Phase Separation Tank With Rotational Flow And Peripheral Gas Injection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secondary phase separation vessels/tanks in well drilling operations face issues with insufficient contact time between gas bubbles and contaminants, leading to inefficient flotation and purification, as well as 'short-circuiting' and 'dilution' problems during fluid transfer between chambers, which hinder effective contaminant removal and phase separation.
Innovation Solution
A separation tank design featuring interconnected chambers with sloped weirs for rotational flow, interconnecting passages to avoid 'bottom to bottom' flow, and gas inlets in these passages to enhance contaminant-gas bubble contact, along with a communal skim oil trough system for efficient contaminant removal, addressing the inefficiencies in existing designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If gas bubbles are introduced into the center of the chamber via sparging pipe or mechanical paddles, then gas bubbles can be generated to aid phase separation, but the likelihood of contact between gas bubbles and contaminants is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of introducing gas bubbles into the center of the chamber (conventional approach), the invention introduces gas bubbles at the periphery or edges of the chamber. This inverted approach ensures that gas bubbles are generated where contaminants are more likely to be located, maximizing contact efficiency between gas bubbles and contaminants for effective flotation separation.
2Productivity
If fluid is transferred from the bottom of one chamber to the bottom of the next chamber (bottom to bottom flow), then fluid can be moved between chambers, but short-circuiting occurs allowing water to pass through without sufficient residence time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the flow path from a vertical bottom-to-bottom transfer to a multi-dimensional path that involves lateral movement along the chamber length and vertical circulation. Fluid enters at the bottom, moves laterally through the chamber, rises to the surface, and exits, creating a longer three-dimensional flow path that increases residence time and prevents short-circuiting while maintaining transfer efficiency.
3Productivity
If cleaned fluid from the bottom of one chamber is injected into the bottom of the next chamber, then fluid can be transferred for successive treatment, but a dilution effect occurs that undoes phase separation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary separation actions within each chamber before fluid transfer, ensuring that contaminants are removed and phases are separated while the fluid is still in the chamber. By completing the separation process within each chamber before transfer to the next chamber, the dilution effect is prevented because the fluid is already separated when transferred, maintaining contaminant concentration gradients across chambers.
4Reliability
If multiple chambers are used for successive treatment, then purification efficiency can be improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functional elements into integrated components. For example, the same chamber structure serves multiple purposes: gas bubble generation, contaminant flotation, phase separation, and fluid circulation. The periphery gas introduction system serves both to generate gas bubbles and to create circulation patterns. This merging reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining the purification efficiency of multiple chambers.
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 design increases residence time for contaminants, enhances gas-contaminant contact, reduces 'short-circuiting' and 'dilution' effects, and facilitates compact chamber arrangements for successive treatment, resulting in improved contaminant removal and phase separation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
allowing or facilitating the rising of the unwanted phase(s) or contaminants to the surface of produced water
Implementation Method 2
time to allow for such gas bubbles to attach themselves by natural agglomeration to contaminants or unwanted phases to then cause or bring such contaminants or unwanted phases to the surface via flotation
Implementation Method 3
a sloped weir within an upper region each of said chambers, for inducing a rotational flow of said fluid within each of said chambers
Implementation Method 4
an interconnecting passage, allowing fluid flow from substantially a bottom of at least one chamber to an upper region of an adjacent chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A separation tank for separating a contaminant from a contaminated fluid. A series of juxtaposed interconnected chambers having a series of baffles therein provide a revolving flow of fluid in each chamber to maximize distance for which contaminants travel to separate from the fluid. The interconnected chambers may be juxtaposed in end-to-end relation or in side-by-each configuration.