Microwave Process and Apparatus for Breaking Emulsions

• US 20110136923A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C-Micro Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: C-Micro Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Cha, Chang Yul
• Granted Patent: US 8,653,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 516/138
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/00 Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/045 with coalescers
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/047 Hot water or cold water extraction processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/208 Sediments, e.g. bottom sediment and water or BSW
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 33/02 with electrical or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 33/06 with mechanical means, e.g. by filtration
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/02 to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/00 Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/043 at least one step being a change in the structural skeleton
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/12 including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps

Abstract

A oil and water emulsion breaking system having a reactor including an inner vessel connected to an inlet and an outlet of the reactor and allowing microwaves to pass therethrough, a packed bed of activated carbon retained within and across the inner vessel along at least part of a length thereof and configured for circulation of the emulsion therethrough, and a microwave applicator configured to direct microwaves to the packed bed through the inner vessel.

Claims

1. A system for breaking an emulsion containing at least oil and water, the system comprising a reactor including an inner vessel connected to an inlet and an outlet of the reactor and allowing microwaves to pass therethrough, a packed bed of activated carbon retained within and across the inner vessel along at least part of a length thereof and configured for circulation of the emulsion therethrough, and a microwave applicator configured to direct microwaves to the packed bed through the inner vessel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the applicator surrounds and is aligned with the packed bed.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a settling tank in fluid communication with the outlet of the reactor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the settling tank includes an additional microwave applicator extending therewithin and directing microwaves to a content of the settling tank.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the settling tank including an intermediary outlet defined spaced apart from a bottom and a top of the tank, the intermediary outlet being in fluid communication with the inlet to return a non-coalesced portion of the emulsion to the reactor for further treatment.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the settling tank is blanketed with an inert atmosphere.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the packed bed of activated carbon includes a small quantity of metallic oxides.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an adsorber including an additional vessel in fluid communication with the outlet of the reactor, the adsorber including an additional packed bed of activated carbon retained within and across the additional vessel along at least part of a length thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the reactor is a first reactor, further comprising a second reactor including a second inner vessel connected to an inlet and an outlet of the second reactor, the second inner vessel allowing microwaves to pass therethrough, a second additional packed bed of activated carbon retained within and across the second inner vessel along at least part of a length thereof and configured for circulation of the emulsion therethrough, and a second microwave applicator configured to direct microwaves to the second packed bed through the second inner vessel, and a connecting assembly interconnecting the first and second reactors to each other and to a system inlet and a system outlet in alternative first and second configuration, wherein in the first configuration, the connecting assembly connects the system inlet to the inlet the first reactor, the outlet of the first reactor to the inlet of the second reactor and the outlet of the second reactor to the system outlet, and in the second configuration, the connecting assembly connects the system inlet to the inlet of the second reactor, the outlet of the second reactor to the inlet of the first reactor, and the outlet of the first reactor to the system outlet.

11. The process of claim 9, further comprising, after applying the microwaves, circulating the treated mixture from the packed bed to a collecting element and allowing the treated mixture to settle in the collecting element.

15. The process of claim 9, wherein the packed bed is a first packed bed, the process further comprising, after exposing the emulsion to the microwaves, circulating the treated mixture from the packed bed through a second packed bed comprising activated carbon.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein circulating the treated mixture through the second packed bed is done without exposing the second packed bed to microwaves.

17. The process of claim 16, further comprising, after a predetermined period of time, stopping circulation of the emulsion through the first packed bed and stopping exposition of the first packed bed to the microwaves, circulating the emulsion through the second packed bed, exposing the emulsion to microwaves as it is circulated through the second packed bed to produce the treated mixture, and circulating the treated mixture from the second packed bed through the first packed bed without exposing the first packed bed to microwaves.

10. A process for breaking an emulsion containing at least oil and water, the process comprising:

circulating the emulsion through a packed bed comprising activated carbon; and

exposing the emulsion to microwaves as it is circulated through the packed bed to produce a treated mixture.

12. The process of claim 10, further comprising blanketing the collecting element with an inert atmosphere.

13. The process of claim 10, further comprising further exposing the treated mixture to microwaves within the collecting element.

14. The process of claim 10, further comprising extracting a middle portion of the treated mixture from the collecting element and recirculating the middle portion to the packed bed for further treatment.