Distillation: apparatus – Apparatus – Systems
Patent
1997-07-25
1999-11-09
Manoharan, Virginia
Distillation: apparatus
Apparatus
Systems
159 431, 159 44, 196100, 196128, 196132, 196114, 202204, 202205, 202236, 203 1, 203 10, 203 11, 203 90, 208184, 208187, 210151, 210175, 210294, 210180, 210774, B01D 310, B01D 342, C02F 104, C02F 172
Patent
active
059806940
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an installation for cleaning oil-polluted water, in particular near oil and gas production plants.
FR-A-2.267.285 concerning a process for the treatment of polluted water, is a multistage process operating in a first step at underpressure and in a final step under vacuum to obtain a concentrated residue for use in landfill. The process according to this citation employs various flows, i.e. a flow with hydrocarbons having a boiling temperature less than 95.degree. C., a flow having hydrocarbons with boiling temperature between 95 and 110.degree. C., and a flow having hydrocarbons with a boiling temperature in excess of 110.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,977 concerns an oil reclamation process in which the oil containing liquid contaminants, principally water, is evaporated entirely to separate the oil from the liquid.
Nowadays off shore and on shore production platforms utilize installations such as skimmers, floatation units, hydrocyclones, centrifuges, etc. to separate dispersed oil from production water released during the production of oil and gas. These installations are usually not capable of continuously decreasing the oil concentration in water to about 40 ppm. This 40 ppm limit is the maximum value allowed by many authorities.
It is the object of the invention to provide an installation of the kind mentioned in the preamble whereby not only a high standard of cleaning can be achieved, but whereby this cleaning is achieved in a very energy-efficient way, and whereby also automatic control is possible.
To this end the installation according to the invention is characterized by a distillation column having internal or external heating means as well as means for the generation of a controlled underpressure in the distillation column, and comprising a polluted water feed and at least one contact packing above which the polluted water feed exits, a vapour discharge and a clean water outlet; and a measuring device for the analysis of the water from the clean water outlet.
By means of the distillation column energy-efficient separation of a large percentage of aromatic and aliphatic compounds from the water is attained, thus meeting high cleaning requirements. Nowadays continuous on-line equipment is available for measuring. In this manner the oil content in water can be measured continuously instead of 16 times a month, as is now required by many authorities. By means of certain kinds of analysis devices the content of aliphatic and aromatic compounds in the cleaned water can be measured separately or combined. In addition, the output signals of both devices can be transmitted continuously to a central platform. The performance of the cleaning installation can therefore be monitored and controlled from a distance. Helicopter flights to the various unmanned production platforms for taking samples for laboratory analysis, as occurs with the known off-shore installations, are therefore no longer necessary. Weekly or monthly calibration of the measuring device according to the invention suffices.
The internal heating means applied may, for instance, be electric heating. However, sometimes the application of external heating means may be more desirable; viz. if gas is released on the platform, it may be utilized for heating by means of a separate reboiler.
The installation according to the invention is capable of effectively separating oil from water, whereby the heating means and the pressure decreasing means together realize at least partial evaporation of the polluted water, leading to optimal separation. Further, the underpressure lowers the boiling point of the volatile hydrocarbon components so that for instance, in the distillation column, instead of heating to the boiling point of water, a much lower temperature in the range of 40-60.degree. C. and in some applications even lower, suffices. For some organic components the separation factor is substantially improved if separation is carried out at decreased pressure and temperature. Because many organic compounds have boiling po
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Apeldoorn Adrianus P.
Bos Jachebus W.
De Wit Theodorus J.
Dozy Johannes J.
Elling Johannes J.
EMSYS Separation Technology B.V.
Manoharan Virginia
Myers Jeffrey D.
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