Systems for treating oil well emulsion streams

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL FIELD EMULSION STREAMS WHICH INCLUDES, A VESSEL CONSTRUCTED TO CONTAIN A BODY OF HEATED LIQUID, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID BODY OF LIQUID AT A PREDETERMINED LIQUID LEVEL AND FOR DRAWING OFF CLEAN OIL FROM THE VESSEL, A CONDUCTOR DISCHARGING THE EMULSION STREAM INTO SAID BODY, A HOT FLUID GENERATOR DISPOSED IN THE VESSEL BELOW THE PREDETERMINED LIQUID LEVEL, THE GENERATOR BEING CONSTRUCTED TO BE IMMERSED IN THE BODY OF HEATED LIQUID FOR HEATING SAID BODY AND EMULSION STREAM TO BREAK DOWN THE EMULSION, A PRE-HEATING CONDUCTOR IN THE HOT FLUID GENERATOR AND WITHIN THE VESSEL, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING AN EMULSION STREAM TO THE PRE-HEATING CONDUCTOR, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING THE EMULSION STREAM FROM THE PER-HEATING CONDUCTOR TO THE FIRST-NAMED CONDUCTOR, AND MEANS FOR DRAWING OFF WATER FROM THE VESSEL, THE HOT FLUID GENERATOR INCLUDING AN ENCLOSURE CONSTRUCTED TO CONTAIN A BODY OF HEAT EXCHANGER FLUID, HEATING MEANS IN THE ENCLOSURE ARRANGED TO BE IMMERSED IN THE BODY OF HEAT EXCHANGER FLUID, AND THE PER-HEATING CONDUCTOR BEING EXPOSED TO THE BODY OF HEAT EXCHANGER FLUID.