Crude Oil Desalter Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Type (Infrastructure, Consumables), By Product Type (Single Stage, Two Stage, Three Stage), By Industry Vertical (Oil Field, Oil Refineries, FCC Feed Desalting, Heavy Crude Desalting, Distillate Treating), By Application (Upstream, Midstream, Downstream), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 274.38 Million
CAGR (2026-2031)	6.09%
Fastest Growing Segment	Oil Refineries
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 391.20 Million

Market Overview

The Global Crude Oil Desalter Market will grow from USD 274.38 Million in 2025 to USD 391.20 Million by 2031 at a 6.09% CAGR. The Global Crude Oil Desalter Market consists of specialized processing units utilized in refineries to extract inorganic salts, water, and suspended solids from raw crude oil prior to atmospheric distillation. Market expansion is primarily supported by the rising global demand for refined petroleum products and the increasing necessity to process heavy and sour crude grades, which inherently contain higher contaminant levels and require intensive purification to prevent downstream equipment corrosion. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2024, global refinery throughput was projected to average 82.8 million barrels per day, underscoring the sustained operational activity that directly drives the demand for efficient desalting infrastructure.

A significant challenge impeding market growth involves stringent environmental regulations governing the management of effluent water generated during the desalting process. The operation produces a brine stream contaminated with oil residues and chemicals that necessitates costly treatment to meet discharge standards. This regulatory pressure imposes substantial compliance burdens and increased operational costs on refiners, potentially delaying capital investments in new capacity or retrofitting projects in regions with strict ecological mandates.

Key Market Drivers

Rising Global Demand for Refined Petroleum Products serves as a foundational catalyst for the Global Crude Oil Desalter Market. As consumption of transportation fuels and petrochemical feedstocks accelerates, refiners are compelled to maximize throughput rates, intensifying the operational load on desalting units to ensure contaminant-free crude for distillation. This pressure is particularly acute in developing regions where industrialization is surging and requires facilities to maintain continuous, high-efficiency desalting operations to prevent flow disruptions. According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, November 2024, in the 'Monthly Oil Market Report', global oil demand growth was forecast to reach a healthy 1.82 million barrels per day for 2024. Consequently, refiners are investing in robust desalting technologies to protect downstream catalytic units from deactivation caused by residual salts found in higher processing volumes.

The Expansion of Refining Capacities in Emerging Economies further propels market uptake, necessitating the installation of advanced purification systems in new infrastructure. Nations in Asia and the Middle East are aggressively constructing complex refineries designed to process heavier crude grades, which require multi-stage desalter configurations to handle elevated impurity levels. According to the International Energy Agency, June 2024, in the 'Oil 2024' report, global oil refining capacity is projected to increase by a net 3.3 million barrels per day between 2023 and 2030. This infrastructure boom is supported by substantial capital allocation aimed at modernization and capacity addition; for instance, according to World Pipelines, February 2024, in the 'Indian oil PSUs plan nearly US$15 billion investment' report, Indian Oil Corporation planned a proposed outlay of Rs 309.1 billion primarily for expanding and upgrading its refineries. These developments ensure a sustained pipeline of orders for critical process equipment.

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Key Market Challenges

Stringent environmental regulations governing the management of effluent water generated during the desalting process constitute a significant impediment to the growth of the Global Crude Oil Desalter Market. The desalting operation inherently produces large volumes of brine contaminated with hydrocarbons, salts, and chemical additives, which must undergo rigorous purification before discharge. As regulatory bodies enforce tighter limits on permissible pollutant levels, refineries are compelled to divert substantial capital expenditure toward advanced wastewater treatment facilities rather than investing in new desalting units or capacity expansions. This compliance burden fundamentally alters the economic calculations for refiners, eroding profit margins and causing delays in procurement cycles for desalting infrastructure, particularly in mature markets with strict ecological mandates.

The sheer volume of wastewater requiring treatment underscores the magnitude of this financial strain on the industry. According to Concawe, in 2024, the association reported that European refineries discharged approximately 1.35 billion cubic meters of aqueous effluent, a massive quantity necessitating extensive and costly processing to meet environmental standards. This operational reality forces refiners to prioritize regulatory adherence over equipment upgrades, thereby directly restricting the capital available for market growth in the desalting sector.

Key Market Trends

Integration of IIoT and Digital Twin Technologies for Real-Time Monitoring is fundamentally reshaping the market as operators seek to optimize desalter performance without incurring significant capital costs for new hardware. This digital transformation enables refineries to implement predictive maintenance and automated chemical injection control, thereby precisely managing the interface level and minimizing oil carryover in the effluent water. By utilizing real-time data analytics, operators can dynamically adjust electrostatic field strengths to handle varying crude blends, significantly reducing salt content and preventing downstream corrosion. The momentum for this technological shift is evident in industry investment priorities; according to DNV, September 2024, in the 'Energy Industry Insights' report, 59% of energy industry respondents expected to increase their investment in digitalization in the year ahead, highlighting a strategic pivot toward data-driven process optimization.

