Method and apparatus for the continuous separation and removal of oil from water

Claim 1

An apparatus for continuously separating and removing oil from an immiscible mixture of oil in water or oil in a water based substance having a higher specific gravity than said oil comprising: a vertically disposed container adapted to be filled to a predetermined level having a perforated tube centrally disposed thereof, tube inlet means communicating with one end of said perforated tube, a knitted polymer packing having mesh forming openings for coalescing and drawing said oil upwardly on the surface of said packing to said level while allowing said water or water-based substance to flow through said openings and fill said container to said level, said packing being wrapped around said perforated tube in space relation to the top and sides of said container and extending at least to said level, said knitted polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and copolymers or mixtures thereof, tube outlet means disposed in the upper portion of said container above the top of said packing and communicating with said container at said level for removing said oil from the surface of said water or said water-based substance following separation from said mixture, and tube outlet means communicating with the bottom of said container for removing said water or water based substance following separation of said oil from said mixture.

Claim 3

A method of continuously separating and removing oil from an immiscible mixture of oil in water or oil in a water based substance having a higher specific gravity than said oil comprising the steps of: passing said immiscible mixture through the openings of a knitted polymer packing mounted in a vertically disposed container and extending to a predetermined level, said knitted polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and copolymers or mixtures thereof, allowing said oil to coalesce on the surface of said packing as said mixture flows therethrough to form an oil phase on the surface of said packing and the water phase filling said container to said level, allowing said coalesced oil to be drawn upwardly along the surface of said packing by the combined action of the attractive force between said polymer packing and said oil and the difference in specific gravity between said phases, allowing said oil phase to be released from said packing on the surface of said water phase at said level, continuously removing said oil phase from the surface of said water phase, and continuously removing said water phase at a rate sufficient to maintain said level.

Claim 4

A method of continuously separating and removing from an immiscible mixture of oil in a water-based oil emulsion the oil in excess of that which is held in stable suspension in said water-based oil emulsion, said method comprising the steps of: passing said mixture through the openingS of a knitted polymer packing mounted in a vertically disposed container and extending to a predetermined level, said knitted polymer packing being selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and copolymers or mixtures thereof, allowing said excess oil to coalesce on the surface of said packing and said emulsion to flow therethrough substantially unaffected to form an oil phase on the surface of said packing and an emulsion phase filling said container to said level, allowing said coalesced oil to be drawn upwardly along the surface of said packing by the combined action of the attractive force between said polymer packing and said excess oil and the difference in specific gravity between said phases, allowing said excess oil phase to be released from said packing on the surface of said emulsion phase at said level, continuously removing said excess oil from the surface of said emulsion phase, and continuously removing said emulsion phase at a rate sufficient to maintain said level.