Vortex flow system for separating oil from an oil-water mixture

Claim 2

A method as in claim 1 and further including the step of recirculating through said chamber at least a portion of the water removed from said chamber through said annular aperture, said recirculated water being reinjected back into said chamber with the oil-water mixture.

Claim 3

A method as in claim 1 and including the step of separating the water removed from said chamber through said annular aperture into a component having a greater residual oil content and a component having a lesser residual oil content, and injecting the water component having a greater residual oil content back into said chamber with the oil-water mixture.

Claim 4

A method as in claim 1 and including the steps of sensing the diameter of the oil core within the separator, and adjusting the flow rate of oil through said first port to maintain the diameter of said oil core within preselected limits.

Claim 5

A method as in claim 1 and including the steps of sensing the oil content of the injected oil-water mixture, sensing the oil content of the oil passing through said first port, and adjusting the flow rate of the oil passing through said first port in response to said sensed oil content so that it is substantially equal to the injected oil flow rate.

Claim 6

Apparatus for separating substantially pure oil from a mixture of oil and water comprising a chamber having a cylindrical wall portion and a pair of opposite end walls, means for injecting an oil-water mixture having a tangential component into said chamber through duct means located at one end of said chamber, said mixture swirling axially within said chamber generating a vortex and producing a core region consisting primarily of oil extending longitudinally along the chamber axis, the oil core being surrounded by a volume of water having a reduced oil content, a first exhaust port for extracting at least a portion of the oil located along the chamber longitudinal axis at the center of the end wall at which said mixture is injected, an annular aperture for extracting said water located about the chamber longitudinal axis in the end wall opposite the first exhaust port, said aperture having a diameter about 0.2 times the diameter of the vortex in said chamber, said exhaust port having a lesser width than the diameter of said annular aperture, and a second exhaust port for extracting oil from said chamber located along the longitudinaL axis of said chamber at the center of the end wall in which said annular aperture is located, said second port being concentric with and of smaller diameter than said annular aperture.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 7 and including means for maintaining Bt D/L (V 0.8/Vr ), where D is the diameter and L is the length of the chamber and V and Vr are respectively the tangential and radial velocities at the periphery of the vortex, at a value less than ten.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 7 and including means for maintaining the ratio DL/Aj, where D is the diameter and L is the length of the chamber, and Aj is the area of the injecting means, at a value of 50 or below.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 7 and including means for sensing the diameter of the oil core within said chamber, and means for varying the flow rate of oil through said first exhaust port to maintain the diameter of the said oil core within predetermined limits.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 10 in which the flow rate varying means includes means for varying the area of the said first exhaust port.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 10 in which said means for sensing the diameter of the oil core in said chamber and for varying the oil flow rate comprises a circular core plate of insulating material forming the center portion of the annular aperture through which the water is extracted, said core plate being smaller than the aperture and located with its center along the longitudinal axis of said chamber and approximately in the plane of the end wall in which said aperture is located, first and second concentric electrode rings mounted on said core plate, said first concentric ring having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the said first exhaust port, and the said second concentric ring having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the said first exhaust port, third and fourth electrode rings mounted on the end wall containing said first exhaust port and electrically insulated therefrom, said third and fourth electrode rings having diameters equal to the diameters of said first and second electrode rings respectively, means for generating a potential difference between said first and third electrode rings and between said second and fourth electrode rings, current measuring means connected between said first and third electrode rings and between said second and fourth electrode rings, and means responsive to said current measuring means for selectively actuating said flow rate varying means.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 11 in which said means for varying the area of said first exhaust port comprises a tapered plug positioned adjacent said first exhaust port with a portion of said plug extending within said port, and servo means for moving said tapered plug relative to said first exhaust port to vary the area of said exhaust port and regulate the flow of oil therethrough.

Claim 13

Apparatus as in claim 7 and including means for sensing the oil content of the injected oil-water mixture, means for sensing the oil content of the oil passing through said first exhaust port, and means responsive to said oil content sensing means for varying the area of said first exhaust port to adjust the flow rate of the oil passing through said first exhaust port to be approximately equal to the flow rate of oil in said mixture into said chamber.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 7 in which said annular aperture includes a plurality of concentric ports with a plurality of exhaust ducts connected thereto, and means connecting one of said exhaust ducts to said injecting means to recirculate a portion of said water.