A simultaneous Shift Toward High-Efficiency Electrostatic Coalescer Technologies is gaining traction to address the processing difficulties associated with heavier and more conductive crude grades. Unlike conventional AC transformers, advanced dual-frequency and DC electrostatic technologies provide stronger coalescence forces, effectively breaking stable water-in-oil emulsions found in opportunity crudes from regions like South America and Canada. This technological evolution allows refiners to process lower-quality, lower-cost feedstocks while maintaining throughput rates and meeting specifications. This trend is necessitated by shifting global supply dynamics; according to the International Energy Agency, April 2024, in the 'Oil Market Report', non-OPEC+ oil supply was forecast to rise by 1.6 million barrels per day in 2024, led by growth in producers such as Brazil and Canada, necessitating advanced separation capabilities to handle these complex crude streams.

Segmental Insights

The Oil Refineries segment represents the fastest-growing category within the Global Crude Oil Desalter Market, driven by the strategic industry shift toward processing heavier, lower-quality crude oils. These feedstock grades contain elevated concentrations of salts and solids that necessitate rigorous removal to prevent severe corrosion and fouling in piping and heat exchangers. Effective desalting is essential to protect downstream units from catalyst poisoning and operational disruptions. Consequently, refineries are increasingly investing in desalting technologies to ensure asset longevity and maintain continuous production efficiency amidst a landscape of deteriorating crude quality.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a leading position in the Global Crude Oil Desalter Market due to the extensive refining of unconventional crude sources, such as shale oil and heavy oil sands. These feedstocks typically contain higher concentrations of salts and solids, necessitating rigorous desalting to prevent equipment corrosion and catalyst deactivation. Additionally, strict environmental frameworks established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding fuel specifications and emission limits further enforce the adoption of efficient separation technologies. Consequently, the region prioritizes the installation and upgrade of desalting infrastructure to ensure operational reliability and regulatory compliance.

Recent Developments

• In December 2024, Agar Corporation announced a strategic partnership with TehnoINSTRUMENT to strengthen its presence in the Romanian energy market, specifically targeting the refining and petrochemical sectors. This collaboration focused on deploying Agar’s advanced process instrumentation, including interface detectors and oil/water meters, which are integral components for optimizing crude oil desalters and automatic tank dewatering systems. The alliance aimed to support local operators in enhancing operational efficiency and meeting stringent product quality standards by leveraging Agar's specialized measurement and control technologies for liquid-liquid separation processes.
• In November 2024, Forum Energy Technologies reported in its third-quarter financial results that it had secured a significant order for a large U.S. desalting project. The company highlighted that this project would utilize its proprietary ForuMix technology, which is designed to enhance the efficiency of the desalting process. This development underscored the continued demand for advanced electrostatic desalting solutions in the North American market, contributing to the company's solid performance in its production equipment product line despite a generally softer land market environment during the period.
• In February 2024, McDermott International secured a major Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) contract from QatarEnergy for the Ru’ya project, aimed at expanding the Al-Shaheen offshore oil field. The contract scope included the installation of nine satellite wellhead platforms and a new Central Processing Platform. This processing infrastructure is critical for the crude oil desalter market as it houses the essential separation and treatment units required to remove salts and impurities from the crude oil before transport, supporting the field's production increase of approximately 100,000 barrels per day.
• In January 2024, TechnipFMC was awarded a major integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (iEPCI) contract by Petrobras for the Mero 3 HISEP project in the Brazilian pre-salt Santos Basin. The contract, valued at over $1 billion, involves the deployment of subsea processing systems designed to capture carbon dioxide-rich dense gases directly from the well stream. This project utilizes advanced separation technologies, including proprietary gas separation systems and dense gas pumps, to move part of the crude oil processing and separation infrastructure from the topside platform to the seabed, marking a significant innovation in the field of crude oil treatment and separation.

Key Market Players

• Alfa Laval AB
• Baker Hughes Company
• Schlumberger Limited
• Siemens AG
• Emerson Electric Company
• Exxon Mobil Corporation
• Marathon Petroleum Corporation
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
• Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
• JGC Holdings Corporation

By Type	By Product Type	By Industry Vertical	By Application	By Region
Infrastructure Consumables	Single Stage Two Stage Three Stage	Oil Field Oil Refineries FCC Feed Desalting Heavy Crude Desalting Distillate Treating	Upstream Midstream Downstream	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Crude Oil Desalter Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Crude Oil Desalter Market, By Type:

• Infrastructure
• Consumables

• Crude Oil Desalter Market, By Product Type:

• Single Stage
• Two Stage
• Three Stage

• Crude Oil Desalter Market, By Industry Vertical:

• Oil Field
• Oil Refineries
• FCC Feed Desalting
• Heavy Crude Desalting
• Distillate Treating

• Crude Oil Desalter Market, By Application:

• Upstream
• Midstream
• Downstream

• Crude Oil Desalter Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE