Determination of hydrocyclone parameters for oil emulsion treatment with forced flow rotation, taking into account changes in rheological properties

Abstract

The object of research is the process of dewatering oil emulsions by using a hydrocyclone with forced flow rotation taking into account rheological properties.
 The problem solved in the work is related to production, primary preparation and transportation of oils. The process of oil extraction is accompanied by saturation of the product with water, salts, mechanical particles and light fractions, which requires primary preparation of oil through multi-stage, sometimes long-term, low-productivity processing in order to separate the above-mentioned components. The water content of some deposits, especially marine deposits, is 80%, which makes the process of oil dehydration particularly important for preparing oil for transportation. Among the known methods of dewatering oil emulsions, such as settling, heat treatment, chemical treatment, electrodehydration and centrifugation, the last one allows to significantly influence the separation processes. The essence of the centrifugation process, consists in increasing the rotational speed of the particles of the dispersed phase by replacing the natural force of gravity with a more powerful centrifugal force. The density of water and mechanical impurities is higher than the density of oil, and particles under the action of centrifugal force are pressed against the wall and, coagulating, are removed through the flow separator.
 In the course of the work, the main regularities of the process were determinedcentrifugation, namely the rate of sedimentation of the water fraction from the rheological parameters of the emulsion and the kinematic characteristics of the hydrocyclone with forced rotation of the flow. It was established that the dependence of the volume of the water fraction of the oil emulsion is a power function of the second order, and the rate is linear. The settling of a water particle has a linear dependence on the size of the particle. Speed The set speed of settling of water particles of an oil emulsion allows you to calculate the length of the turbine depending on the required performance, speed of rotation and rheological properties.
 The developed theoretical provisions of the process of dewatering oil emulsions by using a hydrocyclone with forced rotation of the flow, taking into account the rheological properties, allow designing machines of this type for various conditions of oil production.