The impact of solids in atmospheric and vacuum electrodesalination tanks
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Recently, the efficiency of the vacuum distillation and electrical desalination process in the company has declined, with an increase in oil carrying water or (and) water carrying oil. At the same time, the solid content in the electrodialysis tank is quite high; could this be the cause?
A high content of solids certainly has an impact; if this situation has only arisen recently, it is likely that the properties of the crude oil have changed. Some inorganic solid particles present in crude oil can interact with certain surfactants present there, thereby enhancing the stability of the emulsion and facilitating the formation of an emulsified layer. This has a greater impact on oil content in water. I’m not sure what type of crude oil the person in question is processing – is backwashing carried out regularly?
After the electrodialysis unit has been in operation for some time, the wastewater discharged often contains black sediment; backwashing helps to improve the situation. It is estimated that it is due to changes in the properties of the crude oil; perhaps the latest occurrence was caused by the sediment from the crude oil tank ending up in the electrodesalination tank, which led to tripping, dark-colored water, and the presence of residues. What do you all think?
1. It is necessary to perform regular backwashing. 2. Is there a filter tank in front of the crude oil pump?
Currently, CGO is added during processing, but the proportion is only around 10% – could there be an impact from coke dust? The electrodialysis tank was backwashed once a week; now it is done almost daily, but the effect is not significant.