Which Separation Technique is Used to Separate Oil from Water?

Well, there are practically many. But let us look at five standard techniques of oil and water separation.

1.     Heat Separation

Heat separation is one of the most common techniques used in oil and water separation. As the name suggests, it involves the application of heating the mixture to a specific temperature to enhance separation. When the temperature of the mixture increases, the viscosity of the oil decreases. Such a lowered viscosity enables the easy release of gas and water. Further, heating oil emulsions also augments the density between oil and water.

2.     Agitation

A production fluid gets agitated when it hits the diverter plate at the vessel’s inlet. Such a sudden impact on the plate leads to a rapid change in direction and velocity that helps break the surface tension of the liquids and initiates the separation process. There exist several types of inlet diverters in separators, and the selections are made based on the attributes and the volume of the well stream.

3.     Gravity

Gravity separation forms the most popular technique for oil and water separation. The elements (oil and water) in the well stream have varying gravities. The density variations between oil and water allow water to separate by gravity. Further, with an adequate amount of time in a non-turbulent state, the varying specific gravities will separate naturally.

4.     Coalescing

Now, what happens in coalescing? During this process, water droplets gather to form larger drops. Remember, moisture does not condense unless and until it hits a solid surface. The case is the same with gas when it hits a hard surface. It might be a diverter plate when it first enters the vessel or a mist eliminator as it leaves. In vane-type mist eliminators, the process involves removing the droplets from the vapor stream through inertial impaction. The wet gas forcibly changes directions, thus causing mist droplets to hit the vanes and coalesce with other droplets, finally dropping down.

5.     Retention Time

In this process, separation happens over time. When you reduce the fluid velocity, you let the fluid a particular amount of time for it to separate itself through gravity. So, retention time refers to the time the fluid is in a steady or non-agitated state within a separator. The longer the retention time, the higher the separation. Vessels with a larger diameter or height increase the retention time and enable a higher amount of water to separate through gravity.

Finepac Structures – The Top Manufacturer of Mass Transfer and Separation Technology

Are you looking out for separation technology solutions? Then, Finepac has got you covered! The Pune-based company works with a diverse clientele across the globe and has delivered results to all of them through its breakthrough separation technology solutions. Within the separation technology umbrella, Finepac delivers process design for separators, process design for process plants, and TEG and anime contractors. To know more or to partner with Finepac Structures, call +91 89757 50760, or write an email to info@finepacindia.in.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Separator Internals - Finepac

Distillation Unit from Finepac in India

Finepac - Top Static Mixers Manufacturer in India