GB941887A - Treatment of emulsions - Google Patents

Abstract

Oil-continuous emulsions are treated in a container 13 which is divided by a wall 16 into two compartments 20, 201 each of which incorporates a pair of spaced concentric-ring type high-voltage electrodes 21, 22 and 211, 221 defining a field space 23, 231 therebetween for electrostatic separation of the emulsion, and each of which has an emulsion influent conduit to which water or other liquid is fed by a pipe to mix therewith, the resultant mix being valved, in each case, to one of two intake ducts 49, 35 and 491, 351 delivering emulsion respectively and selectively into the field space 23, 231 or via a pipe coalescer 80, 801 into a body of water or separated material 33, 331 in the lower zone of the compartment which serves to wash the emulsion as it rises, through grids 38, 39, 381, 391 in the water, up into the oil-continuous body above the interfacial zone 34, 341, the pipe coalescers 0, 801 each inducing a controlled hydraulic turbulence of a Reynold's number in the range 1500 to 300,000. As shown, each pair of electrodes is controlled by a switch 31, 311 and the electrodes in compartment <PICT:0941887/C3/1> <PICT:0941887/C3/2> 201 are surmounted by a baffle 57 to ensure a quiescent treated oil zone 58 thereabove. The water or dispersed phase material is drained from each compartment through a valved outlet 61, 611 and treated oil is drawn from the top of each compartment through an outlet 60, 601. Fig. 1 shows a pipe layout for the interconnection of the two compartments 20, 201 with each other and with an emulsion supply tank 65, and tanks 92, 110 and 104 containing respectively an organic demulsifying agent, an inorganic alkaline material and an aqueous medium, any or all of which may be introduced into the emulsion to assist chemically in the treatment thereof. By means of the pipe layout and valves, the chemical agents may be supplied to the emulsion before or after a first stage treatment in either of the compartments 20, 201, the two compartments being operated to provide a two-stage treatment in either sequence. For each compartment, where the emulsion is introduced via the intake 35, 351, it is first passed through the associated pipe coalescer 80, 801 disposed on the outside of the associated compartment.