The present invention relates to a method for the break-up of at least one emulsion and separation of the light and heavy phase with at least an de-emulsification rate of more than 95% in only one apparatus (module) within less than 5 min by applying at least one time dependent or temporal changeable electrical field wherein the at least one electrical field is a high frequency (HF) singular alternating current (AC) field with an electrical field strength between 2,000 and 100,000 V/m and a frequency (HF) between 12,000 Hz and 200,000 Hz. The present invention relates furthermore to a method for the treatment of at least one emulsion by applying at least one direct current (DC) field and at least one high frequency alternating current—HF/AC field wherein the at least one DC field, in particular a pulsed DC-field, and the at least one HF/AC field are applied in series to the emulsion to be treated. The present invention refers further to a device for conducting said methods.

The invention relates to devices for purifying hydraulic and dielectric fluids (oils and fuels) of mechanical impurities and dissolved and dispersed water. It could be used in any fields where clean and contaminated fluids are used. The apparatus for reclaiming hydraulic and dielectric fluids comprises a vacuum tank with an atomizer, a vacuum pump, a dielectric fluid feed pump and dielectric fluid removal pump, all of said pumps being connected to the tank by pipes, and an electric filter, wherein the atomizer is disposed in the lower part of the vacuum tank, is arranged vertically with a spray member oriented upward and consists of a T fitting with a lower inlet for fluid and with a lateral inlet for air, a mixing chamber disposed above the T fitting, and a spray member with a nozzle, said spray member being disposed above the mixing chamber, and the electric filter comprises a housing with an inlet pipe and outlet pipe, a high-voltage power supply, a composite unit disposed inside the housing and consisting of current-carrying plates and dielectric spacers with apertures for current-carrying and heavy-duty fastening elements, a front plug and rear plug, and is current-carrying and heavy-duty fastening elements, wherein the surface of the current-carrying plates is provided with a porous ceramic dielectric coating. The technical result is increasing the efficiency of purifying and reclaiming dielectric fluids; increasing the useful volume of the vacuum tank without increasing the dimensions thereof; reducing the dispersivity of the fluid sprayed from the atomizer; simplifying the design; stabilizing the electromagnetic field of the electric filter; increasing the surface area of the electric filter by creating a developed surface of current-carrying filter elements without changing filter size and mass; improving reliability and ease of use; and reducing materials consumption.

There is disclosed an ion diffuser for generating ions, the ion diffuser comprising a cavity arranged to receive a substance; and a power source arranged to provide a current to the substance to cause the emission of ions from the substance.

Provided are systems and methods involving a plasma electro-coalescence reactor. The reactor includes a set of ports configured to receive an emulsified mixture into the reactor, receive a non-oxidative gas into the reactor, expel oil from the reactor, and expel water from the reactor. The reactor includes a set of electrodes including a first electrode in a headspace of the reactor, and a second electrode, the set of electrodes configured to receive a voltage at or in excess of a breakdown voltage of the non-oxidative gas.

An electrostatic coalescer apparatus for separating water from a crude oil emulsion comprises a vessel housing having a cavity, an inlet for receiving a crude oil emulsion and outlets for water and purified crude oil. First and second pairs of electrodes are positioned in the vessel cavity. A first Scott-T transformer circuit is coupled to the first pair of electrodes and a second Scott-T transformer circuit is coupled to the second pair of electrodes. The first and second Scott-T transformer circuit receive as an input a 3-phase power supply and output a 2-phase high voltage signal pairs of electrodes. The 2-phase voltage generated between the first pair of electrodes is of the same amplitude and phase as the voltage generated between the second pair of electrodes via the respective Scott-T transformer circuits. A method comprises steps performed during operation of the apparatus.

An electrowetting coalescing device for coalescing droplets of a dispersed phase within a continuous phase includes an inlet in fluid communication with a first porous layer and a second porous layer. The first porous layer is employed as a first electrode and the second porous layer is employed as a second electrode, and a voltage difference exists between the first porous layer and the second porous layer to thereby create an electric field between the first porous layer and the second porous layer. The electrowetting coalescing device includes an outlet for receiving a fluid having passed through the first porous layer and the second porous layer.

The present invention discloses an oil-contained wastewater treatment apparatus applying the integrative physical methods. The wastewater treatment system of the invention may include a main tank, where the upper part is a rectangular body and the lower part is designed to a multi-bucket bottom structure. Two oil collection boxes are arranged to both outside ends of tank. A mud discharging outlet is attached to the bottom of the tank. Meanwhile, both of a water outlet and an electric polarizer are localized at the end face of the effluent on the tank. A power supply for the electro-adsorber is fixed to the inlet end on the top face of the tank. Divided by upper and lower deflectors, the inside of the tank is divided to three processing units, i.e., sludge-water separation unit, degradation-coalescence treatment unit, and sedimentation-electric polarization unit. Vortex centripetal gas flotation is applied to remove oil. Electro-adsorption induces the micelle clustering to achieve the decolorization. The electric polarization functions as anti-scaling, descaling, sterilization, and corrosion inhibition. Moreover, the referred physical treatment can be fulfilled in virtue of centrifugal force, buoyancy, gravity, adsorption force, coalescence force, inertia, shifting, and modification. Through the application of the system, the oil-contained wastewater can be treated environmentally friendly, safe and pollution-free. Besides the above advantages, high removal efficiency can make the apparatus and method a widely used approach on the oil-contained wastewater treatment.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.

Electrical separators employing detection of conductive fluid excursions are described herein. A separator of this type has a separator, comprising a separation vessel; an electric field assembly extending a first distance within the separation vessel in a first direction of a density-based separation force; a plurality of detector electrodes extending a second distance within the separation vessel in the first direction; one or more power units; and one or more circuits electrically coupling the electric field electrodes and the detector electrodes with the one or more power units.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.