Provided is a liquid processing apparatus and a liquid processing method for reducing a waste amount of a high specific gravity liquid. The liquid processing apparatus includes: a supply pump; a bubble tank including an inflow port, an overflow port, and a return port; a microbubble generator disposed outside the bubble tank; a recovery tank having a recovery port to recover the processing liquid overflown from a first liquid level to the tank; a separation tank including a settling tank connected to the overflow port, and a floating tank connected to the settling tank at a lower portion, and an ejector having a inlet port connected to the supply pump, a suction port connected the suction body, and a discharge port connected to the return port.

A flotation apparatus for separating oil from a dispersion containing water as a continuous phase and oil as a dispersed phase. The apparatus comprises a vessel having one or more longitudinal cell sections in its longitudinal direction, at least one of the one or more longitudinal cell sections comprising: an underflow weir, an overflow weir displaced downstream from the underflow weir, a gas injection structure located below the underflow weir or in the channel formed between the underflow weir and the overflow weir, a removal structure for removing a fraction formed during the operation of the flotation apparatus on the liquid level from the liquid level, and a hydraulic structure for hydraulically pushing the fraction formed during the operation of the flotation apparatus on the liquid level into the removal structure using a liquid stream, a liquid/gas stream and/or a gas stream that is ejected by the hydraulic structure.

A separation tank for the separation of a mixture of oil, gas, water, and solids obtained from an oil field includes distinct regions vertically located within the tank interior where constituent components of the mixture can collect. The inflowing mixture may be directed to a vertical column extending inside the separation tank and can be introduced to the tank interior through a swirl vane diffuser configured to impart a helical direction to the inflowing mixture that assist separation of the mixture component. To further facilitate separation of oil from the mixture, the separation tank may be operatively associated with an aeration system configured to generate and introduce an aerated liquid to the tank interior. Gas dissolved in the aerated liquid may form microbubbles that can naturally adhere to the oil and solids separate it from the mixture which can improve the quality of the water.

A gas flotation tank is provided that includes a series of adjacent chambers which impart a rotational current therein. Each chamber is separated from a skim oil trough by a skimming weir. Each chamber comprises an alternating fluid communication device between adjacent chambers allowing fluid communication between adjacent chambers in the form of a communication port in the dividing wall between adjacent chambers and a chamber outlet in conjunction with a perforated plate and the outlet is positioned in fluid communication with the final chamber. An optional coalescing media may be positioned in or proximate the communication port to absorb or coalesce contaminants as they pass therethrough.

A method to remove oil from an oily water stream includes the step of pressure controlling a release of dissolved gases from the stream as the stream passes through two or more stages of gas flotation treatment. The operating pressure of the first stage of flotation treatment is purposefully reduced relative to that of an upstream unit so that a certain controlled percent volume of dissolved gases is released. The operating pressure of the second stage of flotation treatment is then purposefully reduced relative to that of the first stage so that another controlled percent volume of dissolved gases is released. Any subsequent flotation treatment stage is at a lower operating pressure than that of the previous stage so that the subsequent treatment stage releases a controlled percent volume of dissolved gases. By controlling the operating pressure in this way, overall separation performance is improved.