Method and apparatus for recovering water from a hydrocarbon slurry

Abstract

Abstract WATER IS SEPARATED FROM AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF THE WATER WITH AN ORGANIC SLURRY WHICHINCLUDES ORGANIC LIQUID AND SOLID ORGANIC PARTICLES BY SUBJECTING THE MIXTURE TO A HIGH POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL FIELD DEVELOPED BETWEEN ELECTRODES WITHIN A SEPARATION TANK. THE MIXTURE OF WATER AND SLURRY IS INTRODUCED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE TANK PREFERABLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE WATER LAYER WITHIN THE TANK, AND IS DIRECTED PARALLEL TO THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE WATER LAYER AND THE OVERLYING LAYER OF ORGANIC SLURRY. THE MIXTURE IS DIRECTED UPWARD THROUGH WIDELY SPACED ELECTRODE GRIDS PROVIDED IN THE UPPER PORTION OS THE TANK. THE SEPARATION OPROCESS IS ESPECIALLY WELL ADAPTED FOR USE IN A METHOD FOR SEPARATING RELATIVELY PURE WATER FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS WHICH INVOLVES THE PHENOMENA OF EXCHANGE CRYSTALLIZATION, IN WHICH ICE CRYSTALS ARE FIRST FROZEN FROM A SALINE AQUEOUS SOLUTION, AND LATER ARE MELTED BY APPLYING PRESSURE TO A MIXTURE OF THE ICE CRYSTALS WITH AN ORGANIC LIQUID HAVING PROPERTIES SUCH THAT THE ORGANIC LIQUID UNDERGOES PARTIAL FREEZING UPON THE APPLICATION OF SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO MELT THE ICE CRYSTALS.

Inventors

• 👤 Dwight B Pfenning
• 👤 Robert L Brown

Bibliographic Details