if the solids content varies, GEA centrifuge units equipped with a nozzle-type disk-stack centrifuge are the right choice.

In a nozzle centrifuge, the solids and water are continuously

removed through open nozzles placed on the outer diameter

of the bowl. At the same time, oil and water are continuously

separated by the high g-forces and removed from the top of

the bowl under pressure. By using a large number of densely

packed disks, the clarification space is significantly increased

compared to static separators, thus further improving the

oil-water separation.

Depending on the required capacity, GEA supplies

two options for this application:

• GEA crude oil Dehydrator 130

• GEA crude oil Dehydrator 260

Operational features

• Single unit capacity up to 37,500 BPD (250 m3/h);

can easily be extended by combining several units

• Oil gravity > 12° API

• Direct drive or flat belt drive

• Reliable erosion protection

• High-grade material against corrosion

GEA NOZZLE CENTRIFUGESNozzle centrifuges are continuously operating machines that

clarify liquids while concentrating solids. The concentrated solids

are discharged continuously through nozzles. The clarified liquid

is discharged by a built-in centripetal pump.

10

100

1000

10 15 20 25 30

FLO

W R

ATE

, m³/

h

API GRADE OF CRUDE OIL

CRUDE OIL FLOW RATES OF GEA CENTRIFUGES

GEA crude oil Dehydrator 130

GEA crude oil Dehydrator 260

1 Emergency water / make-up water

2 Product feed

3 Inert gas discharge

4 Oil discharge

5 Oily water discharge

6 Solids discharge

7 Inert gas supply


Treatment systems with GEA crude oil Desalters

If the main purpose is to reduce the salt content of the crude oil and if the solids content is limited, centrifuge units with a self-ejecting disk-stack bowl are the right choice to separate oil, water and solids.

In the rotating bowl, the salt-charged water and

fine particles are separated from the crude oil.

The desalting efficiency can be improved by

adding fresh water upstream of the centrifuge

to extract water-soluble salts from the crude oil.

Water and crude oil are discharged continu-

ously under pressure, with the solids collected

in the holding space and being automatically

ejected at regular intervals.

Depending on the required capacity, GEA

supplies three options for this application:

• GEA crude oil Desalter 80



Operational features

• Single unit capacity up to 12,500 BPD

(85 m3/h); can easily be extended by

combining several units

• Oil gravity > 12° API

• Direct drive (for GEA crude oil Desalter 200)

or flat belt drive (for GEA Crude oil Desalter

80 and 120)

• Reliable erosion protection

• High-grade material against corrosion

• Brings BS&W and water-soluble salt to pipe-

line / refinery quality

GEA SELF-EJECTION CENTRIFUGESIn self-ejecting centrifuges two liquids of

different densities are separated from each

other. Solids may also be separated at the

same time.

10

100

10 15 20 25 30

FLO

W R

ATE

, m³/

h

API GRADE OF CRUDE OIL

GEA crude oil Desalter 80



CRUDE OIL FLOW RATES OF GEA CENTRIFUGES

1 Product feed

2 Oil discharge

4 Solids discharge

3 Oily water discharge


Modular systems

More than merely a sum of its parts

Only someone who can see the system as a whole can design it

from the start to achieve the highest efficiency. GEA develops

package units and process lines whose intelligent technology

and integrated concepts immediately create added value. This

secures investments – and thus an economic future solution.

Depending on the task and production environment, the GEA

Crude Oil Treatment System can be combined:

• First stage: nozzle-type disk-stack centrifuges for dehydration

• Second stage: self-ejecting disk-stack centrifuges for

dehydration and desalting

In addition, the system can be extended with:

• Feed pump unit

• Multi-stage mixer unit

• Heat exchanger unit

• Heat recovery unit

• Chemical dosing unit

Enclosures / containerized sulutions

For applications where mobility of the treatment system is

important, GEA offers corresponding solutions in standard

containers and enclosures.

The speed of implementation of new process and system

developments in line with market requirements is a significant

feature of GEA solutions. This is made possible by comprehen-

sive experience and process knowledge.

Complete solutions from one supplier eliminate time delays and

expensive coordination processes right from the start. Instead,

they ensure constant high performance in terms of flow rate and

separation performance – with minimal effort. This excellent

process economy secures your investment decisions in the long

term.

Highly productive process lines

from a single source

• Competence and clear responsibility

• Reliable communication and planning

• Optimum plant and process configuration without barriers

• High level of functionality and investment reliability

• Process safety

Feed pump unitMulti-stage mixer unit

Centrifuge unit

Comprehensive know-how from a single supplier


In-house process engineering solutions

Centrifuge systems are specifically selected and designed for the user’s process. This is supported by our GEA Process Test Center (PTC).

Product investigations

The product investigations specify the crude oil properties to

be separated. For this purpose, the GEA PTC offers a range

of analysis methods, ranging from the test tube centrifuge to

rheology, corrosion pattern analysis, particle size measurement,

stability characterization and more. Product research provides

a good picture of the fluids to be treated. This also enables GEA

to make a realistic initial estimate of the required investment

costs and of the most efficient solution.

