Systems and methods to enhance the removal of inorganic contaminants, including metals, from hydrocarbon feedstocks at a refinery. One or more embodiments of such systems and methods may be used to provide a renewable hydrocarbon feedstock having a reduced amount of metal contaminants. The reduction of metal contaminants in the renewable hydrocarbon feedstock mitigates catalyst fouling and/or deactivation during downstream refinery processing of the renewable hydrocarbon feedstock.

Stillage solids concentration methods are disclosed wherein a solids concentration aid is added to a process stream mixture in a corn to ethanol process. The solids concentration aid may comprise a cationic polymer coagulant or flocculant or both, a starch based coagulant or flocculant or a biologically derived (i.e., plant or animal origin) coagulant or flocculant. Acrylamide/quaternary ammonium copolymers and homopolymeric polydiallyldimethyl ammonium chloride polymers are noteworthy examples of suitable solids concentration aids.

The present invention provides improved methods for purifying and/or removing oily particles, and/or contaminants suspended or dissolved in water. In particular the process relates to an additive composition that has the appropriate surfactant characteristics for effectively removing an oil phase from an oil/aqueous mixed phase via foam fractionation. According to the invention, a hydrophobically modified polymer that acts as an associative thickener is combined with surfactant in appropriate ratios to facilitate oil removal for water purification in any of a number of commercial, environmental and industrial applications.

This disclosure relates to demulsifier compositions containing one or more demulsifying polymers and an alkyl carboxylic acid solvent, and methods of using the compositions for separating water-in-oil emulsions.

A method of recovering a bead support from an emulsion includes supplying an aqueous surfactant solution into a centrifuge tube; supplying a hydrophobic liquid over the surfactant solution in the centrifuge tube, wherein a ratio of the volume of the aqueous surfactant solution to the volume of the hydrophobic liquid is not greater than 0.5; and applying an emulsion over the hydrophobic liquid while centrifuging, the emulsion comprising a dispersed aqueous phase including the bead support, the emulsion breaking and material of the dispersed phase preferentially partitioning to the surfactant solution.

A scavenger comprising a formaldehyde sulfoxylate may be used to scavenge hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) from systems that are brine or mixed production. Suitable formaldehyde sulfoxylates include, but are not necessarily limited to, sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate, and calcium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, potassium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, magnesium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, iron formaldehyde sulfoxylate, copper formaldehyde sulfoxylate, alkene aldehyde sulfoxylates, and combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to intelligent oil sludge treatment apparatuses and treatment processes. The treatment apparatus includes an integrative device, an oil removal device, a separation device, a sludge collection tank, a dewatering device, a pyrolysis device, an agent tank, a deodorization tower, a crude oil tank, a light oil tank, a separator, a condenser, a desulfurization tower, a clean water tank, a sewage station, and a steam boiler, where an outlet of the integrative device is connected to an inlet of the oil removal device; the oil removal device is configured to remove crude oil from oil slurry; the oil removal machine collects the crude oil to the crude oil tank, discharges stench into the deodorization tower, and discharges the slurry into the separation device; and the separation device is configured to perform a solid-liquid separation operation.

The present disclosure describes a computer-implemented method that includes: monitoring, at a gas oil separation plant (GOSP) facility that includes a high-pressure production trap (HPPT) apparatus and a Dual Frequency Desalting (DFD) device, a plurality of parameters, wherein the plurality of parameters include one or more current measurements from the DFD device, as well as gas temperature and demulsifier concentration from the HPPT; based on the one or more current measurements, determining a rate of change of the one or more current measurements from the DFD device; and in response to the rate of change as well as the gas temperature and the demulsifier concentration, adjusting a demulsifier dosage being injected at the HPPT apparatus.

Provided is a method of desalting crude oil capable of effectively removing metal impurities in the crude oil and a rag layer which is formed in a crude oil desalting process.

Metals, such as mercury, may be removed from aqueous, hydrocarbon, or mixed oilfield or refinery fluids by: applying a sulfur compound having the general formula HS—X, where X is a heteroatom substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, and/or alkylaryl group either alone or in combination with or as a blend with at least one demulsifier, a buffering agent, a pour point depressant, and/or a water clarifier to chelate the at least one metal and form a chelate complex of the sulfur compound with the at least one metal and then separating the chelate complex from the fluid.