Capacitance system for heavy phase discharge of second stage centrifugal separation circuit
US4072609A · kind A · utility
Assignees
- Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada
- Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Alberta, Government of the Province of Alberta, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Alberta Syncrude Equity
- Ontario Energy Corp.
- Imperial Oil Limited
- Canada-Cities Service, Ltd.
- Gulf Oil Canada Ltd.
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 10, 1977 |
| Grant date | Feb 7, 1978 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 10, 1997 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC10G1/045
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A single capacitance vessel is provided to receive the excess heavy phase discharges (normally water) from a bank of disc-nozzle centrifugal separators. The vessel has a reservoir chamber with a weir at one end. The heavy phase streams are delivered into the reservoir of fluid retained in this chamber. In the event there are any hydrocarbons in the heavy phase fluid, the former rise to the surface of the reservoir fluid and pass over the weir, together with some water. An inert gas blanket within the vessel pressurizes the reservoir so that a fluid backpressure is maintained at the discharge outlets of the separators. By use of this system, any fluid returned from the reservoir to the separators (which occurs when the feed to the separators is low in water) is substantially free of hydrocarbons which, if present, would deleteriously affect the operation of the separators. In addition, the fluid passing over the weir is separated by a downstream weir system into hydrocarbon rich and water-rich fractions which are separately recovered.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.