Modeling of oil–water separation efficiency in three-phase separators: Effect of emulsion rheology and droplet size distribution

2020 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 278-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanre M. Oshinowo ◽  
Regis D. Vilagines
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Emulsion Rheology

Fluid Flow Phenomena and Droplet Size Distribution Along the Feed Spreader of Large Oil/Water Tank Separators

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose G. Severino ◽  
Luis E. Gomez ◽  
Steve J. Leibrandt ◽  
Ram S. Mohan ◽  
Ovadia Shoham
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Separation Performance ◽  
Water Tank ◽  
Water Dispersion ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
The Impact

Large gravity separation tanks play an essential role in crude oil production in many fields worldwide. These tanks are used to separate water from an oil-rich stream before safely returning it to the environment. The oil/water dispersion enters the tanks through a feed spreader consisting of an array of pipes with small effluent nozzles. A major challenge is being able to predict oil/water dispersion distribution along the spreader as well as, the maximum water droplet size exiting through the effluent nozzles, under a given set of conditions. The capacity of the studied tank is 80,000 barrels (12,719 m3). Current feed stream is about 60,000 bpd (9,540 m3/day) of wet crude containing about 20% water by volume. A significant increase in flow rates and water volume fraction is anticipated [7], as more wells are added and existing ones mature. This work is aimed at investigating the separation performance of these tanks under current and future flow conditions; focusing primarily on the flow phenomena and droplet size distribution inside the spreader. The main objective is then to identify the impact of the spreader’s geometry and piping configuration on flow behavior and tank’s separation efficiency. The final product provides key information needed for mechanistic modeling the tank separation performance and optimizing tank components’ design. The feed spreader is simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to assess oil/water flow distribution inside the network. Droplet size distribution along branch-pipes effluent nozzles in, including droplet breakup and coalescence has been studied using the Gomez mechanistic model [2] with input from CFD results. An experimental investigation of the spreader using a scaled prototype was also conducted to better understand flow phenomena and verify the CFD models. Results confirm the occurrence of significant maldistribution of the water and oil phases along the spreader that could impair separation efficiency.

scholarly journals Dodecyl Mercaptan Functionalized Copper Mesh for Water Repellence and Oil-water Separation

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-899
Author(s):  
Yanling Tian ◽  
Jiekai Feng ◽  
Zexin Cai ◽  
Jiaqi Chao ◽  
Dawei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
One Step ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Water Repellence ◽  
Copper Mesh ◽  
Dodecyl Mercaptan

AbstractReckless discharge of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage as well as frequent leakage of crude oil have caused serious environmental problems and posed severe threat to human survival. Various nature inspired superhy-drophobic surfaces have been successfully applied in oily water remediation. However, further improvements are still urgently needed for practical application in terms of facile synthesis process and long-term durability towards harsh environment. Herein, we propose a simple one-step dodecyl mercaptan functionalization method to fabricate Super-hydrophobic-Superoleophilic Copper Mesh (SSCM). The prepared SSCM possesses excellent water repellence and oil affinity, enabling it to successfully separate various oil-water mixtures with high separation efficiency (e.g., > 99% for hexadecane-water mixture). The SSCM retains high separating ability when hot water and strong corrosive aqueous solutions are used to simulate oil-water mixtures, indicating remarkable chemical durability of the dodecyl mercaptan functionalized copper mesh. Additionally, the efficiency can be well maintained during 50 cycles of separation, and the water repellence is even stable after storage in air for 120 days, demonstrating the reusability and long-term stability of the SSCM. Furthermore, the functionalized mesh also shows good mechanical robustness towards abrasion by sandpaper, and oil-water separation efficiency of > 96% can be obtained after 10 cycles of abrasion. The reported one-step dodecyl mercaptan functionalization could be a simple method for increasing the water repellence of copper mesh, and thereby be a great candidate for treating large-scale oily wastewater in harsh environments.

