Apparatus for dehydrating oil

A system for removing aqueous components from a fluid, the system comprising:

• a pumping unit configured to pump a stream of fluid from which aqueous components are to be removed;
• a heating circuit coupled to the pumping unit for heating the fluid stream;
• a vacuum circuit downstream of the heating circuit for subjecting heated fluid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to remove aqueous components therefrom;
• a temperature controlled recirculation circuit coupled to the heating circuit, the recirculation circuit including a fluid temperature sensor, a recirculation loop and a control valve, the recirculation loop directing a first portion of the fluid stream through the heating circuit based upon the fluid temperature and directing a second portion of the fluid stream through the vacuum circuit;
• and
• a control circuit coupled to the temperature sensor and to the control valve, the control circuit configured to regulate flow through the control valve based upon a temperature signal from the temperature sensor.

A system for removing aqueous components from a fluid, the system comprising:

• a pumping unit configured to pump a stream of fluid from which aqueous components are to be removed;
• a heating circuit coupled to the pumping unit for heating the fluid stream;
• a vacuum circuit downstream of the heating circuit for subjecting heated fluid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to remove aqueous components therefrom, the vacuum circuit including a vacuum chamber and means for drawing a vacuum within the vacuum chamber;
• and
• an evacuation circuit for evacuating dehydrated fluid from the vacuum chamber based upon a level of dehydrated fluid within the vacuum chamber, the evacuation circuit including a level sensor disposed within the vacuum chamber to detect the level of dehydrated fluid within the vacuum chamber and to generate a level signal representative thereof, and an evacuation pump circuit configured for drawing dehydrated fluid from the vacuum chamber based upon the level signal.

A system for removing aqueous components from a fluid, the system comprising:

• a pumping unit configured to pump a stream of fluid from which aqueous components are to be removed;
• a heating circuit coupled to the pumping unit for heating the fluid stream;
• a vacuum circuit downstream of the heating circuit for subjecting heated fluid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to remove aqueous components therefrom, the vacuum circuit including a vacuum chamber and means for drawing a vacuum within the vacuum chamber;
• an evacuation circuit for evacuating dehydrated fluid from the vacuum chamber based upon a level of dehydrated fluid within the vacuum chamber;
• and
• means for cyclically introducing pulsed flow of air through the vacuum chamber to vary vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber.

A system for removing aqueous components from a fluid, the system comprising:

• a pumping unit configured to pump a stream of fluid from which aqueous components are to be removed;
• a heating circuit coupled to the pumping unit for heating the fluid stream;
• a vacuum circuit downstream of the heating circuit for subjecting heated fluid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to remove aqueous components therefrom, the vacuum circuit including a vacuum chamber and means for drawing a vacuum within the vacuum chamber;
• an evacuation circuit for evacuating dehydrated fluid from the vacuum chamber based upon a level of dehydrated fluid within the vacuum chamber;
• a condensing circuit coupled to the vacuum circuit for condensing gaseous phase aqueous components removed from the fluid stream;
• a condensate collection vessel for receiving condensate from the condensing circuit;
• and
• a condensate discharge circuit including means for changing pressure within the condensate collection vessel to force discharge of condensate from the collection vessel.