A separator for separating wellbore emulsions into liquid and gaseous components has helical emulsion preheat coils encircling a single-cylinder, dual chamber firetube disposed inside a horizontal separator vessel. In use, emulsion enters the preheat coils before entering the separator vessel. The flow of emulsion through the helical coils promotes initial separation of the emulsion by means of heat transfer and centrifugal flow. Resultant centripetal force separates lighter gaseous and liquid particles toward the inside of the helical coils, while heavier emulsion fractions condense toward the outside of the helical coils. The use of helical preheat coils and a single-cylinder, dual-chamber firetube eliminate or minimize abrupt changes in emulsion flow direction that are characteristic of prior art separators, resulting in reduced wear in both the coils and the firetube.

A Filter for the removal of water from oil, the filter includes a distillation element having an inlet pipe that in one end is to be fluidly connectable to a reservoir of oil to be filtered, and in the other end being fluidly connected to a distillation head, said distillation head including a plurality of compressing tubes for injecting under pressure said oil into an evaporation chamber, whereby eventual water within the oil droplet evaporates from said decompressed oil, the filter further including a tubular core with a plurality of apertures and a hollow interior, said core having an open end for fluid communication with the hollow interior, a length of yarn wound around an outer surface of the core, wherein the filter further includes a device for blowing air or an inert gas into the evaporation chamber for removal of the water vapor during use of the filter. A method of manufacturing such a filter, as well as a method of removing water of is also disclosed. The water removal unit is part of a modular system, which makes the whole filter unit scalable within fixed steps. When water removing block with attached start block and end block, are stacked upon each other, and connected to filter unit, it becomes scalable complete cleaning equipment. Pump and motor must be adapted to each configuration.

One method disclosed herein of processing a process fluid that comprises dissolved gas includes performing a degassing process on the process fluid by heating the process fluid via heat transfer with a heat transfer fluid, wherein at least some amount of the heat transfer fluid condenses in the first heat transfer process and latent heat of the heat transfer fluid as it condenses is used to increase the temperature of the process fluid. Thereafter, the heat transfer fluid is passed through an expansion device so as to produce a post-expansion heat transfer fluid. The temperature of the heated process fluid is decreased by performing a second heat transfer process between the post-expansion heat transfer fluid and the heated process fluid, wherein the temperature of the post-expansion heat transfer fluid is increased and the latent heat that was supplied to the process fluid in the first heat transfer process is removed.

A crude oil demulsification system includes a vessel. A cyclonic separator is disposed outside the vessel. The cyclonic separator is configured to receive and separate phases of a multi-phase fluid stream into a gaseous stream and a liquid stream that includes a first liquid phase and a second liquid phase by inducing cyclonic flow. A heat exchanger is fluidically connected to the cyclonic separator. The heat exchanger is disposed outside the vessel, and is configured to receive the liquid stream and to heat the liquid stream by exchanging heat with a heating medium flowed through the heat exchanger. An electrostatic coalescer is fluidically connected to the heat exchanger and is disposed inside the vessel. The electrostatic coalescer is configured to receive the liquid stream heated by the heat exchanger and to demulsify the liquid stream by causing coalescence of liquid droplets of one of the first or second liquid phases.

The present invention is a single oilfield treatment vessel for removing water, solids and gas from crude oil. The vessel functions to replace three separate normally used vessels: a gas separator, a free water knockout vessel and a heater treater. The present vessel functions more efficiently than the three vessels it replaces by virtue of its superior internals and efficiency based design. It pays for itself more quickly by increasing the quality and value of the effluent fluids and by reducing installation and operating costs.

An apparatus includes a vessel configured to be pressurized and heated at a well site to match desired process conditions at which a demulsifier is to break an emulsion of crude oil. The vessel includes a first end, a second end, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe receives crude oil and a demulsifier and mixes the crude oil and the demulsifier to form a mixture. The apparatus includes a heater surrounding at least a portion of the vessel. The heater is configured to provide heat to the mixture. The apparatus includes a guided wave radar configured to generate a reference pulse of microwave energy and detect a surface echo reflected from the mixture.

An automated process and accompanying apparatus simultaneously separates and measures the flow rate of any multiphase mixture of immiscible fluids. Such separation and measurement can occur in a single vessel, or multiple vessels. Liquid levels, together with a material balance analysis, are utilized to determine constituent liquid flow rates. The vessel(s) can be remotely operated and monitored in real time, while also allowing for automated or manual calibration.

A method of processing thin stillage in an ethanol refining operation is provided. The method comprises treating thin stillage upstream of a concentration or evaporation step with an inverse emulsion comprising at least one anionic flocculant and an emulsifying agent selected from a sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, an ethoxylated sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, and combinations thereof, thereby forming treated thin stillage; clarifying the treated thin stillage via at least one of dissolved air flotation and induced air flotation, thereby forming clarified thin stillage and a float layer comprising oil and solids; separating the oil from the solids of the float layer; and recovering the oil.

A device for separating a fluid component from a fluid, in particular compressed air of a vehicle, is provided. The device has a first container for containing the fluid, the first container being arranged to separate at least a part of one or more components contained in the fluid from the fluid, and a second container, the second container being arranged to separate at least a part of one or more components contained in the fluid from the fluid. The two containers are interconnected by a throttle device adapted to throttle a transfer of at least a part of the fluid from the first container into the second container.

A device for separating a fluid component from a fluid, in particular compressed air of a vehicle, is provided. The device has a first container for containing the fluid, the first container being arranged to separate at least a part of one or more components contained in the fluid from the fluid by evaporation. The first container includes one or more openings through which a substance can be supplied to the fluid in the first container for breaking an emulsion or mixture of two or more components contained in the fluid and an exhaust through which the at least part of the one or more separated components can be exhausted.