Liquid separation apparatus and method

Claim 1

Apparatus for gravity separation of a lighter liquid from a heavier liquid comprising in combination: a vessel adapted to contain a mixture of said heavier and lighter liquids flowing longitudinally therein; generally horizontal baffle means extending transversely entirely across the interior of said vessel and extending longitudinally to separate an upper space above said baffle means from a lower space below said baffle means in said vessel, said upper space and said lower space being in communication through passage means located adjacent a first longitudinal end of said baffle means; said baffle means defining a sloping floor of said upper space, said floor having a higher portion and a lower portion; means extending upwardly from a second longitudinal end of said horizontal baffle means to a height above said higher floor portion and extending transversely entirely across said horizontal baffle means for preventing the flow of liquid between said upper space and lower space; said vessel including inlet means for introducing a mixture of said lighter liquid and said heavier liquid into said vessel and into said lower space adjacent said second longitudinal end of said baffle means, said mixture flowing toward said first end of said baffle means whereupon said heavier liquid gravity separates from said lighter liquid and collects along the bottom of said lower space, and said lighter liquid flows along the top of said lower space and enters said upper space through said passage means; said vessel including liquid outlet means communicating with said lower space for conducting said heavier liquid from said vessel; first conduit means communicating with said upper space for conducting said lighter liquid from said vessel; and second conduit means communicating with said upper space at a location lower than said first conduit means and adjacent said lower portion of said upper space floor for conducting from said upper space into said lower space heavier liquid which enters said upper space and gravity separates from said lighter liquid along said sloping floor.

Claim 11

A method for gravity separating a lighter liquid from a heavier liquid which comprises the steps of: a. passing a mixture of the lighter liquid and the heavier liquid into one end of a lower space in a vessel, and flowing the mixture toward an opposite end of the lower space beneath a generally horizontally extending baffle which separates the lower space from an upper space in said vessel, said mixture thereby separating and forming a lower phase comprising a major portion of the heavier liquid and an upper phase comprising the lighter liquid and a minor portion of the heavier liquid; b. passing the upper phase from the opposite end of the lower space into an adjacent end of said upper space in the vessel, the horizontal baffle forming a sloping upper space floor sloping from a higher portion thereof to a lower portion thereof, and retaining said upper phase in said upper space by a genarally vertical baffle extending entirely across an end of the upper space located opposite said adjacent end thereof; c. removing the heavier liquid from the vessel by passing the lower phase from said lower space through a first liquid outlet at a rate sufficient to maintain an upper surface of the lower phase above said first liquid outlet and below the horizontal baffle; d. flowing the upper phase from said adjacent end of said upper space toward said opposite end thereof, said minor portion of said heavier liquid thereby separating from said upper phase and gravitating toward the lower portion of the sloping upper space floor; e. removing the lighter liquid from the vessel by passing the remaining upper phase from the upper space from a locus at least as high as the higher portion of the sloping floor through a second liquid outlet at a flow rate sufficient to maintain an upper surface of the upper phase above the higher portion of the sloping floor and below the top of the vertical baffle; and f. flowing said separated minor portion of the heavier liquid from the upper space above the lower portion of the upper space floor into the lower phase in the lower space.

Claim 12

A method for gravity separating a lighter liquid from a heavier liquid which comprises the steps of: a. passing a mixture of the lighter liquid and the heavier liquid into one end of a lower space in a vessel, and flowing the mixture toward an opposite end of the lower space beneath a generally horizontally extending baffle which separates the lower space from an upper space in said vessel, said mixture thereby separating and forming a lower phase comprising a major portion of the heavier liquid and an upper phase comprising the lighter liquid and a minor portion of the heavier liquid; b. passing the upper phase from the opposite end of the lower space into an adjacent end of said upper space in the vessel, the horizontal baffle forming a sloping upper space floor sloping from a higher portion thereof to a lower portion thereof, and retaining said upper phase in said upper space by a genarally vertical baffle extending entirely across an end of the upper space located opposite said adjacent end thereof; c. removing the heavier liquid from the vessel by passing the lower phase from said lower space through a first liquid outlet at a rate sufficient to maintain an upper surface of the lower phase above said first liquid outlet and below the horizontal baffle; d. flowing the upper phase from said adjacent end of said upper space toward said opposite end thereof, said minor portion of said heavier liquid thereby separating from said upper phase and gravitating toward the lower portion of the sloping upper space floor; e. removing the lighter liquid from the vessel by passing the remaining upper phase from the upper space from a locus at least as high as the higher portion of the sloping floor through a second liquid outlet at a flow rate sufficient to maintain an upper surface of the upper phase above the higher portion of the sloping floor and below the top of the vertical baffle; and f. flowing said separated minor portion of the heavier liquid from the upper space above the lower portion of the upper space floor into the lower phase in the lower space.