Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for treating oil-water-solids sludges and refinery waste streams

US4839022A · kind A · utility

21Cited by
25References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 8, 1985
Grant dateJun 13, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 8, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S210/912
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

Heavy hydrocarbon containing sludges such as refinery waste streams, oil storage tank sludges and marine oil tanker ballast are treated by passing the sludges in a flow stream through an indirect dryer to vaporize liquids having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of less than about 700.degree. F. and to provide substantially dried solid particles discharged from the dryer. The dried particles, containing heavy hydrocarbons as a coating or as a part of the solids, are conducted to a combustor/oxidizer and exposed to a high velocity flow stream of oxygen containing gas, typically low pressure forced air, to burn the residual hydrocarbons in the solids and to reduce heavy metals and the like to oxides thereof. A sludge handling system includes a rotary disk type indirect dryer connected to a lift pipe type combustor/oxidizer for thorough exposure of the dried solids to an oxygen containing atmosphere. A centrifigal or cyclone type gas-solids separator receives the flow stream discharged from the lift pipe and a portion of the dried solids may be diverted after discharge from the dryer back to the dryer inlet to reduce the moisture content of the sludge flow stream introduced to t…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.