Water clarifier and separator

Claim 2

A clarifier as defined in claim 2 in which said space is between said baffle and an exit end of said vessel, said third effluent pipe means opening on said space to withdraw the clarified water therefrom.

Claim 3

A clarifier as defined in claim 1 including means for restricting the flow through each of said effluent pipe means to maintain a superatmospheric pressure throughout the separating chamber of said vessel, said means for delivering the oil-contaminated water and the gas to said water zone including means for pressurizing streams of such water and such gas to a pressure higher than said superatmospheric pressure, means for mingling the pressured streams of water and gas and producing a mingled stream under pressure, and an influent pipe means receiving such mingled stream and communicating with said water zone, said influent pipe means having a restriction reducing the pressure on said mingled stream to said superatmospheric pressure existing in said separating chamber.

Claim 4

A clarifier as defined in claim 1 including a pump in each of said effluent pipe means acting to maintain the pressure in said separating chamber below atmospheric pressure.

Claim 5

A clarifier as defined in claim 1 in which said horizontally elongated vessel has a central axis inclined upward from an entrance end to an exit end thereof, the upper interior of said separating chamber being closed by a top wall of said vessel, said top wall constituting said inclined wall and providing an inclined surface contacting the water in said water zone and the oily waste material in the oily waste zone.

Claim 6

A clarifier as defined in claim 6 in which said top wall has first, second and third sections having inclined surfaces in alignment with each other, said inclined surface of said first section being above said means for delivering said oil-contaminated water to said water zone, said inclined surface of said second section contacting the oily waste material in said oily waste zone, said inclined surface of said third section forming the upper boundary of said gas zone.

Claim 7

A clarifier as defined in claim 7 in which said vessel is an inclined cylindrical vessel closed at its entrance and exit ends by heads, the top of said cylindrical vessel forming said inclined top wall and providing said first, second and third sections thereof, said gas zone being generally triangular in vertical section and being bounded by said third section and the head At the exit end of said vessel.

Claim 8

A clarifier as defined in claim 6 in which the bottom of said vessel has a bottom wall that is dished downward to form a longitudinal trough, and including a conveyor means in said longitudinal trough receiving solids settling toward the bottom of said vessel and conducting same from said vessel.

Claim 9

A combination as defined in claim 1 in which the oil-contaminated water is produced by a desalter, said desalter having an emulsion inlet pipe, said first effluent pipe means being connected to said emulsion inlet pipe to deliver thereto at least a portion of said oily waste material removed from said vessel through such first effluent pipe means.

Claim 10

A combination as defined in claim 10 including a mixing device in said emulsion inlet pipe beyond the point where said oily waste material is delivered thereto, said mixing device mixing emulsion in said emulsion inlet pipe with said oily waste material.

Claim 11

A combination as defined in claim 11 including also means for delivering another liquid to said emulsion inlet pipe at a position ahead of said mixing device, said mixing device mixing said emulsion, said oily waste material and said other liquid together before introduction into said desalter.

Claim 12

A clarifier as defined in claim 1 in which said means for delivering said oil-contaminated water and said gas to said vessel includes a connecting pipe receiving said oil-contaminated water under pressure and communicating with said water zone at said position below said inclined wall, a side pipe delivering said gas to said connecting pipe under pressure sufficient to dissolve some of said gas in said oil-contaminated water, and a restriction in said connecting pipe converting at least some of the gas dissolved in said oil-contaminated water into discrete gas particles forming at least a part of said gas particles rising in said water zone.

Claim 13

A clarifier as defined in claim 13 including a second side pipe delivering steam to said connecting pipe.

Claim 14

A clarifier as defined in claim 13 including another side pipe delivering a chemical agent under pressure to said connecting pipe.

Claim 15

A clarifier as defined in claim 1 operatively connected to an oil refinery producing petroleum products including a gas that is delivered to a gas recovery system, the oil to be refined being delivered to the refinery from a desalter, said oil-contaminated water being bled from said desalter, the gas delivered to said water zone being at least a portion of said gas produced by said refinery.

Claim 16

A combination as defined in claim 16 including means for delivering to said gas recovery system at least a portion of the gas withdrawn from said gas zone through said second effluent pipe means.

Claim 17

A combination as defined in claim 16 including means for delivering to said oil to be refined at a position between said desalter and said refinery at least a portion of said oily waste material withdrawn from said vessel through said first effluent pipe means.