Effect of Shear and Water Cut on Phase Inversion and Droplet Size Distribution in Oil–Water Flow

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mo Zhang ◽  
Ramin Dabirian ◽  
Ram S. Mohan ◽  
Ovadia Shoham
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Phase Inversion ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Water Emulsion ◽  
Inversion Region ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Water Cut

Oil–water dispersed flow occurs commonly in the petroleum industry during the production and transportation of crudes. Phase inversion occurs when the dispersed phase grows into the continuous phase and the continuous phase becomes the dispersed phase caused by changes in the composition, interfacial properties, and other factors. Production equipment, such as pumps and chokes, generates shear in oil–water mixture flow, which has a strong effect on phase inversion phenomena. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of shear intensity and water cut (WC) on the phase inversion region and also the droplet size distribution. A state-of-the-art closed-loop two phase (oil–water) flow facility including a multipass gear pump and a differential dielectric sensor (DDS) is used to identify the phase inversion region. Also, the facility utilizes an in-line droplet size analyzer (a high speed camera), to record real-time videos of oil–water emulsion to determine the droplet size distribution. The experimental data for phase inversion confirm that as shear intensity increases, the phase inversion occurs at relatively higher dispersed phase fractions. Also the data show that oil-in-water emulsion requires larger dispersed phase volumetric fraction for phase inversion as compared with that of water-in-oil emulsion under the same shear intensity conditions. Experiments for droplet size distribution confirm that larger droplets are obtained for the water continuous phase, and increasing the dispersed phase volume fraction leads to the creation of larger droplets.

Evaluation of Models for Droplet Shear Effect of Centrifugal Pump

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Dabirian ◽  
Shihao Cui ◽  
Ilias Gavrielatos ◽  
Ram Mohan ◽  
Ovadia Shoham
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Droplet Diameter ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Production Equipment ◽  
Transportation Equipment ◽  
Log Normal

During the process of petroleum production and transportation, equipment such as pumps and chokes will cause shear effects which break the dispersed droplets into smaller size. The smaller droplets will influence the separator process significantly and the droplet size distribution has become a critical criterion for separator design. In order to have a better understanding of the separation efficiency, estimation of the dispersed-phase droplet size distribution is very important. The objective of this paper is to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the effect of shear imparted on oil-water flow by centrifugal pump. This paper presents available published models for the calculation of droplet size distribution caused by different production equipment. Also detailed experimental data for droplet size distribution downstream of a centrifugal pump are presented. Rosin-Rammler and Log-Normal Distributions utilizing dmax Pereyra (2011) model as well as dmin Kouba (2003) model are used in order to evaluate the best fit distribution function to simulate the cumulative droplet size distribution. The results confirm that applying dmax Pereyra (2011) model leads to Rosin-Rammler distribution is much closer to the experimental data for low shear conditions, while the Log-Normal distribution shows better performance for higher shear rates. Furthermore, the predictions of Modified Kouba (2003) dmin model show good results for predicting the droplet distribution in centrifugal pump, and even better predictions under various ranges of experiments are achieved with manipulating cumulative percentage at minimum droplet diameter F(Dmin).

scholarly journals Fabricated of Superhydrophobic Silanized Melamine Sponge with Photochromic Properties for Efficiency Oil/Water Separation

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Hong ◽  
Zhu Liu ◽  
Yang Gao ◽  
Yubin Chen ◽  
Mingxun Zhuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Dip Coating ◽  
Absorption Capacity ◽  
Photochromic Properties ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water

Superhydrophobic sponge as potential absorbing material for oil/water separation is attracting great attention recently. However, there are still some challenges to feasibly fabricate superhydrophobic sponge with large scale and low cost. Herein, a novel photochromic superhydrophobic melamine sponge (PDMS-SP sponge) is fabricated by facilely dip-coating and thermocuring of hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxanes mixed with photochromic spiropyran. FT-IR, EDS, and XPS results confirm the successful coating of PDMS-SP upon melamine sponge. The resultant sponge not only possesses excellent water repellency with a contact angle of 154.5° and oil-water separation efficiency with an oil absorption capacity of 48–116 folds of itself weight, but also shows photochromic phenomenon between colorless and purple when it is successively exposed to UV irradiation and visible light.

scholarly journals PP/TiO2 Melt-Blown Membranes for Oil/Water Separation and Photocatalysis: Manufacturing Techniques and Property Evaluations

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Sun ◽  
Ting-Ting Li ◽  
Haitao Ren ◽  
Qian Jiang ◽  
Hao-Kai Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Decomposition Temperature ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Tio2 Content ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Photocatalytic Effect ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Manufacturing Techniques

