Lateral flow coalescing multiphase plate separator

Apparatus by which a flowing stream of a mixture of multi-phase material is separated into its separate phases, comprising:

• a vessel having a header at the top thereof, an inlet connected to the header through which the mixture can flow thereinto;
• an inlet chamber;
• a plurality of downcomers interconnecting said header and said inlet chamber;
• an outlet chamber opposed to the inlet chamber;
• an outlet connected to convey a first separated material away from said outlet chamber;
• an inlet chamber opening formed in the inlet chamber;
• an outlet chamber opening formed in the outlet chamber;
• the inlet chamber opening confronts the outlet chamber opening;
• a separator plate assembly having a plurality of spaced plates superimposed respective to one another to form plate spaces therebetween, means mounting said plate assembly within said vessel to form an upper chamber and a lower chamber;
• said plates have opposed ends, a top opposed to a bottom, and opposed sides;
• means forming an apertured baffle between said inlet chamber opening and one end of said plate assembly;
• means forming another apertured baffle between said outlet chamber opening and said other end of said plate assembly;
• whereby;
• multi-phase material enters the header and flows into the inlet chamber, through the apertured baffle, into one end of the plate assembly, whereupon a first separated phase is discharged from the other end thereof and into the outlet chamber;
• a second separated phase ascends the plate spaces and discharges into said upper chamber, while a third separated phase gravitates into said lower chamber.

Method of treating a mixture of waste material containing water, hydrocarbons lighter than water, and sludge heavier than water, comprising the steps of:

• dividing a vessel into an inlet chamber at one end thereof, an outlet chamber at the opposed end thereof, a hydrocarbon reservoir at the upper end thereof, and a sludge collector at the lower end thereof;
• arranging spaced plates within said vessel to provide spaced, parallel flow paths that are upwardly inclined at an acute angle respective to the horizontal;
• upwardly opening the spaces between the plates into said hydrocarbon reservoir that is located at the upper end of the vessel, and downwardly opening the spaces between the plates into said sludge collector that is located at the lower end of the vessel;
• placing a perforated baffle between the plates and the inlet chamber to admit flow of waste material from the inlet chamber, and, placing a perforated baffle between the plates and the outlet chamber to admit treated water to flow through the spaces between the plates and into the outlet chamber;
• forming the plates into corrugations to present spaces having a sinusoidal wave pattern when viewed in horizontal cross section;
• arranging the plates at an acute angle respective to the horizontal;
• and, extending the plates in the direction of flow from the inlet to the outlet chambers;
• flowing the mixture in a downward direction into said inlet chamber of the vessel, through said perforated baffle, then horizontally along the sinusoidal flow paths formed through the plate members while oil flows upwardly at an inclined angle to engage the lower surface of the next adjacent plates and thereby coalesce and separate from the water, while sludge gravitates downwardly into contact with the upper surface of the next adjacent plates and thereby separate from the water and drop into said sludge chamber, and the separated water continues through the spaces formed between the spaced plates, and then into said outlet chamber where it is free to exit the vessel.

Apparatus for separating a mixture of water contaminated with oil and sludge, comprising:

• a vessel through which the mixture can flow;
• said vessel has a top, bottom, and opposed sides;
• a header supported at the top of the vessel for receiving the mixture therein;
• an inlet chamber formed within the vessel at one side of the vessel;
• an outlet chamber formed within the vessel at the opposed side of the vessel;
• a chamber opening formed in the inlet chamber and a chamber opening formed in the outlet chamber, with the chamber opening of the inlet chamber confronting the chamber opening of the outlet chamber;
• a multi-phase separator enclosed within said vessel, said separator having an assembly of a plurality of spaced, parallel, corrugated, adjacent plates superimposed respective to one another and mounted between the inlet chamber and outlet chambers for receiving flow of the mixture thereinto and discharging the separated mixture therefrom;
• said plates have opposed ends, a top opposed to a bottom, and opposed sides, thereby providing said separator with spaces which outwardly open at the opposed ends, top, and bottom of the plates such that the spaces each form a mixture inlet at one end thereof, a water outlet at the other end thereof, an oil outlet at the top thereof, and a sludge outlet at the bottom thereof;
• means forming a perforated baffle between the inlet chamber opening and the plate assembly;
• said perforated baffle being mounted to direct flow into said plate assembly whereby flow can occur from the chamber opening of the inlet chamber into the inlet end of the coalescing separator;
• means forming a perforated baffle between the outlet chamber opening and the treated water outlet of the separator, said perforated baffle being mounted to direct flow from the outlet end of said separator into the outlet chamber opening;
• an oil overflow at the top of the vessel overlying the separator;
• a sludge chamber underlying the separator for accumulating sludge therein;
• an overflow outlet connected to remove treated water from said outlet chamber;
• and an oil outlet connected to remove oil from the oil overflow at the top of the vessel;
• said plate assembly having a frame within which a multiplicity of said corrugated plates are supported therein and arranged to form sinusoidal wave patterns when viewed in horizontal cross-section, thereby forming spaced, sinusoidal, inclined spaces through which the mixture flows;
• said plates are inclined at an acute angle respective to the horizontal;
• whereby;
• a contaminated mixture enters the header and flows into the inlet chamber, through the perforated baffle and into the separator, and from the separator into the outlet chamber, as sludge separates and flows down into the sludge outlet while oil separates and flows up into the oil overflow.