An apparatus for separating a mixture of heavier and lighter liquids capable of separating into two separate phases is disclosed. The mixture is passed through confined particle material which, preferably, has an affinity for one of the liquids. The particles are confined in a cylindrically shaped space and the liquids move through the particles in a radial and horizontal direction. The particle material filters the liquids and aids in coalescing the liquid for which the particles have affinity. The liquids separate by gravity and are discharged separately. The particles are backwashed periodically to remove collected solids. During the backwash operation the particles are unconfined and are flushed by upward flow of backwash liquid into a space which is larger in cross-section than the cross-section in which the particles are confined during filtering-coalescing operations. Following backwashing the particles, which have a greater density than the backwash liquid, settle by gravity to their filtering-coalescing position and are again confined.
The invention refers to a device for separation of two liquids in a common mixture from each other, said liquids having different densities and being non-soluble in each other. The device comprises a pressure-tight vessel, which contains a charge of a high-porous material, which is resistant to the mixed liquids to be separated and has a high surface ratio and small flow resistance. The liquid mixture is introduced under pressure through at least one inlet conduit into a chamber located within the charge in the vessel but free from the charge material, an outlet for the heavier liquid being disposed in the bottom of the vessel in order to bring said liquid to flow substantially vertically and downwardly through the vessel, after which the two liquids each are carried to an individual spillway. The invention is distinguished in that the mixture introduction chamber is disposed on the vertical center axis of the separation vessel and below the top of the charge of material therein, and in that the outlet for the lighter liquid is located at the crown of said separation vessel so that also the lighter liquid is brought to flow vertically, namely upwardly, and in that in the inlet conduit for the mixture is connected upstream of the separation vessel and at substantially the same level as the latter a coarse-separation tank which at its crown has a communicating connection to the uppermost portion of the separation vessel and which is adapted to be entirely liquid-filled and house within iself a border surface between the heavier and the lighter liquid while providing for an introductory coarse-separation thereof, the spillways for the separated liquids being disposed on at least some distance above the crown of the separation vessel.
Apparatus for mounting in a fluid separation zone for improving the separation of fluids of different densities. The apparatus includes a distributor mounted within the separation zone provided with fluid openings having packing means disposed thereabout.
Emulsifiable oil-containing waste water is disposed by bringing said waste water into contact with a filter medium comprising a mixture of carbon and powder or granule of a porous ceramic by gravity filtration or pressure filtration, said porous ceramic being prepared by adding a void-forming material to a mixture of at least two members selected from clay, silica and aluminum hydroxide and firing the resulting mixture to form a porous ceramic mainly composed of silicon oxide and aluminum oxide.
This invention relates to apparatus for removing contaminants from a liquid. The contaminants may be solid particles and/or a second liquid immiscible with but finely dispersed in the first liquid. More particularly, the invention relates to a filter coalescer cartridge for removing contaminants from a liquid which comprises: (a) a first support at one end of the cartridge, (b) a second end support tending towards the other end of the cartridge, (c) a filter coalescer element comprising a plurality of aligned fibers or bundles of fibers, each fiber or bundle being secured at one end to one end support and at the other end to the other end support, and (d) a drive mechanism for relatively rotating and moving the end supports towards and away from each other to twist and compress and straighten and extend respectively the filter coalescer element. The cartridge gives good performance and is easily regenerated.
A separator suitable for the separation of a first liquid of relatively lower specific gravity and a second liquid of relatively higher specific gravity from a liquid mixture containing both liquids, the liquids being mutually immiscible, the separator comprising an inlet for introducing the mixture into a first separation zone so constructed and arranged as to promote the separation by gravity of a substantial part of the first liquid from the mixture, a first liquid outlet for the discharge of separated first liquid from the separator, a second liquid outlet for the discharge of separated second liquid from the separator, means for causing first liquid separated in the first separation zone to pass to the first liquid outlet, means for causing the remaining liquid mixture containing a minor proportion of the first liquid and a major proportion of the second liquid to pass towards the second liquid outlet along a flow path including a part extending downwardly through a second separation zone partially filled with a liquid-permeable bed of powdered filter material which is active for retaining and coalescing droplets of the first liquid, and means for causing the resulting liquid to pass from the bottom of the liquid-permeable bed to the second liquid outlet.
