LiquiSep technology was engineered specifically to separate emulsions and dispersed liquids that are not separable by conventional coalescers or separation devices.
Hydrocarbon systems frequently encounter aqueous contamination. The aqueous component typically exceeds the solubility limit and accumulates within the hydrocarbon as a separate dispersed and emulsified phase. This stable emulsion is typically observed as a stable haze.
Use of conventional separation equipment results in carryover, as it depends on capturing the droplets through impaction on a separation medium such as wire mesh or filter media. As the droplets become smaller, the boundary layers around the media fibres increase in dimension to the point where droplets are much more likely to move around the fibre rather than collide with it. LiquiSep’s proprietary construction allows the capture of these fine droplets and reduces the boundary layers, as well as creating additional mechanisms for droplet capture.
LiquiSep not only removes the discontinuous phase liquids, but technological advancements permit highly efficient horizontal installations and smaller diameter vessels, further reducing capital cost. The effluent from a typical LiquiSep separation consists of two separate phases — one phase is a clear product hydrocarbon stream, and the other is a clear product aqueous stream.