| Abstract Title: | Crude Chlorides - Why do we care and how can we protect the refinery asset from corrosion? |
| Abstract Type: | Seminar |
| Session Choice: | Analytical Techniques: Elemental Analysis and Speciation |
| Presenter Name: | Mr Cees Oudijn |
| Company/Organisation: | XOS |
| Country: | United States |
Abstract Information :
Chlorides are often present in crude oils and their concentration can vary greatly, depending on the origin of the crude an spiked contamination. These chlorides, if not removed, can react to form highly corrosive hydrochloric acid in areas such as the crude tower overheads, leading to serious operational issues. Most of the chlorides in crude oil are inorganic and a high percentage can be removed by a front-end desalting process. Instances of organic chlorides in crude oil are rare but can be more problematic if present. The normal desalting process is not effective for removal of organic chlorides and may not remove all inorganic or non-extractable chlorides, allowing excess chlorides to pass downstream undetected. There are a few recent incidents where unexpected high levels of chlorine in a downstream process resulted in significant economic loss and safety concerns. The need for a reliable online chlorine analyzer for refining process control is more important than ever for oil refining under the circumstances faced today. Laboratory and Online based MWDXRF X-ray analysis was developed in the past decade and has become a powerful tool for total Chlorine analysis in raw crudes, desalted crudes or distillation overhead water.
