De-sanding emulsion treater

Claim 1

AN EMULSION TREATER FOR PETROLEUM WELL STREAMS CONTAINING FOREGIN MATTER SUCH AS SAND INCLUDING, AN EMULSION TREATING VESSEL HAVING AN INLET FOR WELL STREAMS, A COMPARTMENT FORMED WITH THE VESSEL BY UPRIGHT WALLS WHICH PROVIDE OPENINGS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE COMPARTMENT, A CONDUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN THE INLET AND BOTTOM OF THE COMPARTMENT FOR DIRECT CONDUCTANCE OF THE LIQUIDS OF THE WELL STREAM TO HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE COMPARTMENT, HEATING MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN THE COMPARTMENT FOR INITIALLY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF EMULSION OF THE DISTRIBUTED LIQUIDS FLOWING UPWARD THROUGH THE COMPARTMENT SUBSTANTIALLY MORE SLOWLY THAN THE LIQUIDS ARE CONDUCTED TO THE COMPARTMENT SO THE VISCOSITY OF THE EMULSION WILL BE LOWERED ENOUGH TO ALLOW SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF FOREIGN MATTER IN THE EMULSION TO FALL FROM THE COMPARTMENT AND INTO THE LOWER PART OF THE VESSEL, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING AN INTERFACE OF WATER AND OIL AND EMULSION IN THE LOWER PART OF THE VESSEL, A PASSAGEWAY FORMED BY BAFFLES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE COMPARTMENT AND CLOSED IN ITS CONNECTION TO THE OPENING AT THE TOP OF THE COMPARTMENT TO RECEIVE THE UPWARDLY FLOWING EMULSION FROM THE COMPARTMENT AND FLOW THE EMULSION DOWNWARDLY AT A VELOCITY GREATER THAN THE UPWARD VELOCITY WITHIN THE COMPARTMENT AND RELEASE THE EMULSION WITHIN THE VESSEL TOWARD THE INTERFACE, A COALESCING SECTION WITHIN THE VESSEL ABOVE THE DISCHARGE END OF THE PASSAGE AND WHICH IS SIZED TO RECEIVE THE EMULSION RELEASED TOWARD THE INTERFACE, AND WATER AND GAS AND CLEAN OIL OUTLETS FROM THE VESSEL.