A system and method for separating two or more materials, such as a solid from a liquid, or a solid from a slurry, are provided. An exemplary system and method for separating drill cuttings from drilling fluids are provided, as well as a system and method of processing such separated drill cuttings. In another implementation, a system and method is provided for separating gold (or another mineral, element, or solid) from a slurry or liquid that includes mining cuttings.

Provided is a filter screen having a plurality of slots, each slot having a longest principal axis A1 that has a length L, and each slot having a second axis A2 that is perpendicular to A1 and that has a length W, wherein the distance between adjacent slots in the direction of the axes A2 is XP; wherein XP is greater than W; wherein the distance between adjacent slots in the direction of the axes A1 is YP; either wherein L is 800 micrometers or less and XP is 350 micrometers or less, or wherein L is 1600 μm or less and XP is 180 μm or less.

Also provided is a method of filtering feed water using such a filter screen.

A fluid separator unit includes an elongate body having a circular internal cross-section and a longitudinal axis, an inlet which directs a fluid flow into the body in a rotational flow pattern around the longitudinal axis, a first outlet, a second outlet, a first centrifugal separation zone arranged within the body, a second centrifugal separation zone arranged within the body, a first fluid path from a central part of the first centrifugal separation zone to the first outlet, a second fluid path from an outer periphery of the second centrifugal separation zone to the first outlet, and a third fluid path from the second centrifugal separation zone to the second outlet. A diameter of the second centrifugal separation zone is smaller than a diameter of the first centrifugal separation zone.

A treatment method for purifying silicon microparticles contained in waste resulting from the cutting of ingots with a diamond wire comprises: a) providing a contaminated slurry, resulting from the waste, formed by an aqueous mixture comprising the silicon microparticles, organic species and metal contaminants; b) adding a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution to the contaminated slurry, in order to form a first mixture, and stirring the first mixture; c) solid/liquid separation of the first mixture in order to obtain, on the one hand, a first purified slurry and, on the other hand, a first liquid loaded with organic species and metal contaminants.

A process and device to create access to low gravity solids (LGS) of about 2 to 20 microns for removal from a fluid material/LGS emulsion having the steps of: flowing the emulsion into high pressure tubing; separating the emulsion into at least two high pressure streams; forcing the emulsion through high pressure nozzles at a terminus of each of the at least two high pressure tubing streams at a speed in the range of about 10 ft/sec to 200 ft/sec or at a force in a range of about 10 to 100 PSI; and colliding the streams of emulsion exiting the high pressure nozzle within a pressure drop chamber, wherein the pressure drop is in a range of about 5% to 50% of the back pressure of the nozzles; wherein a cavitation effect is realized from a collision force of the high pressure streams within the pressure drop chamber.

A system (100) includes a separator vessel (134) that is adapted to separate solids particles (192) from a flow of a multi-phase fluid (190), a level sensor (154) that is coupled to the separator vessel (134), wherein the level sensor (154) includes a viscosity sensor that is adapted to measure changes in the viscosity of a fluid mixture that includes the solids particles (192) that are separated from the flow of multi-phase fluid (190) by the separator vessel (134), and a control system (160) that is adapted to determine a level of the separated solids particles (192) accumulated in the separator vessel (134) from the changes in the viscosity of the fluid mixture measured by the viscosity sensor.

Extracting and separating solid particulates from a drilling fluid includes combining a stream of drilling fluid containing solid particulates with a liquefied gas to form a mixture having a reduced viscosity and/or density. The mixture enters a centrifugal separator at a pressure sufficient to keep the liquefied gas in a liquid phase where rotational forces promote the separation of at least a portion of the solid particulates from the mixture. At least a portion of the solid particulates are removed to form a fluid stream having reduced solids content. In embodiments the liquefied gas can be selected from the group consisting of an inert gas, an alkane gas, an alkene gas, an alkyne gas, a noble gas, and combinations thereof. The liquefied gas can be removed from the fluid stream after the centrifugal separator and recycled back to be mixed with the stream of drilling fluid containing solid particulates.

The system for evacuating aggregates accumulated in the bottom of a tank of a desalter or desander. The tank may be provided with piping for evacuating aggregates provided with a diffuser/regulator cover and a water distribution ramp, including means for injecting into the tank, pressurized nitrogen via the piping for evacuating aggregates, a first very-high-pressure rod arranged in the piping for evacuating aggregates to inject water and a fluxing product at the level of the diffuser/regulator cover, a second very-high-pressure rod to inject at least water and a fluxing product above the water distribution ramp, and an evacuation device including the piping for evacuating aggregates, to evacuate the aggregates.

A method for collecting mill scale from a hot rolling mill is provided. The hot rolling mill includes a flume. The method includes transporting mill scale particles in wastewater, retrieving the wastewater from a flume of the hot rolling mill and separating the mill scale particles from the wastewater using a separator. A hot rolling mill and a method for retrofitting a hot rolling mill are also provided.

One illustrative system disclosed herein includes a separator vessel that is adapted to separate solids particles from a flow of a multi-phase fluid, a differential pressure sensing system that is adapted to measure a differential pressure of a column of the multi-phase fluid in the separator vessel and a control system that is adapted to determine at least one of a level, volume or weight of the separated solids particles within the separator vessel based upon at least the measured differential pressure of the column of the multi-phase fluid in the separator vessel.