Electrostatic Dehydrator / Desalter Calculator

Multi-Stage PTB Cascade per GPSA §19 & API 12L

Size a 1- to 3-stage electrostatic dehydrator/desalter, predict outlet PTB cascade, required wash-water rate, per-stage vessel dimensions, and electrical-system power. Uses the Manning-Thompson per-stage reduction factor RF = 1 + Vw·ED/(1 − ED) with GPSA §19 vessel sizing and API 12L wall thickness.

Process Stream

BOPD
PTB
lb salt per 1000 bbl crude
PTB
Refinery 1; pipeline 5–10
vol %
°API

Cascade Design

%
3–7% typical; counter-current cascade
AC: 0.85–0.92; DC dual-polarity: 0.92–0.97
kV/in
AC typical 4–10; DC up to 15
psi

Vessel

°F
psig
min
in

Sizing Method

Per-stage reduction factor (Manning-Thompson):

RF = 1 + Vw · ED / (1 − ED)

Cascade (n equal stages):

PTBout = PTBin / RFn

Vessel retention (per stage, half-full):

d2 · Leff = 1.42 · (Qcrude + Qwash) · tr

Power (empirical):

P (kWh/bbl) = 0.01 + 0.005 · (field / 8 kV/in)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PTB?

Pounds salt per thousand barrels — standard chloride-content metric for crude oil. Pipeline 5–10 PTB; refinery 1 PTB to protect overhead.

How is dehydrator different from heater treater?

Heater treater = heat + chemical; electrostatic dehydrator adds high-voltage field to force coalescence — mandatory for heavy crude or refinery desalt spec.

How many stages do I need?

RF = 1 + Vw · E_D / (1 − E_D). 2-stage typical for 50→1 PTB cascade. Single stage rarely meets refinery 1 PTB spec.