Patent attributes
A computer-implemented method includes controlling water separation in a hydrocarbon stream flowing through a separator train including one or more separator vessels located upstream of a dehydrator by adjusting a flowrate of demulsifier added to the separator train by receiving data from a real-time process test of the separation train, quantifying a demulsifier inertia value from the process data, estimating model fit parameters to the process data to generate a water separation profile (WSP) correlating water draw-off and demulsifier flowrate for the separation train, and during operations, modifying the demulsifier flowrate according to the WSP and according to the inertia value to achieve a received target water separation value for the stream entering the dehydrator.
