Process for application of electrostatic fields to mixing and separating fluids
AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorsKenneth W. Warren, Floyd L. Prestridge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Flow paths for liquids are disclosed in vessels, the paths oriented with electrodes which are electrically energized to establish electrostatic fields through the paths, one of the liquids is more polar than the other liquids in the paths, one of the fields is intense enough to generate the force to move drops of the polar liquid fast enough to shear the drops to smaller sizes and disperse the smaller drops. A second one of the fields is less intense than the first field yet intense enough to generate the force to move the dispersed drops into coalescense. Various spacing and means of energizing the electrodes are disclosed to place the forces on the liquids in sequence and at different intensities.
Claims6
A process for first mixing and then separating two fluids which are immiscible and wherein one fluid is more polar than the other fluid, including,
- passing both fluids into a first common zone,
- generating an electrostatic field of a first intensity in the first common zone at which intensity drops of the more polar of the two fluids will be moved by the field force fast enough to shear into smaller sizes of drops and distribute throughout the less polar of the fluids,
- maintaining the fluids in the first common zone for a first predetermined residence time,
- flowing the mixture of fluids from the first common zone to a second common zone,
- generating an electrostatic field of a second intensity less than the first intensity in the second common zone to provide a force on the droplets of the more polar of the two fluids to move the droplets into collision with each other and coalesce into drops of larger size,
- maintaining the fluids in the second common zone for a second predetermined residence time,
- passing the fluids from the second common zone and providing a third residence time to enable the coalesced drops of the more polar fluid to gravitate from the remaining fluid and separate,
- and separately flowing the fluids after they have gravitated from each other.
A process for first mixing and then separating two fluids which are immiscible and wherein one fluid is more polar than the other fluid, including,
- passing both fluids into a common zone for a predetermined residence time,
- generating an electrostatic field of a first intensity in the common zone at which intensity drops of the more polar of the two fluids will be moved by the field force fast enough to shear into smaller sizes of drops and distribute throughout the less polar of the fluids during the first predetermined residence time,
- generating an electrostatic field of a second intensity less than the first intensity in the common zone to provide a force on the droplets of the more polar of the two fluids to move the droplets into collision with each other and coalesce into drops of larger size during a second predetermined residence time,
- and separately flowing the fluids after they have gravitated from each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.