Abstract:
An apparatus and method for separating water from an oil-and-water mixture includes at least two elongated separator vessels oriented at an incline and connected to one another so that an upwardly flowing oil predominant fluid passes from the first separator vessel to the second separator vessel where further electrostatic separation of water from the oil predominant fluid occurs. Each vessel has an electrode at its upper end preferably connected to a different voltage source. The inlet to each vessel is located relative to the electrode to provide an up flow or a down flow vessel. Additionally, the first vessel may be at a different elevation than the second vessel. An additional vessel may be included with output from the first vessel bypassing the additional vessel, the second vessel, or both. Baffles may be added in the water collection portion of each vessel to reduce turbulence and settling distance.
Abstract:
Decreasing the water content of an organic phase can often be desirable, but low water levels can be difficult to achieve at high fluxes when the water is present in an emulsified form, such as in a water-in-oil emulsion. Processes for de-emulsifying a fluid stream containing emulsified water, such as water-in-crude oil emulsions, include introduction of the fluid stream into a vessel that defines a coalescence zone. The vessel is configured to provide for simultaneous application of a centrifugal force and an electric field to the fluid stream within the coalescence zone. The simultaneous application of the centrifugal force and the electric field to the fluid stream provides for the coalescence of a portion of the emulsified water into a bulk aqueous phase. A biphasic mixture comprising continuous phases of the organic component and the bulk aqueous phase is formed within the coalescence zone and subsequently removed from the vessel.
Abstract:
A permanent subsea sampling and analysis system is integrated into a replaceable equipment module for a choke valve of a subsea production well. The analysis system is self-contained, and separates a sample into liquid fractions consisting of crude oil, condensate and produced water and then measures the salinity of the water as well as the volumetric ratio between the liquid fractions all in the same sampling container.
Abstract:
An electrically energized compact coalescer (50) comprising an elongated, closed shell (53) having a fluid inlet (52) and a fluid outlet (59); at least one electrode (55) mounted in an internal chamber formed in the closed shell and forming at least one narrow gap (58) between the electrode means and a wall in the closed shell. An external power supply (64) is electrically connected to the electrode and the energized electrode (55) is fully encapsulated with insulation to enable an intense electrostatic field to be applied to an electrically conductive emulsion whereby the flow of emulsion through said at least one narrow gap (58) will be non-laminar. One or more helical vanes (57) are disposed in the narrow gap at an angle with respect to the electrode longitudinal axis and extending for at least a portion of the length (L) of the electrode, whereby the fluid flowing through said narrow gap will follow a spiraling pattern at least partially around the electrode (55).
Abstract:
Decomposition is performed with the application of the method and apparatus by separating solid contaminants from the emulsion, absorbing CO2 gas in the emulsion, thereby switching the emulsion type from W/O to O/W, pre-heating the emulsion utilizing a heat regenerator (32), setting the stability minimum of the emulsion by adjusting the pH, resolving the emulsion in an electrochemical decomposition reactor (38) by passing it between an anode made of electrochemically active material and a cathode made of electrochemically inactive material, while the colloid particles of the emulsion are bound in flocks forming a foam utilizing as a flocculant the compound produced in situ from the electrochemically active anode, —discharging the foam produced in the above step, and—discharging the decontaminated water through a final settlement tank (47) and/or a final filter (44) and a heat regenerator (32).
Abstract:
An electrostatic coalescer that includes an outer wall defining a flow path for receiving a process fluid comprising primarily a gas, a power source, a plurality of electrode plates coupled to the power source to generate an electrical field across the flow path wherein each of the plurality of electrode plates is coated with an insulation material and at least one insulating member is disposed between two adjacent electrode plates.
Abstract:
The present invention concerns a process for purification of biodiesel obtained from castor seed oil for the purpose of promoting the efficient separation of the glycerine fraction formed during the transesterification reaction of a mixture of long-chain triglycerides derived from the oil in the presence of ethanol and an alkaline catalyst. The invention concerns the application of the method of electrostatic separation to biodiesel from castor oil in order to separate the glycerine from the stable emulsion then formed, in relatively short spaces of time.
Abstract:
A laminar or cyclonic particle separator for gas, liquid-liquid and fluidizable solids separation comprised of a section with a non-metallic housing having an annulus and a chamber, an optional anode cooled with a first coolant in and a first coolant out disposed in the chamber, a DC or pulsating DC power source connected to the anode, at least one magnetic coil disposed adjacent the chamber and cooled with a second coolant, a high voltage pulsating DC power source connected to the magnetic coil, and a fluid (gas, liquid or fluidizable solids) inlet port connected to the housing, and also a section with a non-metallic separator tube connected to the housing and disposed within the housing, a first fluid outlet connected to the annulus through the housing. This device can then separate a stream rich in a targeted element (first fluid) and a stream lean in a targeted element (second fluid) from the device and thus discharge a stream almost free of the targeted element or almost 100 % the targeted element.
Abstract:
A method and an apparatus for the extraction of a solute from an aqueous feed solution into an aqueous stripping solution are described. The apparatus comprises vessel means for containing a continuous non-polar carrier liquid, the carrier liquid having therein a chemical having an affinity for ions of at least one species in said solute in said feed solution; means for providing at least one stream of each of said feed (42) and stripping solutions (46) through said carrier liquid in said vessel means; electrode means (30, 32, 34, 36) for applying a first and a second high voltage electrostatic field to each of said feed and stripping solution streams respectively, so as to cause said streams to break up into a multiplicity of small droplets; baffle means (26) positioned between the electrode means for establishing said first and second high voltage electrostatic fields, said baffle means allowing the movement of said carrier liquid but minimising transfer across the baffle of feed and stripping solutions; mutually separate receiving means for collecting said feed and stripping solutions after they have passed through said first and second high voltage electrostatic fields, respectively; the apparatus being characterised by further including means for providing and controlling the first (100) and second high voltage electrostatic fields (102) such that the first and second voltages are different and controllable.