Abstract: The removal of oil-soluble iron from crude oil with chemical agent was investigated. The effects of the structure of chemical agents and the existed form of the oil-soluble iron on the removal rate were analyzed. The results showed that the iron removal rate was not only depended on the coordination effect of the agent, such as the types of functional groups, the size, number and structure of the formed chelating ring, but also depended on the existed form and distribution of the iron compounds in crude oil. The results of experiments designed with orthogonal method showed that the effect of these factors from great to less were in the order of agent dosagepH valuereaction temperaturereaction time, i.e. the removal rate of oil-soluble iron was proportional to agent dosage, reaction temperature and reaction time. Chemical agents having pH value around 2 were preferred for removing oil-soluble iron.

Key words: removal, crude oil, iron