# US 10,118,837 B2 · Method and equipment for the treatment of water contaminated by thermal oil and collection of said oil

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,118,837 B2
- Document ID: US10118837B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/309,285
- Filed: 2015-04-22
- Published: 2017-03-02
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-05-06
- Assignees: Pgma, S.L.P.
- Applicants: Pgma, S.L.P.
- Inventors: Jose Juan Moya Muñoz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118837B2

## CPC

- C02F 1/22: by freezing
- B01D 17/0202: {by ab- or adsorption}
- B01D 17/10: {with stationary filtering elements}
- C02F 1/004: {using large scale industrial sized filters}
- C02F 1/28: by sorption (using ion-exchange C02F1/42; sorbent compositions B01J)
- C02F 1/283: {using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them}
- C02F 1/40: Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material (cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16)
- C02F 2101/32: Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil
- C02F 2103/34: from industrial activities not provided for in groups C02F2103/12 - C02F2103/32
- Y02A 20/152: Water filtration
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the treatment of water contaminated by thermal oil and collection of said oil (for example, a eutectic mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide), formed by a cooling phase (2) for cooling (to a temperature between the freezing point of the thermal oil and that of water) the mixture (1) of water and thermal oil, followed by the collection (3) of the part (4) of frozen thermal oil (precipitated or in suspension) by means of mechanical filtering. The remainder of contaminated water is treated in absorption filters and in activated carbon adsorption filters. The equipment required to implement this method comprises a cooling unit, a unit for the separation of phases by means of mechanical filtering for the collection (3) of the frozen thermal oil part (4), a unit (6) of absorption filters and a unit (7) of adsorption filters (activated carbon unit).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for the treatment of water contaminated by thermal oil and collection of said oil, of the type used in solar thermal equipment and with a freezing temperature of the thermal oil above 0° C., of a mixture (1) of thermal oil and water, characterised in that it comprises the stages of:
a) Cooling (2) of the mixture (1) below the freezing temperature of the oil;
b) Collection (3) of the part (4) of thermal oil precipitated or in suspension in the contaminated water (5);
c) Treatment of the contaminated water (5).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method, according to claim 1, characterised in that the treatment of the contaminated water (5) is carried out by means of the following stages:
a) Absorption filtering of the contaminated water (5);
b) Adsorption filtering, using active carbon, of the contaminated water from the absorption filter (6).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method, according to claim 1, characterised in that the collection of the thermal oil part (4) comprises mechanical filtering.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method, according to claim 3, characterised in that the mechanical filtering comprises a series of metal filters graded in descending order, down to a mesh size of 25 μm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method, according to claim 1, characterised in that cooling is performed down to a temperature of between 0° C. and 12° C.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method, according to claim 5, characterised in that cooling is performed down to a temperature of between 0° C. and 5° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method, according to claim 6, characterised in that cooling is performed down to a temperature of between 3° C. and 4° C.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method, according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermal oil is a eutectic mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide.