METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DEHYDRATING HYDROCARBON MEDIA

摘要

The present invention relates to techniques for separating hydrocarbon emulsions, preferably those of the "water-in-oil" and "oil-in-water" types. The method for separating and dehydrating emulsion-state hydrocarbon media uses the coalescent filtration of said emulsions through a composition of materials including porous cellular metals and/or alloys and porous cellular polymeric materials. The device for dehydrating the hydrocarbon media comprises a body (1) with an emulsion supply duct (2), a dehydrated hydrocarbon-product outlet duct (3) and aqueous phase outlet ducts (4, 5). The body also includes a sectional coalescent filtration unit (6) extending across the working section, wherein said unit includes several sections (7) comprising plates made of porous cellular materials (8). The plates are arranged in layers (9) along the shape of the working section at an angle relative to the circulating flow at least equal to the fluid outflow angle. When breaking low-stability hydrocarbon emulsions, the first and last sections in the coalescent filtration unit are made of a metal or an alloy, while the intermediate section is made of a polymeric material (1st variant). When breaking stable and hydrated hydrocarbon emulsions in order to produce water and crude oil for industrial applications while maintaining a high phase-separation ratio, the coalescent filtration unit comprises two groups (A, B) of sections, wherein said groups are separated by a deposition zone (11). The first group (A), when seen in the direction of the flow from the supply duct (2), comprises plates made of a porous and cellular polymeric material as well as intervals between the sections. The plates are arranged in an order corresponding to the increase in the density of the porous cellular structure from one section to the other. The second group (B) of sections comprises a composition of porous, cellular, metallic and polymeric materials, wherein the plates made of these materials are arranged in layers in said sections, in an order corresponding to the increase in the pore and cell density from one section to the other and at angle relative to the circulating flow at least equal to the fluid outflow angle. The first sections are made of a metal or an alloy, while the last section is made of a polymeric material (2nd variant).