Radio frequency microwave energy method to break oil and water emulsions
AssigneeImperial Petroleum Recovery Corp.
InventorHenry H. Kartchner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method to effectively break hydrocarbon and water emulsions with radio frequency energy. A stream of hydrocarbon and water emulsion is pumped into a multimode resonant reentrant microwave cavity. Dual opposing emulsion flow chambers with a centrally supplied microwave waveguide form a double ended resonant chamber with multiple RF energy reflections to effectively treat the flowing emulsion. The emulsified feedstock enters into the bottoms of both flow chambers and exits to a centrifuge or storage for separation.
Claims11
A method of breaking an oil and water emulsion feedstock into constituent oil and water within a radio frequency (rf) microwave energy absorption applicator path comprising:
- a. pumping said feedstock through emulsion feedstock dual process chambers having at least one feedstock inlet and at least one feedstock outlet;
- b. directing said radio frequency (rf) microwave energy through a radio frequency microwave waveguide;
- and
- c. splitting and deflecting said radio frequency (rf) microwave energy emerging from said radio frequency (rf) microwave waveguide through plane parallel fluoropolymer windows into said emulsion feedstock dual processing chambers with a radio frequency (rf) microwave deflector to raise the emulsion temperature and cause such emulsion to be broken.
A method of breaking an oil and water emulsion feedstock into constituent oil and water within a radio frequency (rf) microwave energy absorption applicator path comprising:
- a. pumping said feedstock through emulsion feedstock dual process chambers having at least one feedstock inlet and at least one feedstock outlet;
- b. directing said radio frequency (rf) microwave energy through a radio frequency microwave waveguide;
- and
- c. splitting and deflecting said radio frequency (rf) microwave energy emerging from said radio frequency (rf) microwave waveguide through radio frequency transparent windows into said emulsion feedstock dual processing chambers with a radio frequency (rf) microwave deflector to raise the emulsion temperature and cause such emulsion to be broken.
A method of breaking an oil and water emulsion feedstock into constituent oil and water comprising:
- a. pumping said feedstock through a feedstock process chamber having at least one feedstock inlet and at least one feedstock outlet;
- b. exposing said feedstock to radio frequency (rf) energy deflected from a radio frequency waveguide into the feedstock process chamber;
- c. monitoring a temperature difference of the feedstock between at least one feedstock inlet and at least one feedstock outlet;
- d. controlling the pumping rate of said feedstock through the feedstock process chamber using said monitored temperature difference;
- said feedstock being optimally retained within said feedstock process chamber to effect maximum emulsion breakage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.