Embodiments described herein provide a method of separating a liquid mixture, comprising providing a liquid mixture to a separator, electrically coupling a power circuit to the liquid mixture inside the separator, applying a time-varying voltage to the power circuit, detecting a phase angle in the power circuit; and controlling the phase angle by adjusting a characteristic of the time-varying voltage.

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 non-petroleum or renewable feedstock containing oxygen and contaminants of metals, gums, and resins is treated by introducing the feedstock into a reactor at a flow velocity of from 20 ft/sec to 100 ft/sec. The feedstock is heated within the reactor to a temperature of from 700° F. to 1100° F. to remove and/or reduce the content of the contaminants to form a reactor product. The reactor product is cooled to form a cooled reactor product. Non-condensable gases, metals and water are separated and removed from the cooled reactor product to form a final product. The final product has an oxygen content that is 60% or less of that of the feedstock, and wherein the final product comprises 25 wt % or less any triglycerides, monoglycerides, diglycerides, free fatty acids, phosphatides, sterols, tocopherols, tocotrienols, or fatty alcohols, from 5 wt % to 30 wt % naphtha, and 50 wt % or more diesel.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and system for removing water build-up in a hydrocarbon storage tank. An oil-water interface sensor is located in the hydrocarbon storage tank and includes a first probe and a second probe. The first probe is located at a bottom portion of the hydrocarbon storage tank. The first probe generates a first input data stream. The second probe is located above the first probe. The second probe generates a second input data stream. The first and second input data streams are processed to determine a vertical displacement of an oil-water interface, which is compared against a predetermined value. An output data stream responsive to the comparison is generated including instructions to maintain a controllable valve either in an open position or in a closed position. The output data stream is communicated to the controllable valve, fluidly connected to a drain line connected to the bottom portion of the hydrocarbon storage tank, to be in the open position or in the closed position. Water build-up is removed via the drain line as the controllable valve is maintained in the open position.

The present techniques are directed to a multiphase separation system. The system includes a liquid-liquid separator configured to receive a separated liquid that is further separated into a separated oil and a separated water within the liquid-liquid separator. An oil pump and a water pump, both with adjustable speeds, are configured to pump the separated oil and the separated water, respectively, from the liquid-liquid separator. An interface level in the liquid-liquid separator is regulated by adjusting the speed of the oil pump and the speed of the water pump.

A process for the hydroconversion of heavy oil products includes the following steps where heavy oil products and hydrogen are supplied to a slurry hydroconversion section having a molybdenum-based catalyst: separating the reaction effluent into a vapour phase and a slurry phase; and sending the slurry phase to a separation section having the function of separating the Vacuum Gas Oil, Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil, Light Vacuum Gas Oil, and Atmospheric Gas Oil fractions, from a stream of heavy organic products which contains asphaltenes, unconverted feed, catalyst, and solid formed during the hydroconversion reaction. This stream is partly sent to the reaction section and partly forms a purge stream, which is heated and made fluid between 185° C.-220° C., and subjected to a static settling unit up to at least 100° C. From the settling unit two new products, clarified component and cake, are obtained. The clarified component is recycled to the hydroconversion reaction section.

An immiscible liquids separation apparatus (50) comprising: a vessel comprising a first separation chamber (66) and second separation chamber (72) being in first fluid communication with the first separation chamber (66), the first separation chamber (66) being situated above the second separation chamber (72); an inlet (52) arranged at the first separation chamber (66) to allow a liquid to flow into the vessel; a low-density liquid outlet (78) arranged on the second separation chamber (72) to allow low-density liquid separated from the liquid to be removed therefrom; and a high-density liquid outlet (60) arranged at the vessel to allow high-density liquid separated from the liquid to flow out of the vessel, and a corresponding method.

Provided are techniques for operating a pipeline that include: determining, based on observed operational parameters of equipment of an upstream process facility, an indirect quality parameter for processed production fluid output from the process facility and routed into a pipeline; determining, based on characteristics of the processed production fluid output from the facility, a direct quality parameter for the processed fluid; determining a quality parameter for the processed fluid defined as the greater of the indirect and the direct quality parameter for the processed fluid; determining, based on the quality parameter for the processed fluid, a model of the pipeline that includes a cumulative water accumulation of a segment of the pipeline; determining, based on the cumulative water accumulation, a water remediation schedule for the segment; and conducting, in accordance with the schedule, a water remediation operation in the segment of the pipeline.

A system can include a multi-material fluid having a mixture of a first material and a second material. The system can also include a first vessel into which the multi-material fluid is disposed. The system can further include a first sonication device disposed, at least in part, in the multi-material fluid in the first vessel. The first sonication device, when operating, can emit ultrasound waves into the multi-material fluid. The ultrasound waves separate the first material and the second material from each other in the first vessel.

A latch assembly having first and second parts for association with first and second elements, respectively. The first and second parts are configured to cooperate to releasably secure the first element to the second element. The first part has a latch member for releasably engaging a catch member on the second part when the latch member is manipulated from an unlatched configuration to a latched configuration. A latch member holder associated with the first part is adapted to hold the latch member while allowing the latch member to pivot about a pivot axis, and slide along a sliding axis which is perpendicular to said pivot axis. The latch member is manipulable into the latched configuration in a predetermined range of contiguous positions relative to the latch member holder along the sliding axis. A method of releasably securing the first element to the second element is also disclosed.