Method and apparatus for separation of fluids with an electric field and centrifuge
AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorFloyd Leon Prestridge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fluids are separated from each other by passing their mixture through an electric field and centrifuge in sequence. The drops of a first fluid dispersed in a second fluid are coalesced by the force of an electric field to a predetermined size. The mixture is then passed into a centrifuge which develops the force to move the coalesced drops away from the other fluids of the mixture without reaching the value at which fluid shear forces, between the coalesced fluid and the fluid in which the coalesced fluid is dispersed, will fragment the coalesced drops.
Claims15
A process for separating a first fluid which is finely dispersed in a second fluid, including,
- flowing the first and second fluids as a mixture of immiscible fluids in a path,
- establishing an electric field in the path to coalesce the dispersed fluid into drops of predetermined size,
- flowing all the mixture in a second path,
- and generating a predetermined centrifugal force on all the mixture in the second path to cause the coalesced drops to agglomerate without re-dispersion into the second fluid and separate from the second fluid.
A process for separating a first fluid which is finely dispersed in a second fluid, including,
- flowing the first and second fluids as a mixture of immiscible fluids in a path,
- establishing an electric field with a finite strength at a point upstream of the fluid mixture in the path and a strength which decreases along a downstream distance from the upstream point to coalesce the first dispersed fluid into drops of predetermined size,
- flowing the mixture in a second path,
- and generating a predetermined centrifugal force on the mixture in the second path to move the drops coalesced by the electric field and cause the coalesced drops to agglomerate without redispersion in the second fluid and separate from the second fluid.
An electric-centrifugal processor for mixtures of multiple fluids, including,
- a first vessel,
- a source of a mixture of multiple fluids,
- a flow path formed for the mixture within the first vessel,
- electrodes mounted within the first vessel and on each side of the flow path,
- a source of electric energy connected to the electrodes with which an electric field is established by the electrodes so that the fluid mixture flows in the field while flowing down the path to coalesce one of the fluids into drops of predetermined size within another of the fluids,
- a second vessel connected to the first vessel so as to receive the entire fluid mixture from the path of the first vessel,
- and means within the second vessel for developing a predetermined centrifugal force on the entire fluid mixture received from the first vessel to move the coalesced drops of the one of the fluids into an agglomeration separate from the other of the fluids without redispersion of the one fluid into the other fluid.
An electric-centrifugal processor for mixtures of multiple fluids, including,
- a first vessel,
- a source of a mixture of multiple immiscible fluids including a first fluid finely dispersed in a second fluid,
- a flow path formed for the mixture within the first vessel,
- electrodes mounted within the first vessel and on each side of the flow path,
- a source of electric energy connected to the electrodes with which an electric field is established by the electrodes so that the fluid mixture flows in the field while flowing down the path, to coalesce first fluid drops into drops of predetermined size,
- a second vessel connected to the first vessel so as to receive the entire fluid mixture from the path of the first vessel,
- a centrifuge mounted within the second vessel so as to develop a predetermined centrifugal force on the entire fluid mixture by flowing the mixture tangential to the internal wall of the centrifuge, the predetermined centrifugal force moving the coalesced first fluid drops into a layer on the internal wall without redispersion into the second fluid to flow to separation from the remaining fluids of the mixture,
- and means for maintaining a charge on the internal wall of the centrifuge opposite to the charge accepted by the coalesced drops of the first fluid, whereby the charge generates a force on the drops which aids the centrifugal force in bringing the drops to the wall of the centrifuge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.