Basic parameters for the analysis of feedstock products are:

• Spin test with a heated laboratory centrifuge

• Determination of viscosity and specific gravity of all phases

• Salt (chloride) measurement

• pH value of the water phase

• Efficiency of chemical emulsion breakers and de-emulsifiers

• Flash point and ash content measurement

Trials in the GEA PTC

A technical trial provides all the important data for the final

process engineering design of the production plant in which the

centrifuges and peripheral equipment are operated. From this,

the specification of the machine type and size together with the

investment costs are determined under close involvement of the

customer. In the GEA PTC facility, tests can be carried out on an

industrial scale with real products from the site. In this way,

neither assumptions nor the use of model fluids are required.

Trials on the customer site

Alternatively, Field Test Units (FTUs) can be provided to the

customer on site. In this case, the trials are monitored and sup-

ported by experienced GEA PTC technicians. GEA has a wide

range of FTUs that can be used at the customer site to prove the

efficiency of the proposed solution in the field.

Process developments

Upon specific customer request or based on proprietary market

analysis, the GEA PTC is continuously improving its equipment

and developing new processes. The innovative solutions that we

have developed are constantly being tested and reviewed, from

laboratory tests through internal pilot tests to machine or prototype

tests on customer site.

Sampling of product

Product investigation /

site test

Process definition / machine sizing

Customer demand / inquiry

Investment estimation

PRODUCT INVESTIGATIONSThe PTC laboratory conducts an extensive and

conclusive analysis of the product sample.


GEA – your service partner

Excellent equipment is one thing, the right service is another. With our global network of certified service engineers, Service Hubs in strategic locations and a network of Authorized Repair Workshops, our customers are optimally being supported. Our focus is to build, maintain, and improve customer performance throughout the entire life cycle of the plant and its equipment.

Trouble-free operation in demanding environments, with GEA Service

FULFILLING YOUR PERFORMANCE TARGETSYOUR PARTNER

FROM THE START PREVENTIVE SUPPORT PREDICTIVE SUPPORTSERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS DIGITAL SOUTIONS

Engineering

expertise for

installation,

commissioning

and training to

achieve high

performance

right from the

start.

Ensure that the

equipment is

always in a good

condition and

ready for

production.

Established

solutions and

tools that ensure

a reliable

production

environment

and continuous

uptime.

Optimize

production pro-

cesses in a long

term partnership

to enhance

uptime and

to minimize

losses.

Be always one

step ahead in

line with the

latest market

inventions and

regulations

to stay

competitive.

Transparency Availability Productivity Efficiency Sustainability

Worldwide repair network

and remote support

Mapping operating data

for future process

optimization

Uptime GrowthProfit

Getting you started with seamless support for

instant productivity and performance

• Partnering with you from the start, we will help you

to design your plant for maximum efficiency, install

and deliver it to you, safely, professionally and on

time.

• Our certified and experienced service engineers

train your employees – on site or in one of our

modern training centers.

Keeping it running with the cost-efficient way

of ensuring safety and reliability

• We provide fast support, professional maintenance

and top-quality spare parts, whenever and wherever

needed.

• Our maintenance and repair services stand for

precision work and utmost manufacturer’s

responsibility.

• With GEA’s preventive maintenance programs, our

global specialists are always on hand with up-to-date

equipment and process knowhow to ensure the

continued operation of your plant.

Constantly improving by sharing our knowledge

to safeguard your investment

• When market conditions or new regulatory

standards require you to upgrade or modernize we

are here to support you in the change to reduce

energy, cut costs, adapt output or enhance safety.

• Our predictive maintenance program ensures

availability with service level options that extend

way beyond routine preventive maintenance.

Together with you by enduring commitment

to you and your business

• Service Level Agreements offer support services to

maintain, monitor, analyze and optimize your

installation in a structured, yet flexible way, focus-

ing on availability and cost control across the entire

plant life cycle.

Further optimization potential through digital

service solutions

• We offer a variety of solutions – from virtual

support and monitoring tools to cloud-based

solutions including e-commerce and maintenance

planning – which create an enhanced level of

customer connectivity even in the most remote

locations.

Cloud-based service portal

Product investi-gations, process

develoments and trials

In-situ disk cleaning for centrifuges

GEA SERVICE – FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUCCESS

Save maintenance time, increase your uptime

Enhance your connectivity any time and everywhere

Monitor, analyze and

optimize your equipment

We are at your side, even

when not at your site

Specific optimization potential for your setup


“Engineering for a better world” is the driving and energizing principle connecting GEA’s workforce. As one of the largest

systems suppliers, GEA makes an important contribution to a sustainable future with its solutions and services, particularly

in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors. Across the globe, GEA’s plants, processes and components contribute

significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic use as well as food waste in production.

GEA is listed on the German MDAX and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index and also included in the DAX 50 ESG and MSCI

Global Sustainability indexes.

We live our values.Excellence • Passion • Integrity • Responsibility • GEA-versity

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GEA Germany

GEA Westfalia Separator Group GmbH

Werner-Habig-Str. 1

59302 Oelde, Germany

Tel +49 2522 77-0

Fax +49 2522 77-1778

gea.com/contact

gea.com/crudeoil

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GEA Crude Oil Treatment Systems