Separation of emulsified liquids

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING INSOLUBLE LIQUID HYDROCARBON AND WATER WHICH ARE BOUND TOGETHER IN AN EMULSION IN WHICH THE DOMINANT PHASE IS THE WATE, AINCLUDING, FORMING A BED OF ACTIVATED CARBON, WASHING ALKALINE ASH FROM THE ACTIVATED CARBON WITH ACID, SATURATING THE BED WITH INSOLUBLE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS TO FORM PASSAGES THROUGHT THE BED WITH INSOLUBLE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AS THEIR WALLS, PASSING THE EMULSION THROUGH THE BED TO AGGLOMERATE THE INSOLUBLE LIQUID HYDROCARBON IN THE MIXTURE, AND COLLECTING AND DISCHARGING THE INSOLUBLE LIQUIDHYROCARON AND WATER SEPARATELY.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1, including, reducing the amount of solid material suspended in the emulsion at some point upstream of the bed.

Claim 4

A process for separating insoluble liquid hydrocarbons and water which are normally immiscible and wherein the liquid hydrocarbons are a relatively small volume percentage of the mixture and is dispersed in relatively fine particles within the water, including, forming a bed of particles of activated carbon having all foreign matter removed from the surface thereof and being preferentially wetted by the insoluble liquid hydrocarbons, saturating the bed with the dispersed liquid hydrocarbons until all surfaces of the bed particles are wetted with the dispersed liquid hydrocarbons, passing the mixture of the two liquids through the bed to agglomerate the insoluble liquid hydrocarbons, and collecting and discharging the liquids separately.

Claim 5

A process for separating insoluble liquid hydrocarbons and water which are normally immiscible and wherein the liquid hydrocarbons are a relatively small volume percentage of the mixture and is dispersed in relatively fine particles within the water, including, forming a bed of particles of activated carbon having all foreign matter removed from the surface thereof and being preferentially wetted by the insoluble liquid hydrocarbons, saturating the bed with the dispersed liquid hydrocarbons until all surfaces of the bed particles are wetted with the dispersed liquid hydrocarbons, passing the mixture of the two liquids through the bed to agglomerate the insoluble liquid hydrocarbons, and collecting and discharging the liquids separately.

Claim 6

The process of claim 3 in which the bed of particles of activated carbon have all the foreign matter removed from the surface thereof by washing the bed in situ subsequent to forming the bed of particles.

Claim 7

The process of claim 4, including, reducing the amount of solid material suspended in the emulsion at some point upstream of the bed.