Method and plant for treating water implementing a contact vessel (21) for putting water into contact with a granular adsorbent material and a clarification, granular adsorbent material is constituted by agglomerates of active carbon particles, said agglomerates having an average size of 200 μm to 600 μm and a specific surface area of 800 to 1000 m.sup.2/g, a screen (9) being provided in the upper part of the contact vessel (21) comprising a layer of porous material having a thickness of 1 to 5 mm and a cut-off threshold of 100 μm to 200 μm, said contact vessel (21) having a hopper-shaped lower part (21a), purging means (21b) and stirring means (22) to stir the content of the upper part of this contact vessel (21) without stirring the content of the lower hopper-shaped part.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for recovering mature fine tailings (MFT) from oil sands tailings ponds. Some examples include a hollow, fully enclosed around its perimeter, ideally of cylindrical form, open bottom structure (a hollow conduit), of predetermined geometry, which is placed at the pond surface. The hollow conduit can penetrate MFT deposits to or below a level at which MFT of required density is located. A width or diameter of the hollow conduit can be determined with respect to the MFT inflow velocity and the corresponding shear rate, so as to enable MFT flow into the hollow conduit at a rate matching a rate at which the MFT is removed from the pond (e.g., a recovery rate). An MFT fill level inside the hollow conduit can be kept constant and equal to a required fill level throughout MFT recovery operations. MFT can enter the hollow conduit during MFT recovery operations solely under action of hydraulic head pressure. MFT can be transferred from within the hollow conduit utilizing a mechanical device such as a pump or a siphon, for transfer to shore based facilities and further processing.

An automated sand separator discharge system includes a sand separator disposed downstream of a wellhead, an inlet conduit for transporting a process stream to the sand separator, a fluid outlet conduit for transporting a liquid and gas stream from the sand separator, a sand discharge conduit for removing sand from the sand separator, first, second, and third valves disposed along the sand discharge conduit, a first transducer connected between the first and second valves and operative to measure pressure in a portion of the sand discharge conduit and to produce a pressure reading, and a control panel operatively connected to the first, second, and third valves and the first transducer, the control panel being programmed to initiate and terminate discharge of sand from the sand separator, and to determine if the first and second valves are sealing completely when closed.

A screening system for solid removal includes a housing and a screen positioned within the housing. A flow inlet is operatively connected to an interior chamber defined by the screen. A sump is downstream from the flow inlet for capturing solids that do not pass through the screen. A flow outlet is downstream from the screen in fluid communication with the flow inlet. A moveable cleaning assembly may be positioned either within a perimeter of the screen, around the perimeter of the screen or both. The moveable cleaning assembly is moveable with respect to the screen.

Apparatus for clarifying a sludge-containing effluent, comprising a clarification basin (2), at least one arm (7) able to move over the upper surface of the liquid in the basin; at least one trough (8) supported by the arm so that it can be immersed over part of its height in the liquid of the basin, suction tubes (T1, T2) held relative to the trough, each tube comprising at the top a vertically adjustable sleeve (B1, B2) opening into the trough, and a means of removing sludge from the trough; the sleeve (B1, B2) of at least one suction tube (T1, T2) is free to slide vertically relative to the mobile arm (7) supporting the trough, and to the tube (T1, T2) and a reserve of buoyancy necessary and sufficient for keeping the overspill end (E1, E2) of the sleeve in the trough (8) continuously out of the water is installed on the sleeve (B1, B2) so that the overspill level of the sleeve adjusts automatically in relation to the level (16) of liquid and sludge in the trough.

An improved water-oil separation apparatus with a separation vessel and associated water leg having internal inlet piping that feeds fluids to an engineered degassing boot, having an engineered degassing boot that is more effective in removing entrained gases from the incoming fluid stream, having an umbrella shaped upper baffle instead of an inverted umbrella shaped upper baffle, having an improved oil collection bucket or weir, having a much improved inlet water spiral distribution apparatus, having an improved water leg design, and having a water leg with a functional height that is externally adjustable to make it easier to regulate the oil-water interface level within the separation vessel.

A removal device for removing gas bubbles and/or dirt particles from a liquid in a liquid conduit system includes a housing having an entry and an exit and, a main ongoing flow channel which extends through the housing from the entry to the exit, a plurality of branch flow channels, each branch flow channel branching off from the main flow channel at a branch point, at least one quiet zone which is provided at the ends of the branch flow channels, at least one return flow channel for a return flow from the at least one quiet zone back to the main flow channel, where the return flow channel merges with the main flow channel at a merge point, and where the branch flow channels are defined by plates which are curved.

Apparatuses and methods are described herein. An example embodiment may include a balanced diagonal sludge removal assembly configured for use in a basin, the balanced diagonal sludge removal assembly including a discharge pipe, a collection pipe configured to slideably receive the discharge pipe, one or more header pipes extending from the collection pipe to define a first sludge communication path between the one or more header pipes and the collection pipe, and one or more balancing diagonals extending between the collection pipe and the one or more header pipes to define a second sludge communication path between the one or more header pipes and the collection pipe, wherein the one or more balancing diagonals balance flow distribution throughout the one or more header pipes.

A bearing housing includes a hollow shell with opposite ends having coaxial openings for at least one bearing element at each end thereof. The shell between the openings has, when assembled in position for use, a bottom with a bottom surface, the bottom having an oil outlet and the bottom surface having an oil outlet opening. The cavity for impurities is arranged below the bottom surface of the shell, and the cavity is arranged in flow communication with the oil outlet and the oil outlet opening.

A cooling pond system and related methods of improving cooling performance in a cooling pond system using one or more submerged dams to increase cooling performance within the cooling pond system, and increase salt precipitation or recovery. The inclusion of one or more submerged dams within an existing cooling pond system can reduce an outflow temperature by 1-5° F. as compared to the same cooling pond system without any submerged dams. In addition or alternatively, pond depth can be controlled to enhance flow mixing and convection cooling. As the temperature is reduced throughout the cooling pond system, more potassium containing salts are precipitated form the brine solution resulting in increased production or recovery within the same cooling footprint.