Water oil separator vessel with hydrophobic mesh tubes
Systems and a method for oil-in-water are provided. A water-oil separation plant (WOSEP) includes a gravity separation vessel, an inlet for an oil-in-water emulsion, an oil outlet for separated oil, a water compartment in the gravity separation vessel, and a water outlet from water compartment for separated water. A tube of hydrophobic mesh with an axis perpendicular to the water surface is disposed in the water compartment, wherein the top of the tube is above the water surface, and the bottom of the tube is below the water surface. An outlet coupled to the bottom of the tube allows oil and water to drain from the tube.
1 . A water-oil separator vessel (WOSEP), comprising:
a gravity separation vessel having an exterior and an interior, the interior having a top internal surface, a bottom internal surface, and a sidewall connecting the top internal surface and the bottom internal surface;
a separation compartment in the gravity separation vessel for receiving an oil-in-water emulsion from an inlet to the gravity separation vessel;
an oil outlet for receiving separated oil from the separation compartment;
a water compartment in the gravity separation vessel for receiving the oil-in-water emulsion from the separation compartment;
a water outlet from the water compartment for separated water;
a water baffle positioned between the separation compartment and the water compartment;
a tube of hydrophobic mesh disposed in the water compartment with an axis perpendicular to a water surface in the water compartment, wherein a top of the tube is positioned above a top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom of the tube is positioned above a bottom surface of the water baffle, and wherein the tube is configured to receive oil from the oil-in-water emulsion received from the separation compartment;
a water weir positioned between the separation compartment and the water baffle, wherein a top surface of the water weir is positioned below the top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom surface of the water weir is coupled to the bottom internal surface of the gravity separation vessel;
an oil baffle positioned between the separation compartment and the water weir, wherein a top surface of the oil baffle is positioned above the top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom surface of the oil baffle is positioned above the bottom surface of the water weir and below the top surface of the water weir;
an outlet from the gravity separation vessel coupled to the bottom of the tube; and
a collection manifold coupling the bottom of the tube to the outlet, the collection manifold and outlet together configured to collect the oil and the water in the tube and to drain the oil and the water from the tube and the gravity separation vessel through the outlet.
2 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic mesh comprises a stainless-steel copper-coated mesh functionalized with a hydrophobic material.
3 . The WOSEP of claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic material is a fatty acid.
4 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , wherein:
the inlet comprises an inlet nozzle into the separation compartment configured to disperse the oil-in-water emulsion in a bulk water flow; and
the oil-in-water emulsion comprises produced water and about 0.01 vol. % to about 10 vol. % oil.
5 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , comprising an oil-in-water sensor that detects an oil concentration in the water compartment.
6 . The WOSEP of claim 5 , wherein the oil-in-water sensor comprises an optical detector, an ultraviolet/visible fluorescence spectrometer, or an infrared spectrometer, or a combination thereof.
7 . The WOSEP of claim 5 , wherein the oil-in-water sensor comprises an ultrasonic detector.
8 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , comprising a phase profile sensor.
9 . The WOSEP of claim 5 , comprising a valve configured to activate when the oil-in-water sensor detects a targeted amount of oil in the water.
10 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , comprising a steam inlet coupled to the outlet of the tube.
11 . The WOSEP of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the tubes in the water compartment, the bottoms of each of the plurality of tubes coupled to the collection manifold.
12 . The WOSEP of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of tubes are arranged in a uniform square array, a non-uniform square and staggered array, a phyllotaxis pattern, 45° staggered variations of the uniform square array, 45° staggered variations of the non-uniform square array, 90° staggered variations of the uniform square array, or 90° staggered variations of the non-uniform square array.
13 . A method for separating an oil-in-water emulsion in a water oil separator vessel (WOSEP), comprising:
flowing the oil-in-water emulsion into a separation compartment of a gravity separation vessel of the WOSEP via an inlet to the gravity separation vessel, the gravity separation vessel having an exterior and an interior, the interior having a top internal surface, a bottom internal surface, and a sidewall connecting the top internal surface and the bottom internal surface;
performing a gravity separation of a portion of the oil from the water of the oil-in-water emulsion in the separation compartment;
flowing the separated water from the oil-in-water emulsion under an oil baffle, over a water weir, and under a water baffle into a water compartment comprising a tube made from a hydrophobic mesh and also configured to receive oily water from the separated water received from the separation compartment, wherein:
a top of the tube is positioned above a top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom of the tube is positioned below a bottom surface of the water baffle,
the water baffle is positioned between the separation compartment and the water compartment,
the water weir is positioned between the separation compartment and the water baffle, wherein a top surface of the water weir is positioned below the top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom surface of the water weir is coupled to the bottom internal surface of the gravity separation vessel;
the oil baffle is positioned between the separation compartment and the water weir, wherein a top surface of the oil baffle is positioned above the top surface of the water baffle, and a bottom surface of the oil baffle is positioned above the bottom surface of the water weir and below the top surface of the water weir;
collecting the oily water that flows through the tube of the water compartment through an outlet of the tube of the water compartment via a collection manifold coupling the bottom of the tube to the outlet, the collection manifold and outlet together configured to collect the oil water in the oily water in the tube and drain the oil water from the tube and the gravity separation vessel through the outlet; and
removing separated water from the water compartment through a water outlet of the water compartment.
14 . The method of claim 13 , comprising skimming off oil that floats to a surface of the water in the separation compartment via the gravity separation.
15 . The method of claim 13 , comprising manually operating skim nozzles in the water compartment to remove oil that floats to the surface.
16 . The method of claim 13 , comprising:
determining when an oil-in-water concentration reaches a pre-determined threshold in the collection manifold; and
activating a valve downstream of the outlet and the collection manifold when the oil-in-water concentration in the collection manifold reaches the pre-determined threshold.
17 . The method of claim 16 , comprising, while the valve is activated, iterating:
determining if the oil-in-water concentration in the collection manifold has dropped below the pre-determined threshold; and
deactivating the valve downstream of the outlet and the collection manifold if the oil-in-water concentration in the collection manifold has dropped below the pre-determined threshold.
18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the WOSEP comprises a plurality of the tubes in the water compartment, the bottoms of each of the plurality of tubes in the water compartment coupled to the collection manifold.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of tubes are arranged in a uniform square array, a non-uniform square and staggered array, a phyllotaxis pattern, 45° staggered variations of the uniform square array, 45° staggered variations of the non-uniform square array, 90° staggered variations of the uniform square array, or 90° staggered variations of the non-uniform square array.