Process for separating water-oil mixtures containing fine solids

Claim 1

A METHOD OF SEPARATING THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE GASEOUS REACTOR EFFLUENT FROM A FLUIDIZED CATALYST FISCHERTROPSCH TYPE HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS WHICH COMPRISES AT LEAST PARTIALLY CONDENSING SAID GASEOUS REACTOR EFFLUENT, SEPARATING UNCONDENSED GASES FROM THE CONDENSATE, OBTAINING FROM SAID CONDENSATE A WATER-OIL EMULSION HAVING CATALYST FINES HEAVIER THAN WATER DISPERSED THEREIN, CHARGING SUCH EMULSION TO A WATER-MIXING ZONE, FLOWING A RELATIVELY LARGE VOLUME OF WATER DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE AT A LINEAR RATE SLOWER THAN THE LINEAR RATE OF GRAVIMETRIC SEPARATION OF THE WATER AND OIL PHASES OF SAID EMULSION ON THE RESOLVING OF SAID EMULSION, WHEREBY SAID EMULSION IS BROKEN WITH THE OIL PHASE RISING UPWARDLY AND THE FINES FLOWING DOWNWARDLY WITH THE WATER, WITHDRAWING FINES AND WATER FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING OIL RISING THROUGH SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE FROM THE TOP OF SAID ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF SEPARATING THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE GASEOUS REACTOR EFFLUENT FROM A FLUIDIZED CATALYST FISCHERTROPSCH TYPE HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS WHICH COMPRISES AT LEAST PARTIALLY CONDENSING SAID GASEOUS REACTOR EFFLUENT, SEPARATING UNCONDENSED GASES FROM THE CONDENSATE, OBTAINING FROM SAID CONDENSATE A WATER-OIL EMULSION HAVING CATALYST FINES HEAVIER THAN WATER DISPERSED THEREIN, CHARGING SUCH EMULSION TO A WATER-MIXING ZONE, FLOWING A RELATIVELY LARGE VOLUME OF WATER DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE AT A LINEAR RATE SLOWER THAN THE LINEAR RATE OF GRAVIMETRIC SEPARATION OF THE WATER AND OIL PHASES OF SAID EMULSION ON THE RESOLVING OF SAID EMULSION, WHEREBY SAID EMULSION IS BROKEN WITH THE OIL PHASE RISING UPWARDLY AND THE FINES FLOWING DOWNWARDLY WITH THE WATER, WITHDRAWING FINES AND WATER FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING OIL RISING THROUGH SAID WATER-MIXING ZONE FROM THE TOP OF SAID ZONE.