This study aims to produce polypropylene (PP)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) melt-blown membranes for oil/water separation and photocatalysis. PP and different contents of TiO2 are melt-blended to prepare master batches using a single screw extruder. The master batches are then fabricated into PP/TiO2 melt-blown membranes. The thermal properties of the master batches are analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, and their particle dispersion and melt-blown membrane morphology are evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. TiO2 loaded on melt-blown membranes is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The oil/water separation ability of the melt-blown membranes is evaluated to examine the influence of TiO2 content. Results show that the thermal stability and photocatalytic effect of the membranes increase with TiO2 content. TiO2 shows a good dispersion in the PP membranes. After 3 wt.% TiO2 addition, crystallinity increases by 6.4%, thermal decomposition temperature increases by 25 °C compared with pure PP membranes. The resultant PP/TiO2 melt-blown membrane has a good morphology, and better hydrophobicity even in acetone solution or 6 h ultraviolet irradiation, and a high oil flux of about 15,000 L·m−2·h−1. Moreover, the membranes have stabilized oil/water separation efficiency after being repeatedly used. The proposed melt-blown membranes are suitable for mass production for separating oil from water in massively industrial dyeing wastewater.

Experimental Research on the Effect of Heating Temperature, Demulsifier Dose and Water Cut on the Oil-Water Separation in Three-Phase Separator

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ang Li ◽  
Jianfeng Bai ◽  
Yun Shen ◽  
Hang Jin ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heating Temperature ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Mixture ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Water Cut ◽  
Phase Separator

The three-phase separator has a wide range of applications in oil production industry. For the purpose of studying the effect of heating temperature, demulsifiers and water content on the separation of oil-water mixture in the three-phase separator, eight kinds of oil samples were taken from different oil transfer stations in Changqing Oilfield and the mixtures were prepared by stirring method. To simulate the two-stage dehydration process, the first stage dehydration experiments without any heating were performed on mixtures at the dose of 100ppm demulsifer at 20°C, and the water cut of these mixtures is the same as that of the gathering pipeline in each oil transfer station. The water cut of the upper crude oil was measured after 40 minutes, and the values of them ranged from 0.5 vol% to 65.2 vol%. No visual stratification was observed for the sample most difficult to separate, so it was selected to conduct the second stage dewatering process. Three bottles of the same mixture were prepared and heated to 30°C, 40°C and 50°C, respectively. The results showed that all of them stratified in 10 minutes, and the water-cut values of the upper oil layer were 1.4 vol%, 0.5 vol% and 0.3 vol%, respectively, compared to 65.2 vol% at 20°C. When the concentration of demulsifier was changed to 200ppm and 300ppm, the results exhibited almost no differences. So it is deduced that the further improvement of heating temperature and demulsifier dose have limited enhancement on oil-water separation. At Last, 35 vol%, 50 vol%, 70 vol% and 85 vol% water cut mixtures of the special oil sample were made to experiment as previously. In consequence, the 35 vol% water-cut emulsions presented a relatively slow rate of oil-water stratification at low heating temperature, and the oil content of the lower separated water was improved by the addition of demulsifier dosage above 100ppm when the water cut was 90 vol%. It is indicated that high heating temperature is necessarry for low water-cut mixtures oil-water separation and can be appropriately reduced to save energy consumption as the water cut continues to rise. The demulsifier dosage is also neccessary be controlled in high water cut period. These experimental data provide the basis for the further optimization operation of the three-phase separator.

scholarly journals Facile Fabrication of Magnetic, Durable and Superhydrophobic Cotton for Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingguang Yu ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Wenxin Yang ◽  
Yonghang Xu ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Cotton Fabrics ◽  
Ammonia Solution ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Efficient Strategy ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water

In this paper, we present a facile and efficient strategy for the fabrication of magnetic, durable, and superhydrophobic cotton for oil/water separation. The superhydrophobic cotton functionalized with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles was prepared via the in situ coprecipitation of Fe2+/Fe3+ ions under ammonia solution on cotton fabrics using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a coupling agent and hydrophobic treatment with tridecafluorooctyl triethoxysilane (FAS) in sequence. The as-prepared cotton demonstrated excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 155.6° ± 1.2° and good magnetic responsiveness. Under the control of the external magnetic field, the cotton fabrics could be easily controlled to absorb the oil from water as oil absorbents, showing high oil/water separation efficiency, even in hot water. Moreover, the cotton demonstrated remarkable mechanical durable properties, being strongly friction-resistant against sandpaper and finger wipe, while maintaining its water repellency. This study developed a novel and efficient strategy for the construction of magnetic, durable, and superhydrophobic biomass-based adsorbent for oil/water separation, which can be easily scaled up for practical oil absorption.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document