Embodiments described herein provide a method, comprising routing a bio-oil to a mixing device; routing a wash material to the mixing device; using the mixing device to form a mixture from the bio-oil and the wash material; routing the mixture to an electrostatic separator; and applying an electric field to the mixture, in the electrostatic separator, to separate the wash material from the bio-oil.

A separation apparatus for separating hydrocarbons and water, comprising a vessel (1) and an insert (5, 6) within said vessel (1). The has a bottom (7), a conical wall (8) and a quiecer (10) at the top of the wall (8), which enclose a separation chamber (11). The insert (5, 6) has an inlet pipe (12) for a mixture of water and hydrocarbons and a spreader arrangement (13, 14) arranged inside the separation chamber (11), which directs an inflow of fluids in a tangential direction, setting the fluids into a tangential laminar swirl. The vessel (1) has at least one manhole (3, 4), and said insert bottom (7), wall (8) and quiecer (10) are assembled by a plurality of generally wedge shaped segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) having a size that allows the segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) to be brought through the manhole (3, 4).

Methods and devices for obtaining approximate property data from the aqueous liquid phase of a multiphase fluid produced from a well. The device includes a separation vessel; a demulsifier source; a fresh water source configured to dilute an aqueous liquid phase sample; a water analysis unit configured to receive and analyze the diluted aqueous liquid phase sample, the water analysis unit comprising an analytical cell and at least one probe, the at least one probe having a membrane-coated sensor tip wherein the membrane-coated sensor tip having a membrane coating that comprises a polar material, the at least one probe being configured to measure a property of the diluted aqueous liquid phase sample to obtain diluted aqueous liquid phase sample data; a processing unit configured to calculate approximate aqueous liquid phase data accounting for the measured amount of fresh water used to dilute the measured sample of the aqueous liquid phase.

A process of dewatering oil sands/coal tailings includes generating nanobubble water, mixing a chemical dispersant into the nanobubble water to form a nanobubble-dispersant mixture, adding tailings to the nanobubble-dispersant mixture to form a nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture, and agitating the nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture to form an agitated nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture having a solid portion and a liquid portion. The solid portion is thereafter separated from the liquid portion. The agitation may be a centrifugal motion or shaking motion to agitate the nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture The chemical dispersant may be sodium hydroxide dispersant for asphaltenes and the volume of the tailings added may be substantially equal to the volume of the nanobubble water generated. An oil layer may further be skimmed off the liquid portion a polymer clarifier may also be added to the liquid portion. The process may be applied to achieve accelerated tailings processing for rapid and economic environmental remediation.

Methods and devices for obtaining approximate property data from the aqueous liquid phase of a multiphase fluid produced from a well. The method includes introducing a discrete sample of the multiphase fluid to a separation vessel; mixing a demulsifier with the discrete sample of the multiphase fluid; allowing the multiphase fluid to separate into separate liquid phases; drawing a measured sample of the aqueous liquid phase from the separation vessel, and diluting it with a measured amount of fresh water; analyzing the diluted aqueous liquid phase sample in a water analysis unit to measure a property of the diluted aqueous liquid phase sample and obtain diluted aqueous liquid phase sample data; and calculating the approximate aqueous liquid phase property data using the diluted aqueous liquid phase sample data and accounting for the amount of fresh water used to dilute the measured sample of the aqueous liquid phase.

A method of synthesizing a medium for fast, selective oil-water separation and/or oil absorption comprises providing a toluene solution containing a polymer or a polymer mixture; immersing porous wool-like structure (PW) in the toluene solution for a period of time; and removing the immersed PW from the toluene solution, and heat-treating the immersed PW to obtain the medium comprising polymer-modified PW, wherein the polymer or the polymer mixture is adapted such that the medium is a superwetting material that is superhydrophobic and superoleophilic under water or salty water.

A water drain valve system structured to drain water from a fuel-water separator. The system includes a collection vessel structured to temporarily store water, a liquid level sensor structured to monitor a level of the temporarily stored water, a drainage port extending radially from the collection vessel and having a port inlet and a port outlet, and a valve assembly. The port inlet receives water to be drained from the collection vessel, the water flowing through the drainage port and exiting through the port outlet. The valve assembly is movable between a closed position in which the port outlet is closed, and an open position, in which the port outlet is open, to selectively allow water to be drained from the collection vessel. The valve assembly includes a solenoid coupled to a seal member, the seal member closing the port outlet in the closed position of the valve assembly.

A water drain valve system structured to drain water from a fuel-water separator. The system includes a collection vessel structured to temporarily store water, a liquid level sensor structured to monitor a level of the temporarily stored water, a drainage port extending radially from the collection vessel and having a port inlet and a port outlet, and a valve assembly. The port inlet receives water to be drained from the collection vessel, the water flowing through the drainage port and exiting through the port outlet. The valve assembly is movable between a closed position in which the port outlet is closed, and an open position, in which the port outlet is open, to selectively allow water to be drained from the collection vessel. The valve assembly includes a solenoid coupled to a seal member, the seal member closing the port outlet in the closed position of the valve assembly.

A thermal cracking treatment train, comprising: a rotatable kiln reactor; the rotatable kiln reactor being configured to receive a polymeric feed material, the reactor defining at least one interior wall that bounds an interior volume of the reactor, the interior volume defining an entrance and an exit along a direction of feed material travel, the rotatable kiln reactor comprising a section that comprises one or more sweeping features configured to sweep, with rotation of the kiln, a portion of the at least one interior wall, the kiln comprising a section that comprises one or more lifter features extending from the at least one interior wall and configured to, with rotation of the kiln, encourage material disposed on the one or more features to fall into the interior volume of the interior kiln; a combustor configured to provide a heated gas to the rotatable kiln reactor; and a devolatilization train.

A swirl-type demulsification and dehydration device for oil-water emulsions, including a swirler. An open end of a swirl chamber of the swirler faces towards an underflow pipe and communicates with the underflow pipe through a composite curved pipe section coaxial with the swirl chamber. A large-diameter end of a concave arc transition section is connected to the open end of the swirl chamber, is the same with the swirl chamber in inner diameter. A large-diameter end of a straight cone transition section is tangent to a small-diameter end of the concave arc transition section. A small-diameter end of the straight cone transition section is tangent to a large-diameter end of a convex elliptical arc transition section. A small-diameter end of the convex elliptical arc transition section is connected to the underflow pipe.