US1034668A - Apparatus for separating and collecting particles of one substance suspended in another substance. - Google Patents

Description

A. G. WRIGHT.

APPARATUS FOR SBPARATING AND GOLLEGTING PARTICLES OF ONE SUBSTANCE SUSPENDED IN ANOTHER SUBSTANCE.

APPLIQATIQN FILED OUT. 24, 1911.

1,03%,668. Patented A g- 6, 1912.

41.9 E g R a 'Z Y g-A a. f

1h V1211 Ell U TED. srrn ALLEN CH'EEVER WEIGHT, 015 BERKELEY; CALIFORNIA.

. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING- A' ND COLLECTING- PARTICLES. OF ONE' SUBSTANCE SUSPENDED IN ANQTH-ER SUBSTANCE.

Specification of Letters- Patent.

Patented na e, iota.

Application filed October 244, 1911. Serial No. 656,521}.

WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating and Collecting Particles of One Substance Suspended in Another Substance, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for use in the art of separating mechanical mixtures, or. mixtures of liquids and solids; and particularlyto that type of treating device in which. the mixture is subjected to the action of an electric field between charged electrodes.

My invention consists in novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of an apparatus or treater of this type, which I shall hereinafter fully describe, said features having for their general object a more etlicient separation with less expenditure of electrical energy.v Their special objects, and the manner in which these are at tained will be fully understood from the following description, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line a2cc of Fig. 1.

1 is the shell which is best formed of a pipe of circular section. To the base of the shell is secured thefoot plate 2, which rests upon friction wheels 3, one or both of which being driven, impart rotationto said shell.

These means for rotating the shell are i merely illustrative; any suitable means may be employed.

4 are ribs on the inner surface of the shell. These are best arranged in a helical course as seen in Fig. 1. They are separatedfromeach other by equal spaces, as in Fig. 2, and

in practice are best formed upon a lining sheet. 5-. which fits snugly the inner surface of the shell. 7

6 is the inlet pipe forlthe mixture to be treated, said pipe leading into the shell through its foot plate 2. 7, are outlet pipes,

seated radially in the head plate 8 of the shell,. and adapted to discharge the lighter of the two components. of the mixture from the. central region thereof. 9 are outlet pipes from the peripheral region of the mixture. These latter pipes are secured in the foot plate 2 and thence extend downward and are inclined centrally to and fitted into what may be termed a dual head 10 to which the inlet pipe 6 is also fitted. The dual head 10 is rotatably fitted upon a non-rotatable pipe 11 with the upper end of which the outlet pipes 9 communicate. The lower end of the pipe 11 communicates with a dis charge pipe 11, which is carried upward and has its: outlet at a point where the columns of the components of the liquid under treatment balance each other. Through the pipe 11 rises the feed pipe 6', which enters and discharges into the inlet pipe 6.

The shell 1 constitutes the outer electrode. The inner electrode is designated by 12. It is an air tight hollow metal cone with a central longitudinal channel 13. The cone is inverted and its base for a distance is cylindrical so that when said cone is in the axis of the shell 1, the surface of the cone,

due to the rotation of the shell and to the vortex formed in the liquid contained in said shell, which vortex is governed in size by the speed of rotation, the said inner electrode automatically assumes-and maintains a position directly in the axis of rotation,

- so that it is self centering.

In order to hold the buoyant inner electrode down and to maintain. its correct elevation, there is a metal rod 14 which is secured to and is insulated from the head plate .8 of the shell 1 by a lass or other in- :sulating tube 15, said r passing freely @down into the central channel 13' of the in- 'fner electrode, and having its lower end arranged to receive the contact of the lower end of said electrode. The upper end of ithe rod 14 is in electrical contact with a nonrotatable extension rod 16. Contact springs 17 secured to the rod- 14 are adapted to bear upon the upper end of the inner electrode, and thus effect electrical connection. 'The shell 1, which is the outer electrode, is elec-' low, and is also connected b the wire 19 and brush 19 to one of the igh potential terminals of the step-u transformer T. The other high potentia terminal of the transformer is electrically connected to the inner electrode 12 by a wire 20 to the extension rod 16. The low potential terminals of the transformer are connected in any suitable manner with the source of electricity, as, for example, -through the inductive reactance at R. l

21 is a suitable vessel to receive the lighter component of the mixture from the outlet pipes 7.

22 are bearing ides for the shell 1.

For the sake 0 convenience, I'shall describe the use of the apparatus in connection with the separation and removal of water articles from crude petroleum, but it is to e understood that I do not limit my claims to this use, nor to this particular case. In an emulsion of water in oil, such as is found in much of the crude petroleum as it comes from the wells, the drops of water vary greatly in size from those easily visible to the naked eye to a'minuteness lying at the extreme range of vision of the most powerful microsco e. The older processes of settling, centri ging and distillation, were not, for one reason or another, very satisfactory, but the later improve mentof subjecting the emulsion to the action of a powerful electric field, was and is found to be quite efficient in de-emulsifying the mixture, and causing the water drops to coalese and agglomerate into larger masses which may then be separated out and removed. I

