# US 4,396,508 A · Separator for multi-phase liquids

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- Number: US 4,396,508 A
- Document ID: US4396508A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/296,961
- Filed: 1981-08-27
- Granted: 1983-08-02
- Earliest claimed: 1981-08-27
- Inventors: Amos W. Broughton
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4396508A

## CPC

- B01D 17/00: Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion (devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02)
- B01D 17/0208: {by sedimentation}
- B01D 17/0211: {with baffles}
- B01D 17/042: {by changing the temperature}
- B01D 21/0003: {Making of sedimentation devices, structural details thereof, e.g. prefabricated parts}
- B01D 21/0042: {Baffles or guide plates}
- B01D 21/0057: {with counter-current flow direction of liquid and solid particles}
- B01D 21/009: {Heating or cooling mechanisms specially adapted for settling tanks}
- B01D 21/10: {Settling tanks with multiple outlets for the separated liquids}
- B01D 21/2405: {Feed mechanisms for settling tanks}
- B01D 21/2416: {Liquid distributors with a plurality of feed points}
- 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)

## Abstract

A separator of multi-phase combinations of oil (low density) liquid phase, water phase, and solid sludge (high density) has an inlet low velocity liquid spreader disposed across and near the inside base of a closed separator tank. At least one inclined separator baffle is disposed and sealed completely across the tank interior, inclined from a baffle base terminus adjacent the tank base to a top baffle terminus adjacent the top of the tank and having a narrow oil volume phase collector continuing from the top baffle terminus to the interior tank top. The oil phase outlet of the separator tank connects to the narrow oil volume phase and is disposed adjacent to the top of the collector tank. The oil outlet is substantially elevated above the corresponding water phase outlet disposed on and connecting to the separator tank on the opposed side of the separator baffle. A tank solid sludge outlet provides for removal of the collected sludge from the tank bottom. The separator baffle can be heated as needed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

The separator combination for multi-phase liquids, comprising:
a closed separator tank having a regular cross section and a tank top, wall height, and base,
an inlet low velocity liquid spreader disposed and secured in and through said closed tank adjacent to said closed tank base, said inlet spreader having extending multiple pipe branches of equivalent pipe diameters with pipe branch liquid outlets disposed in a single horizontal plane, said inlet spreader providing the decrease in the stream velocity of said multi-phase liquid from the initial inlet turbulent fluid flow to the exit laminar velocity fluid flow from the terminal pipe branch liquid outlets,
a primary baffle disposed and secured in and fully across the tank interior width, said primary baffle inclined angularly in said tank from a baffle base terminus disposed adjacent said tank base and also covertly adjacent said terminal pipe branches of said inlet liquid spreader, said primary baffle angularly extending upward in said closed tank above said inlet liquid spreader, terminating at a top primary baffle terminus adjacent said tank top,
a vertical oil volume partition extending vertically from and across said top primary baffle terminus upward to the interior of said tank top, providing a narrow oil vertical volume phase collector disposed above the oil phase-water phase separator volume,
an oil phase outlet pipe disposed on and secured through said tank wall, providing an oil outlet communicating with said oil volume collector, said oil outlet pipe disposed and elevated above said primary baffle top terminus,
a water phase outlet pipe disposed on and secured through said tank wall, providing a water outlet communicating with the separated water phase volume, said water phase outlet pipe elevated just above said primary baffle top terminus,
and,
a solid sludge phase outlet aperture disposed on and secured through said tank wall adjacent said tank base, providing means for sludge phase withdrawal from said tank as required.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 1, the further modification wherein,
the primary baffle has heating means secured on and disposed contiguously across said primary baffle, on the primary baffle face adjacent said inlet low velocity spreader.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 1, the further modification wherein
said terminal pipe branches of said inlet low velocity liquid spreader have linear slots disposed in said pipe branch liquid outlets.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 2, the further modification wherein,
the primary baffle has a heat insulating pad means secured on and disposed contiguously across said primary baffle face opposed to said inlet low velocity spreader.

### Claim 5

The separator combination for multi-phase liquids comprising:
a closed separator tank having a regular cross section and a tank top, wall height, and base,
an inlet low velocity liquid spreader disposed and secured in and through said closed tank adjacent to said closed tank base, said inlet spreader having multiple pipe branches of equivalent pipe diameters with pipe branch liquid outlets disposed in a single horizontal plane, said inlet spreader providing the decrease in the stream velocity of said multi-phase liquid from the initial inlet turbulent fluid flow to the exit laminar velocity fluid flow from the terminal pipe branch liquid outlets,
a primary baffle disposed and secured in and fully across the tank interior width, said primary baffle inclined angularly in said tank from a baffle base terminus disposed adjacent said tank base and also covertly adjacent said terminal pipe branches of said inlet liquid spreader, said primary baffle angularly extending upward in said closed tank above said inlet liquid spreader, terminating at a top baffle terminus adjacent said tank top,
a vertical oil volume partition extending vertically from and across said top primary baffle terminus upward to the interior of said tank top, providing a narrow oil vertical volume phase collector disposed above the oil phase-water phase separator volume,
a secondary baffle disposed and secured in and fully across the tank interior width parallel to and ranging 1/4 to 1 inch above said primary baffle at the same angular inclination, said secondary baffle secured to the tank wall and having a baffle floor extension secured from the secondary baffle base terminus elevated above the tank base just above said primary baffle base terminus and extending to and joined to said tank wall, and angularly rising to a secondary baffle top terminus, terminating just below said primary top baffle terminus,
an oil phase outlet pipe disposed on and secured through said tank wall, providing an oil outlet communicating with said oil volume collector, said oil outlet pipe disposed and elevated above said primary baffle top terminus,
a water phase outlet pipe disposed and secured through said tank wall, providing a water outlet communicating with the separated water phase volume, said water phase outlet pipe elevated just above said primary baffle top terminus,
and,
a solid sludge phase outlet aperture disposed on and secured through said tank wall adjacent said tank base, providing means for sludge phase withdrawal from said tank as required.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 5, the further modification wherein,
the primary baffle has heating means secured on and disposed contiguously across said primary baffle, on the primary baffle face adjacent said inlet low velocity spreader.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 5, the further modification wherein
said terminal pipe branches of said inlet low velocity liquid spreader have linear slots disposed in said pipe branch liquid outlets.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

In the separator combination set forth in claim 6, the further modification wherein
said terminal pipe branches of said inlet low velocity liquid spreader have linear slots disposed in said pipe branches.