Coalescence Media for Water-Hydrocarbon Emulsion Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coalescence media fail to effectively separate water-hydrocarbon emulsions, particularly those containing surfactants and biodiesel, due to insufficient interaction with small droplet sizes and inadequate surface area, leading to incomplete separation and increased complexity in systems design.
Innovation Solution
A coalescence media comprising a sheet-like structure formed from a combination of natural and cellulose-based fibers, high-surface-area fibrillated fibers, and nanoceramic functionalized fibers, optimized for high surface area and pore structure to effectively interact with and separate water droplets of sizes less than 3.5 microns, while maintaining permeability and thickness for efficient flow-through applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If traditional fibrous porous coalescence media are used, then the system structure is simple, but the surface area is insufficient to effectively interact with small water droplets less than 3.5 microns in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite fibrous matrix incorporating multiple fiber types (hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers) with different surface properties and diameters. This composite structure increases the effective surface area available for droplet interaction while maintaining a relatively simple single-layer media design, resolving the contradiction between surface area and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coalescence media utilizes a porous fibrous structure with controlled pore sizes and distributions that provide extensive internal surface area. The porous architecture allows small water droplets to penetrate and interact with fiber surfaces throughout the media thickness, dramatically increasing the effective interaction area without requiring multiple media layers or complex configurations.
2Manufacturing precision
If the pore size is reduced to capture smaller water droplets, then the separation efficiency improves, but the permeability decreases leading to higher pressure drops
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality variations within the fibrous matrix by incorporating fibers of different diameters and surface properties in specific distributions. Smaller diameter fibers and hydrophilic regions are positioned to capture and coalesce small droplets, while larger pores and hydrophobic regions maintain permeability for bulk flow. This spatial variation in local properties enables simultaneous optimization of droplet capture precision and flow productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The media design utilizes a distribution of pore sizes rather than a uniform pore size, creating a hierarchy of pore structures. This parameter variation allows the media to capture small droplets through smaller pores while maintaining overall permeability through larger pores, effectively decoupling the contradiction between droplet capture precision and flow productivity.
3Reliability
If multiple media layers are used to improve separation, then the separation efficiency increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functional requirements into a single integrated fibrous matrix layer. By incorporating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers with different diameters and surface properties within one layer, the media performs droplet capture, coalescence, and separation functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple sequential media layers and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high separation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-layer fibrous matrix is designed with multi-functional capabilities: hydrophilic fibers attract and capture water droplets, hydrophobic fibers repel water and promote coalescence, and the distributed pore structure facilitates both droplet interaction and bulk flow. This universal design enables one media layer to perform multiple separation functions that traditionally required multiple specialized layers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The media achieves high water removal efficiency, maintaining over 90% separation efficiency even in biodiesel blends, with a single-layer design that simplifies systems and eliminates the need for multiple media layers or complex flow designs, ensuring effective separation of emulsions that previous media fail to handle.
Implementation Method 1
the media surface serves to compete with the continuous phase of the emulsion for the discontinuous, or droplet, phase of the emulsion. As the emulsion comes in contact with and progresses through the coalescing media, droplets partition between the solid surface and the continuous phase. Droplets adsorbed onto the solid media surface travel along fiber surfaces
Implementation Method 2
The coalescence media presents to the emulsion discontinuous phase an energetically dissimilar surface from the continuous phase. The media surface serves to compete with the continuous phase of the emulsion for the discontinuous, or droplet, phase of the emulsion
Implementation Method 3
The drops separate from the continuous phase as a function of density differences between the liquids involved
Data Source
AI summary
A coalescence media for separation of water-hydrocarbon emulsions comprises an emulsion-contacting sheet formed of: (a) at least one component of the group consisting of natural fibers, cellulose fibers, natural-based fibers, and cellulose-based fibers, at least one component of the group consisting of high-surface-area fibrillated fibers, surface-area-enhancing synthetic material, glass microfibers, and nanoceramic functionalized fibers; and (c) at least one component of the group consisting of a dry strength additive, and a wet strength additive, wherein the fibrous components of the media constitute at least about 70% of the media. In preferred embodiments, the coalescence media comprises kraft fibers, fibrillated lyocell fibers, glass microfibers or nanoceramic functionalized fibers, a wet strength additive, and a dry strength additive. Preferably, the coalescence media is formed as a single, self- supporting layer from a wet-laid process using a homogenously distributed, wet-laid furnish. It may also be formed as a multi-layer structure.