Objective
The aim of the project is the development of a small, light and efficient oil-water separator suitable for a large range of oil-water mixtures.
Laboratory experiments have been carried out on plate separation, membrane filtration, adsorption, flotation and coalescence. In combination with plate separation a model of a stream divider has been developed and tested.
Furthermore a transparent flow box with a contents of 0.6 m3 was constructed for plate separation experiments on a larger scale. Separation using centrifugal effects (centrifuge, hydrocyclone) was not incorporated in the study.
From the investigated methods plate separation and coalescence gave the most promising results. These techniques attack different types of oil droplets. Plate separation is very effective, but only for oil droplets with sizes larger than about 30 micro.Coalescence can be used for smaller oil droplets. The flow regime in the plate separator was studied theoretically (with the numerical simulation program Hydro-Sepran) as well as experimentally (with laser-doppler anemometry). The efficiency of both plate separation and coalescence was tested with, among other equipment, a particle size measurement apparatus.
The first phases of the project took much more time than was foreseen at the start of the project. Therefore it was decided not to complete the project, but to abandon it in the course of phase (6.). The project was concluded with the design of a prototype separator, consisting of a stream divider/plate separator combination followed by a coalescer. The construction of the prototype and the planned tests with the prototype on oil-water mixtures from North Sea Oil fields (second part of phase (6.) and phase (7.), respectively) were not carried out.
The following project phases can be distinguished :
1. theoretical study of existing oil-water separation techniques;
2. design and construction of laboratory test equipment followed by experiments on different separation methods;
3. testing the effects of compositional changes of the oil-water mixture;
4. testing combinations of separation methods;
5. selection of the best separation technique;
6. design and construction of a prototype separator based on the selected technique;
7. prototype testing and evaluation.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
2600 Delft
Netherlands