Separating mixtures of oil and water
AssigneeTotal Separation Solutions, LLC
InventorsKevin Smith, Robert Sloan, Harry Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cavitation device is used to heat and facilitation the separation of mixtures and emulsions of oil and water. Waste heat from the power source for the cavitation device may be utilized to elevate the temperature of incoming mixtures or emulsions. The heated mixture of emulsion is sent to a separation vessel where vapor may be removed and/or recovered, and where oil is removed as it separates into an identifiable layer. The separation vessel may be a flash tank.
Claims42
Method of conserving components of a used oil well fluid containing oil well fluid components comprising (a) concentrating said oilwell fluid by passing said oil well fluid through a cavitation device to obtain a concentrated oil well fluid containing oil well fluid components in concentrations higher than said used oil well fluid, (b) adjusting the composition of said concentrated oil well fluid by adding at least one moiety of at least one component of said concentrated oil will fluid to increase the concentration thereof in said concentrated oil well fluid, and (c) reusing the concentrated oil well fluid so adjusted.
Method of conserving components of a used oil well fluid containing oil well fluid components comprising (a) concentrating said oilwell fluid by passing said oil well fluid through a cavitation device to obtain a concentrated oil well fluid containing oil well fluid components in concentrations higher than said used oil well fluid, (b) filtering the composition of said concentrated oil well fluid, and (c) reusing the concentrated oil well fluid so adjusted.
Method of processing a used oil well fluid comprising optionally filtering said used oil well fluid, passing said used oil well fluid through a heat exchanger utilizing heat from the exhaust of a Diesel engine, powering a cavitation device with said Diesel engine, passing said oil well fluid through said cavitation device to increase the temperature thereof, recycling at least some of said used oil well fluid through said cavitation device to further increase the temperature of said used oil well fluid, passing said used oil well fluid into a flash tank to separate steam and vapor from said used oil well fluid and to obtain a concentrated fluid, removing at least a portion of said concentrated fluid from said flash tank, and reusing said at least a portion of said concentrated fluid in an oil well.
Method of upgrading a cesium containing solution comprising passing said cesium containing solution through a cavitation device to remove water thereform, thereby obtaining a solution containing a higher concentration of cesium.
Method of treating an oil and water emulsion comprising (a) heating said oil and water emulsion in a cavitation device, and (b) removing water from said emulsion by drawing water vapor or steam from the emulsion so heated.
Method of recovering oil from a mixture of oil and water produced from a well from one or more downhole formations comprising passing said mixture through a cavitation device to increase its temperature, thereby forming at least some aqueous vapor from said mixture, separating said vapor from said mixture, and recovering produced oil from the remaining mixture by placing it in a vessel, allowing it to form a separate layer comprising oil in said vessel, and removing oil from said separate layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.