Method and apparatus for separating wax/water from hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range

A method of enhancing separation of wax particles and/or water droplets from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, in which oil mixture the wax/water forms a dispersion, in which the wax particles and/or water droplets are grown in size, before being separated from the oil mixture, by introducing free excess electric charge which is net unipolar onto a body of the wax/water-containing oil mixture which is devoid of any collector surfaces disposed inside said body of oil mixture, and by allowing the introduced charge to induce said growth in size of wax particles and/or water droplets within said body of oil mixture.

A method of separating wax particles and/or water droplets from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, in which oil mixture the wax/water forms a dispersion, in which the wax/water-containing oil mixture is introduced into a separation vessel to provide a body of oil mixture inside said separation vessel, said body of oil mixture being devoid of any collector surface areas disposed inside said body of oil mixture, free excess electric charge which is net unipolar is introduced into said body of oil mixture in the separation vessel, the introduced charge is allowed to cause growth in size of the wax particles/water droplets within said body of oil mixture, and grown wax particles/water droplets are separated from the oil mixture.

A method for batch separation of wax particles from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, wherein:

• a quantity of wax-containing oil mixture is introduced into a separation vessel,
• the oil mixture is then recirculated from the separation vessel around a closed circuit and back to the separation vessel again, so as, successively, to have electric charge which is net unipolar injected into it by field emission, pass through a wax-growth region in the separation vessel, which region is free of any collector surface areas disposed within the oil mixture in that region, and be mechanically filtered in another region in the separation vessel whereby wax particle agglomeration and growth occurs within the oil mixture in the wax-growth region due to the injected charge, and grown wax particles are separated from the oil mixture by the mechanical filtering, and
• when sufficient wax has been separated from the oil mixture, the clarified oil mixture is discharged from the separation vessel.

A method for batch separation of wax particles from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, wherein:

• a quantity of wax-containing lubricating oil is introduced into a separation vessel
• the oil mixture is then recirculated from the separation vessel around a closed circuit and back to the separation vessel again, so as, successively, to have electric charge which is net unipolar injected into it by field emission, pass through a wax-growth region in the separation vessel, which region is free of any collector surface areas disposed within the oil mixture in that region, and pass through a bed of packed wax collector beads in another region in the separation vessel, whereby wax particle agglomeration and growth occurs in the wax-growth region due to the injected charge and grown wax particles collect and deposit on said beads, and
• when sufficient wax has been separated from the oil mixture by the beads, the clarified oil mixture is discharged from the separation vessel.

A method for batch separation of wax particles from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, wherein:

• a quantity of wax-containing oil mixture is introduced into a separation vessel defining an internal space which is free of any interior collector surface areas disposed within the oil mixture in said internal space,
• the oil mixture is then recirculated from the separator vessel around a closed circuit and back to the separation vessel again so as, successively, to have free excess electric charge which is net unipolar injected into it by field emission, pass through the separation vessel and pass through a filter device in said closed circuit, whereby wax particle agglomeration and growth occurs within the oil mixture in the separation vessel due to the injected charge, and grown wax particles are separated from the oil mixture by the filter device, and
• when sufficient wax has been separated from the oil mixture by the filter device, the clarified oil mixture is discharged from the separation vessel.

A method for continuous separation of wax particles from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, wherein

• free excess electric charge which is net unipolar is injected by field emission into a flow of wax-containing hydrocarbon oil mixture,
• the charged oil mixture is introduced into a separation vessel, the separation vessel interior having a region which is free of any internal collector surface areas disposed within the oil mixture in said region and the charged oil mixture being maintained in said region with a sufficient residence time that wax particle agglomeration and growth occurs within the oil mixture in said region in the separation vessel, and
• wax-laden oil mixture from the said region in the separation vessel is then subjected to filtration to remove the grown wax particles.

A method for batch separation of dispersed water droplets from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, the density of the oil mixture being different from that of the water, wherein:

• a quantity of water-containing hydrocarbon oil mixture is introduced into a separation vessel,
• the oil mixture is then recirculated from the separation vessel around a closed circuit and back to the separation vessel again, so as, successively, to have electric charge which is net unipolar injected into it by field emission, pass through a water droplet growth region in the separation vessel, which region is free of any interior collector surface areas disposed within the oil mixture in said region, and pass through a bed of packed collector beads in another region in the separation vessel, whereby water droplet agglomeration and growth occurs in the water droplet growth region due to the injected charge, and grown water droplets collect on said beads and grow further before becoming detached from said beads and settling from the oil mixture to form into a layer of water distinct from the oil mixture in the separation vessel, and
• when sufficient water has been separated from the oil mixture, the clarified oil mixture is discharged from the separation vessel.

Apparatus for separating wax particles and/or water droplets from a hydrocarbon oil mixture boiling in the lubricating oil range, comprising a separation vessel whose interior is free of any interior collector surface areas disposed within the interior of said separation vessel, means for introducing wax/water-containing oil mixture into the vessel and for discharging the oil mixture from the vessel, means for introducing free excess electric charge which is net unipolar into the oil mixture so that the oil mixture in the separation vessel is charged, means for maintaining the charged oil mixture in the separation vessel with sufficient residence time that wax particle/water droplet agglomeration and growth occurs within the oil mixture in the separation vessel, and a filter device for filtering the oil mixture discharged from the separation vessel for separating the grown wax partcles and/or water droplets from the oil mixture, said filter device comprising a settling chamber in which wax particles and/or water droplets can settle under gravity and a filter screen through which oil mixture from a relatively wax and water-free region of the settling chamber is passed.