PROCESS FOR SEPARATING LIQUID EMULSIONS AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME
Abstract of WO2012074435 (A2)
The invention relates to the field of chemistry, petroleum chemistry and oil and gas processing, and specifically to devices and systems for separating heterogeneous liquid mixes and can be used in particular for separating water-hydrocarbon mixes. What is proposed is: a process for organizing the separation of liquid emulsions, said process comprising the use of a device for separating liquid emulsions comprising a housing equipped with a starting emulsion feed pipe, at least two pipes for separate discharge of the components of the emulsion, and at least one filter unit arranged inside the housing, said filter unit comprising layers of coalescent filter material, in which the filter unit divides the volume of the housing into an upper part and a lower part,; wherein the starting emulsion feed pipe and the pipe for discharging one of the components of the emulsion are arranged in the upper part of the housing above the filter unit, while the pipe for discharging the second component of the emulsion is arranged in the lower part of the housing beneath the filter unit. The housing can comprise an outer support structure with a design which makes it possible for the housing of the device to be arranged, during use, in such a way that the filter unit is arranged horizontally or with an ascent in the direction of passage of the emulsion. The filter unit can comprise layers of a cellular metal foam or an alloy, or a combination thereof with other filter materials. The technical effect of the claimed invention consists in substantially increasing the effectiveness of the separation of liquid emulsions.
