A sand separation system and method for operating a sand separation system, in which the method includes separating sand from a fluid using a separator. The method includes, signaling for a blowdown unit to blowdown the separator, opening one or more blowdown valves of the blowdown unit coupled to the separator in response to the signaling, so as to blowdown the separator, and receiving the sand from the separator into a sand disposal unit. The sand passes through the one or more blowdown valves that are opened. The method includes measuring a weight of at least some of the sand that was separated in the separator using a load cell of the separator, a load cell of the sand disposal unit, or both, and determining a blowdown interval for subsequent blowdown operations of the separator based in part on the weight of the sand.

This disclosure describes methods to separate solids from liquids in a production facility. A process separates components in the process stream by using a mechanical device to separate the solids from the liquids based on a density difference. The process produces the liquids and solids, which may be further processed to create valuable animal feed products.

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.

There is provided a particle classification system comprising: a classifier including: a vat defining an interior cavity, a feeder conduit upstream of the interior cavity, an overflow conduit in fluid communication between a top of the interior cavity and outside the vat, an underflow conduit downstream of the interior cavity and a controllable underflow valve fluidly connected to a bottom of the interior cavity, the underflow valve controlled to be either in an open configuration in which the interior cavity is in fluid communication with the underflow conduit or in a closed configuration in which the interior cavity is sealed from the underflow conduit; a feed preparation circuit upstream of the feeder conduit; a rejection circuit downstream of the overflow conduit, and a beneficiation circuit downstream of the underflow conduit. There is also provided a method of classifying fluid-borne particles comprising obtaining a feed containing high-density particles.

Disclosed is a hydrocyclone monitoring system. The hydrocyclone monitoring system comprises a hydrocyclone comprising a separation chamber having an inlet for feeding an input mixture into the separation chamber and first and second outlets for ejecting flows of 5 respective first and second components of the mixture from the separation chamber. The hydrocyclone monitoring system further comprises a conduit and a sensor assembly. The conduit is connected to the first outlet and defines a channel for conducting the flow of the first component ejected from the separation chamber. The sensor assembly is configured to detect characteristics of the flow of the first component in the channel. The hydrocyclone 10 monitoring system further comprises a processing system configured to receive from the sensor assembly measurement data indicative of the characteristics of the flow of the first component, and to determine a mode of operation of the hydrocyclone based on the measurement data. Also disclosed is a method of monitoring a hydrocyclone.

A desulfurization wastewater zero discharge treatment method and system suitable for multiple working conditions. A tail flue of a boiler and a bottom outlet of a wastewater drying tower are both communicated with an inlet of a dust collector; an outlet of the dust collector is communicated with flue gas inlets of a wastewater concentration tower and a desulfurization absorption tower; the wastewater concentration tower is communicated with the desulfurization absorption tower; the desulfurization absorption tower is communicated with a chimney; the desulfurization absorption tower is communicated with a gypsum cyclone; the gypsum cyclone is communicated with a filtrate water tank; the gypsum cyclone is communicated with a gypsum dewatering machine; the gypsum dewatering machine is communicated with a gas liquid separating tank; and a flue gas port of the tail flue of the boiler is communicated with the flue gas inlet of the wastewater drying tower.

A method of cleaning an HVAC coil unit located above a drain basin. One step of the method involves providing a supply and collection assembly having a reservoir containing liquid cleaning solution, a pump operative to output the liquid cleaning solution through a supply outlet, and a vacuum source operative to draw in used liquid cleaning solution through a collection inlet. According to another step, a nozzle device in fluid communication with the supply outlet is also provided, the nozzle device having a delivery face. A further step involves providing a fluid return tool in fluid communication with the collection inlet, and positioning the fluid return tool in the drain basin. According to a further step, the delivery face of the nozzle device is moved across a surface of the HVAC coil unit to deliver the cleaning solution into areas between fins thereof.

A method for the treatment of heavy crude oil with magnetized oxygen/air micro nano bubble water, comprising the steps of generating micro nano bubbles water from treated water by a depressurization process; pumping heavy crude oil and oxygen with the micro nano bubbles water at an injection port; injecting via the injection port a mixture of heavy crude oil and oxygen micro nano bubbles water into a first magnetic unit; subjecting the mixture to a magnetic field under static mixing conditions in the first magnetic unit; injecting the mixture into an interim tank; pressurizing the heavy crude oil and water exiting the interim tank via a slurry pump; pumping the heavy crude oil and water through a second magnetic unit before routing to a first hydrocyclone unit; and routing an overflow of the heavy crude oil for refinery purposes.

A frac sand separator system includes a sand separator having an inlet fluidly connected to a well for receiving a fracking return mixture from the well. The sand separator is configured to separate water of the fracking return mixture from particulate matter of the fracking return mixture. The sand separator includes an outlet. The frac sand separator system includes a collection container fluidly connected to the outlet of the sand separator for receiving the particulate matter from the sand separator. At least one outlet valve is fluidly connected between the outlet of the sand separator and the collection container. The frac sand separator system includes a computing device operatively connected to the at least one outlet valve. The computing device includes a processor configured to automatically open the at least one outlet valve such that the particulate matter is released from the sand separator into the collection container.

A method of treating contaminated materials such as oil and gas production waste sludges to recover crude oil hydrocarbons. The method includes the inversion of water-in-oil emulsions, and subsequent separation steps. These may involve the separation and removal of asphaltenes, petroleum waxes and/or solid particles from the crude oil hydrocarbons. The treatment method uses the physical phenomena of hydrodynamic cavitation and hydraulic shock, which produce different effects upon a mixture of water and the contaminated material being treated. These are deployed either as single or combined stage(s) of treatment or as a repeated series of single/combined treatment stages, with or without additional processing operations between each single/combined treatment stage. The method may be implemented with suitable plant including hydrodynamic cavitation units (103, 106) and hydraulic shock units (104, 107), followed by separators (105, 108).