Oil Purification System with Dielectric Sensor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The purification of oils, particularly slop oil and industrial emulsions, is complicated by the presence of particles and emulsion phases, which stabilizes the emulsion and hinders efficient separation and reuse of resources.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that involves adding a chemical booster to contaminated oil to enhance impurity capture and phase separation, using sensors to detect properties like dielectric values, and controlling a valve to redirect the content to appropriate destinations within the purification process, ensuring efficient separation and processing based on sensed properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a chemical booster is added to enhance phase separation, then the separation efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional chemical handling equipment
Solution Approach 1:
A chemical booster is introduced as an intermediary substance to facilitate phase separation in contaminated oil. The chemical booster acts as a mediator that enhances the separation process by modifying the physical-chemical properties of the emulsion, allowing more efficient partitioning of oil and water phases without requiring complex mechanical separation equipment
2Productivity
If sensors and control systems are added to automatically redirect content, then the purification process optimization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors are integrated into the purification system to detect properties of the contaminated oil and separated phases in real-time. The sensor signals are fed back to a control system that automatically adjusts valve positions and pump operations to optimize the purification process, ensuring that oil-rich phases proceed to centrifugal separation while water-rich phases are redirected to settling tanks
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically monitors and adjusts the purification process based on sensor feedback, enabling the system to self-regulate without continuous manual intervention. The system autonomously determines when to redirect phases to different destinations based on real-time measurements of oil content and phase composition
3Manufacturing precision
If centrifugal separators are used for all content, then the purification thoroughness is improved, but the energy consumption increases when processing water phases
Solution Approach 1:
The purification system is divided into separate processing streams: one for oil-rich phases that proceed to centrifugal separators, and another for water-rich phases that are redirected to settling tanks. This segmentation allows each phase to be treated by the most appropriate method, avoiding the unnecessary energy consumption of centrifugal separation for water phases while maintaining high purification standards for oil phases
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
This approach improves the efficiency of oil purification by automatically redirecting unsuitable phases away from centrifugal separators, optimizing the purification process and enabling more effective reuse of resources by ensuring only suitable oil content proceeds to further purification steps.
Implementation Method 1
sensing at least one property of the content in the fluid connection... sensing dielectric properties of the content
Implementation Method 2
at least one centrifugal separator... boosting separation of phases in the contaminated oil
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system for purification of oil, wherein the method comprises the steps of:—adding to a contaminated oil provided in a preparation tank a chemical booster for boosting capturing of impurities and/or a separation of phases in the contaminated oil; —waiting for allowing different phases to be separated; —pumping content out from the preparation tank through a fluid connection; sensing at least one property of the content in the fluid connection; —controlling a valve provided in the fluid connection to transfer the content to a next step in the purification process or to another destination in dependence of the sensed at least one property.