Separation Archives - Frames Group

Frames Ultra-Compact Desalters for Shell Argentina

Frames Group — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 07:40:00 +0000

Frames has supplied Hytech, a consulting and engineering services company, with ultra-compact electrostatic coalescers for the Shell Argentina Sierras Blancas / Cruz de Lorena shale oil development. Faced with site access limitations, Frames has reduced the size of the two skid-mounted desalters, while retaining their performance, enabling transportation to the remote site.

In 2018, Shell appointed Hytech to develop the conceptual engineering of the different stages expected for the Sierras Blancas / Cruz de Lorena Central Production Facilities (CPF). Frames’ proprietary electrostatic coalescer technology is an efficient and effective method of removing undesirable water and salts from crude oil. Besides improving the quality of the oil, the two desalters for the shale oil development will also protect downstream processes and equipment.

Global team effort

To meet transportation size restrictions, while optimising desalting performance, Frames’ utilised its global project resources in the Netherlands, Dubai and India. This global team managed to significantly reduce the footprint of the skid mounted electrostatic coalescers to incorporate flowlines and instruments within the maximal width allowed. In addition to drawing on internal engineering expertise, Frames worked closely with Hytech and Shell Argentina, as well as local Argentinian suppliers.

“This was a demanding project where we were able to leverage our global reach in both design and engineering to deliver the desalter performance needed within a very compact electrostatic coalescer,” says Geert Willemse, Product Specialist, Frames. “Moreover, it allowed us to demonstrate the benefits of combining an international supply chain with local suppliers.”

The post Frames Ultra-Compact Desalters for Shell Argentina appeared first on Frames Group.

Frames Kerosene Treater for Cepsa San Roque Refinery

Frames Group — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 08:02:00 +0000

Frames has designed and supplied an electrostatic colaescer for kerosene treatment to the Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A.U. (Cepsa) San Roque Refinery, located in the Bay of Gibraltar in Spain. Frames’ electrostatic coalescence technology is used as a prewash to reduce the acidity of a kerosene feed stream.

During the processing of refinery-produced feedstocks various impurities are left in the petrochemical end-products. Some of these impurities can be removed by using Frames Electrostatic Coalescers. At the San Roque Refinery, the Frames Electrostatic Coalescer Prewash vessel has been installed to reduce the acidity of the kerosene feed stream by neutralizing naphthenic acids utilising a weak caustic solution.

Cepsa selected Frames electrostatic coalescence technology for this project as it provides a high quality technical solution that reduces the use of chemicals and minimising disposal requirements.

“We are encouraged to see that Frames’ Electrostatic Coalescers are selected by our clients in a growing number of refineries across the world,” says Geert Willemse, Product Specialist – Separators & Treaters at Frames. “It shows that our equipment is recognised as a cost-effective solution for reducing impurities for a wide range of feed streams.”

Frames electrostatic coalescence technology

The electrostatic process utilised in Frames Electrostatic Coalescers is a highly effective way to remove the impurities found in various distillate streams. It works by removing impurities from the distillate through the addition of an aqueous chemical reagent to the distillate stream, dispersing the reagent throughout the stream in extremely small droplets and exposing the mixture to the influence of an electric field. Once exposed to the electric field, the reagent is coalesced and separated from the distillate, taking along with it impurities that react with or dissolve in that reagent. The reagent is virtually insoluble in the oil this enables the separation of the reagent and the impurities from the oil.

Depending on the impurities that must be removed from a particular distillate, the reagent may be water, caustic or acid. In some applications, two or three coalescers may be installed in series to provide several treating stages.

The post Frames Kerosene Treater for Cepsa San Roque Refinery appeared first on Frames Group.

Frames delivers largest ever Electrostatic Coalescer

Frames Group — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 01:41:00 +0000

Frames has completed the delivery of an Electrostatic Coalescer for Tengizchevroil LLP (TCO) in Kazakhstan. An integral part of the TCO Future Growth Project (FGP), the Electrostatic Coalescer will remove water and contaminants from crude oil through desalting and dehydration. It is one of the largest ever delivered by Frames, weighing over 200 tonnes.

The Electrostatic Coalescer uses alternating current (AC) technology for improved reliability and operational simplicity. It also features Frames’ proprietary inlet distributor technology to ensure optimal (uniform) distribution of the oil-water mixture for more efficient use of the electrostatic area compared to other, more traditional distributors commonly used in the industry.

Advanced Materials

For the TCO project, the Electrostatic Coalescer features a complex internals design to meet advanced electrostatic coalescence requirements, requiring special superalloys and construction - incoloy with weld overlays. Following transportation to South Korea for module integration, the Electrostatic Coalescer will be shipped to Kazakhstan for final installation in Tengiz.

Frames worked closely with Tengizchevroil on the Electrostatic Coalescer specification and manufacture.

“Given the critical role of efficient desalting in maximising oil production, the Frames Electrostatic Coalescer is engineered to match the unique requirements of the crude oil composition and downstream processes,” - Geert Willemse -

– Product Specialist at Frames. “In this way it is fully integrated within the production system for continuous and trouble-free operation."

The post Frames delivers largest ever Electrostatic Coalescer appeared first on Frames Group.