Optimizing Heavy Crude Processing with Emulsion Breaker Innovation - From Lab Development to Field Success
 

Jenee’ Zaragoza - Associate Researcher, Phase Separation
Sylvain Fontaine - Senior Application Expert, Hydrocarbon Processing Industry

As global energy demand evolves, refineries face both significant opportunities and challenges in processing heavy crude oils. The attractive price differentials between heavy and light crudes present compelling economic advantages, but they come with considerable operational complexities. Refiners must navigate increased equipment fouling, higher energy consumption, and more complex emulsion handling scenarios. The presence of higher concentrations of asphaltenes and contaminants, particularly metals and solids, demands sophisticated processing strategies and robust chemical treatment programs.

Veolia worked to resolve a Gulf Coast refinery’s heavy oil processing issue by developing new emulsion breaker technology, focusing on enhancing crude oil dehydration and salt removal. In this webinar, Veolia’s R&D team will showcase their groundbreaking work using specialized testing equipment and advanced chemical formulations. Our field experts will also detail successful deployment strategies and outline measurable operational improvements that improved salt and BS&W removal by over 50% and saved the refinery over $1MM per year.