摘要 |
Oil, water, and sludge are separated from a mixture thereof to provide waste oil, usable water, and concentrated sludge. The sludge can be further reduced in volume to facilitate disposal. The invention includes a system having a vessel with a coalescer supported therewithin to form an upper oil containment chamber at the top of the vessel, a contaminated water inlet chamber at one side, a lower sludge containing chamber at the bottom, and a treated water outlet chamber at the other side. The coalescer includes a number of corrugated plate members disposed parallel to one another and inclined respective to the horizontal. The corrugations of the plate members, when viewed in horizontal cross-section, form a sinusoidal wave pattern. There being a wide, long, thin, inclined, sinusoidal passageway formed between the plate members that extend from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber. The oil separates and rises up the inclined troughs to the top of the vessel while the sludge separates and descends down the inclined troughs toward the bottom of the vessel while contaminated water is progressively cleaned and becomes separated water during its gentle flow along the parallel paths and into the outlet chamber while oil and sludge is removed from the mixture.
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