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US 5,021,165 AGranted
Oil and water separating system with hydrocyclone and floatation device
AssigneeConoco Specialty Products Inc.
InventorCharles M. Kalnins
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AssigneeConoco Specialty Products Inc.
InventorCharles M. Kalnins
Estimating the term…
A separation system for separating oil and water components of a liquid mixture wherein the oil component is comprised of droplets of a less dense phase in a more dense water phase. The mixture is fed to separation devices including a hydrocyclone for generally reducing the oil in water concentration to less than 500 ppm. The underflow of the hydrocyclone is passed to a downstream flotation device for further separation as by settling, which may be further assisted by liberating gas in the mixture, in the flotation device, to adhere such gas to oil droplets and thereby carry such droplets to the surface of the device. Pressure of fluids leaving the hydrocyclone may be reduced before entering the flotation device. A residence vessel upstream of the hydrocyclone may be provided to precoalese the mixture prior to entering the hydrocyclone.
Separator apparatus for separating oil and water components of a fluid mixture wherein the oil component is comprised of droplets and wherein it is desired to ultimately provide a water component which is substantially free of oil;
Separator apparatus for separating oil and water components of a fluid mixture comprising a hydrocyclone designed, constructed and arranged to effect separation of an oil component from a water component of an inletted fluid mixture having a separating chamber with an inlet means for inlet of the fluid mixture to be separated, an overflow outlet means for outlet of a less dense oil component of the mixture and an underflow outlet means for outlet of a material comprised of a more dense water component of said mixture having residual droplets of oil, a flotation device coupled to receive outlet material from said underflow outlet, and further including means to effect a pressure reduction in the material emerging from said underflow outlet so that the outlet material entering said flotation device is at a pressure which is less than that of the outlet material after such outlet material has outletted from the underflow outlet, the flotation device being effective to effect separation of said droplets in the outlet material from the more dense component to cause the less dense component to float to the surface of the material admitted to the flotation device.
A method for separating oil and water components of a fluid mixture one from the other by use of a hydrocyclone having an inlet means through which the mixture is admitted, an underflow outlet, and an overflow outlet, the hydrocyclone being operated whereby a less dense oil component of the mixture emerges from the underflow outlet of the hydrocyclone in the form of a material comprising oil droplets dispersed in a more dense water component of the mixture, admitting the material emerging from the underflow outlet to a flotation device to effect further separation of the mixture by adherence of gas bubbles to the oil droplets to cause the less dense component to float to the surface of the admitted material and directing material from the overflow outlet in a flowpath which is not in direct communication with the flotation device to which the underflow material is admitted.
A method for separating oil and water components of a fluid mixture one from the other by use of a hydrocyclone to which the mixture is admitted, the hydrocyclone being operated whereby a less dense component of the mixture emerges from an outlet of the hydrocyclone in the form of a material comprising oil droplets dispersed in a more dense water component of the mixture, the material emerging from the outlet being admitted via a flowline to a flotation device to effect further separation by settling, wherein the less dense oil component is caused to float to the surface of the admitted material, and reducing the pressure of the material emerging from the outlet as the material passes through a flowline prior to its admission to the flotation device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.