Eight new oil desalting projects in the southern oil regions went on stream, managing director of the National Iranian South Oil Company said.
"The initiative were aimed at a variety of goals, namely efficient desalting, boosting quality of production, protecting oil resources and tackling ecological concerns," Bijan Alipour was also quoted as saying by the National Iranian Oil Company's news portal on Tuesday.
Giving a breakdown, the official added that the ventures were launched in oilfields such as Gachsaran-3, Bibi Hakimeh-1, Haftkel, Naft Sefid, Maroun-1, Ahvaj-Asmari 2,3,4, Rag Sefid-1 and Ahvaj-2 Bangestan in Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad and Khouzestan provinces.
"The plans have been implemented with the help of state-of-the-art know-how and they comply with international standards," Alipour said, adding that in the last two years, major oil desalting projects have been undertaken in different oilfields, namely Mansouri Oilfield with a processing capacity of 75,000 bpd as well as two desalting units at Lab-Sefid and Haft Shahidan oilfields with processing capacities of 30,000 bpd and 55,000 bpd respectively.
Pointing to Ahvaz plants, Alipour said, "The complex, the first phase of which became operational, is the largest in the country and its processing capacity stands at 220,000 barrels per day."
According to the official, the completion of Gachsaran-3 desalting plant with a capacity to refine 110,000 bpd as well as Bibi Hakimeh-1 plant with a 55,000 bpd capacity have helped Gachsaran Oil and Gas Production Company's output to reach 635,000 bpd.
"As the thickness of the oil column in reservoirs declines, more salt is mixed with the crude while extraction and such facilities can help remove the salt and stabilize the output rate," he said.
Asked about Haftkel, Rag Sefid-1 and Ahvaj-2 Bangestan, Alipour noted that the complexes' capacities stand at 45,000, 55,000 and 30,000 bpd respectively.
Desalting Methods
Amir-Abbas Hosseini, the deputy head of Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, said the country has developed the technology to desalinate crude oil using electrostatic methods.
"The method will enhance the quality of Iranian crude," he added, noting that crude oil comprises varying amounts of water and inorganic salts and sediments when extracted. The presence of salts, especially chlorides, corrodes oil processing equipment. Therefore, desalting has been used to reduce fouling in the crude distillation unit and corrosion in crude processing facilities.
According to Hosseini, electrostatic separation methods are frequently used with crude oil containing about 0.5-12% of water. Electrostatic method involves injection of high voltage electricity to desalinate crude. According to Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Iran aims to increase crude oil production by around 200,000 barrels a day before the fiscal year is out in March 2018.
The country's own data submitted to OPEC in December show Iran's production level stands at 3.8 million bpd.
Iran has accepted a production ceiling of 3.8 million bpd as part of a deal between OPEC and 10 other suppliers, including Russia, to curtail output by 1.8 million barrels a day to raise prices and bring down inventories.