In my present apparatus, I still retain the advantages of the electric treatment, but I supplement it with other beneficial features, which on the whole result in even more efficient separation with a less expenditure of electrical energy. The apparatus is given a rotary velocity, say, for example, 300 to 500 revolutions per minute. The mixture enters through the pipe 6. Some of the particles of water, which are large enough, are thrown out by the centrifugal act-ion prior to entering the electrical field which is maintained between the two electrodes, but when the mixture enters said field, the agglomeration of the water particles takes place under the electrostatic influence, up to the moment when the difference in gravity of the suspended particles, aided by the centrifugal action is sufiicient to overcome the viscoscity of the oil. Then the water particles so separated out and agglomerated will be thrown out to the inner wall of the shell 1 and will flow down to the outlet pipes 9. In this way the separation takes place by the most direct route, and with a consequent minimu'm expenditure of electrical energy, without interfering with the natural inclination of flow of either 1i uid, viz :upward for the oil and downwar for the water. Centrifugal action also introduces another advantage not possessed b the electrical treatment alone, in that it tends to throw ofl with the water, such solids or other forei matter as may 'be held in suspension mde endently of the water, and which are in themselves not affected by the electrostatic forces, thus effecting a more complete clarifying of the oil than if it were subjected to the electrostatic forces alone. It will be observed that the spacing of the two electrodes is not parallel except for a short distance'at the upper portion. This arrangement has the beneficial effect, due to the upward direction of the flow of the material between the electrodes and the projection horizontally therefrom of the agglomerated water particles, of increasing the dielectric strength of the oil; and hence the electric field between the electrodes is kept more nearly uniform.

The advantage of the automatic or selfcentering floating inner electrode 12 is that under centrifugal action, it assumes and maintains the proper relation or position to the outer electrode or shell 1, without the erted by the rod 14, s iflicient to overcome its buoyancy and to keepit in its correct horizontal position.

The discharge outlets 7 of the oil, being at the top of the treater, insure the mainmum degree of separation.- It will be noted that these outlets are held in seats in the head plate 8 in such manner that by loosening the bolts of said plate said pipes may be slid out or i radiall By thus adjusting them, the depth 0 the vortex 'in the liquid containe -in the device may be governed.

The discharge outlets 9 are brought in toward the axis of revolution, for the purpose of giving an outlet for the water content of such nature that the water upon reaching the vicinity of the axis of rotation, permits the separation and rise of any of the oil particles which may have accompanied said water. This separation is further increased by the injector action of the incoming oil. This direction of said outlets is rendered possible by carrying them downward to a point below that where the centrifugal action is overcome by the gravity head. To still preserve sufficient downward pressure on the water to overcome the centrifu al force, even in cases where, because of a decrease in speed of rotation, there is a decrease in head pressure, I provide the helically directed ribs 4. These positively feed the water down with a pres- ?ure sufiicient to overcome the "centrifugal "orce.

' ters Patent is 1..An apparatus of the described type, consisting of a shell having an inlet in its lower portionfor the mixture to be treated, an outlet from the central region of its upper portion for the lighter component of the mixture, and an outlet from the peripheral region of its lower portion for the heavier component of said mixture; means for rotating said shell on its axis; a member within and spaced from the shell; and electrical connectlons adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the mixture to be treated is subjected.

2. An apparatus of the described type, consisting of a shell having an inlet in 1ts lower portion for the mixture to be treated, an outlet from the central region of its up-. per portion for the lighter component of the mixture, and an outlet from the peripheral region of its lower portion for the heavier component of said mixture, said last named outlet being carried downward and directed centrally below the shell; means for rotating said shell on its axis; a memberwit-hin and spaced from the shell; and electrical connections adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the mixture to be treated is subjected.

heavier component of said mixture, said last named outlet being carried downward and directed centrally below the shell; a helically directed rib on the inner surface of the shell to conduct said heavier component of the mixture to said last named outlet;\ means for rotating said shell on its axis; a member within and spaced from the shell; and electrical connections adapted to constitute'said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the mixture to be treated is sub'ected.

4. An apparatus of t e described type,

. consisting of a shell; means for. rotating 'to be radially adjusted to different said shell; 'a member within and free of the shell, and buoyant in the mixture under treatment, whereby 'said member is adapted, under the rotation of the shell, to assume and maintain a position in' the axis of rotation; and electrical connections adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the mixture to be treated is subjected.

' .5. An apparatus of the described type,

tation; a stop secured to'the shell and acts ing upon the buoyant member to define the limit of its rise; and electrical connections adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric-field to which the mixture to be treated is subjected.

6. An apparatus of the described type, consisting of a shell; means for rotating said shell; a member within said shell and separated therefrom by a space which narrows from the lower toward the upper portion; and electrical connections'adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the liquid to be treated is subjected.

7. An apparatus of the described type, consisting of a shell having an inlet in its lower portion for the mixture to be treated an outlet from the peripheral region of sai lower portion for the heavier of the components of the mixture, and an outlet p1 e in its upper portion for the lighter of said components, said outlet pipe being arranged ositions relatively to the axis of the s ell;

means for rotating the shell; a member 7 within and spaced om the shell; and electrical connections adapted to constitute said shell and member the electrodes of an electric field to which the mixture to be treated is subjected.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALLEN CHEEVER WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

WM. F. Boom,

D. B. Browns.

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