DE19620370A1 - Fully enclosed oil and light fluid separator avoids fire and spillage dangers - Google Patents

Abstract

The oil and/or light fluid separator and may be operated close to plant served, under pressure or slight vacuum, preventing loss of solvents by evaporation, whilst level detectors cause shutdown on excess accumulation. Preferably, the separator is completely enclosed, eliminating the usual overflow possibilities. Operation under vacuum or reduced pressure in the outlet line may also be employed, to assure safe retention of the separated fluid. Oil level is determined by sensors. By this means immediate shutdown is effected, and/or oil is released automatically into an auxiliary vessel, as a precaution against overfilling.

Description

There are various designs of on the market today Light liquid separators. You can find use for example in the drainage of car washes, Abschei process and cooling water etc.

The known light liquid separators always have one "Open" design, that is, they are at most with a lid or covered with a grate, but not full to the top come tight. There is therefore a residual risk that the firing whose medium can "overflow".

For special use, as I thought it up, in running water power works they are quite unsuitable because of the possible location the separator mostly below the water surface of a river, or a lake, namely where, for example, leakage water enters the turbine room.

The previously known separators have the disadvantage that they are upper have to stand half of a water level so that free, pressure the purified water can run off freely.

The result of this is that they are currently in one location which was far from the water entry point in the turbine was space, and thus long pipelines were in connection with To produce pipe channels. This is usually very time-consuming. The design I have conceived is easily in existing ones Integrate leachate pump systems from hydropower plants. The cleaned leakage water is fed directly into the water inlet Turbine returned with short pipes.

However, a certain amount of overpressure is necessary for this, as the water pressure that prevails in the turbine inlet somewhat exceeded that must. Therefore, the separator must also be closed so that this overpressure can also be generated by the leakage water pump, and the separator does not overflow.  

In accordance with the Water Resources Act, the leak water is that in water turbines enters the turbine chamber and with Leakage and drip oil is contaminated by the machine parts from the oil spills again before cleaning it again allowed to get into the river.

That's why I stood as a foreman of such a turbine plant from the problem of integrating an oil separator into a water turbine plant.

The use of a separator commercially available on the market was associated with the following problems:

• - The cleaned water couldn't get into the water inlet like have been pumped back since they were open at the top
• - Thus, installing the separator would only be far away from the Entry point of the leak water was possible
• - This would have very long pipes from the pump to the separator that requires
• - Various structural measures would have been necessary, such as for example making holes, pipe ducts and through breaks for pipe laying
• - Modify the existing pump system.

So I developed and built the following separator:

The oil separator is made of stainless steel sheet and is welded completely tight all around. Plaster covers ( 10 ) are provided for cleaning and cleaning, which can be opened.

To increase the strength, the container is reinforced with tubes ( 9 ) from the inside, since even a low pressure exerts a considerable pressure on the large sheet surface from the inside.

The dirty water is pumped from the turbine sump or leachate pump out of the pump sump via a check valve into the oil separator. It penetrates into the calming housing ( 16 ), and the water flow is slowed down and calmed down. Due to the lower density and therefore less weight than the water, the oil floats towards the surface of the housing and collects there as an oil film. The clean water swims past the two separating plates, into the secondary side of the oil separator, and is pumped back directly into the turbine water inlet via a second check valve.

If the oil film increases and becomes thicker (e.g. 10 mm), one of the two probes ( 2 ) issues a warning signal to the turbine control center. The maintenance personnel can drain the oil manually into a bucket at the oil drain valve ( 4 ) and dispose of it. As an option, this can also be automatically controlled with a motor tap in a secondary tank. As an option, additional coalescent material can be introduced into the slide-in rail ( 11 ) (optimal separation process). With a large amount of oil, e.g. B. in the event of a pipe break in an oil line of the turbine, the second probe gives an error message from about 50 mm oil film thickness ( 2 ), which results in the immediate shutdown of the turbine and the entire system (overfill protection). This ensures that no oil gets into the river.

The quick exhaust valves ( Fig. 3) have the task of letting the air escape when the separator is filled for the first time. At the drain tap ( 8 ) you can take samples of the cleaned water to check.

The pressure conditions in the separator can be observed on the manometer ( 17 ) before, during and after the pump intervals.

In some water turbines, turbine shutdown occurs caused by the sinking water within the Turbine a vacuum.

This would have the consequence that with a closed oil separator the water content is sucked empty and with the separated oil in the Water inlet, and thus could get into the river.

This prevents the ventilation valve ( 6 ). At a negative pressure in the drain line, the valve ( 6 ) opens and lets air through the funnel ( 7 ) into the tube, and via the drain line into the turbine chamber.

When the system is operated again, the valve ( 6 ) closes tightly when the separator is full by "floating" the ball ( 6 ) of the valve. Any escaping dripping water is collected in the funnel ( 7 ) and gets back into the pump sump.

The main advantages of the separator are

• - only minor changes in the existing pump system necessary
• - very short piping necessary
• - Direct water return to the turbine inlet
• - No openings and channels for the pipeline required
• - low maintenance
• - Can also be used for vacuum formation in the drain line
• - closed, clean facility
• - Safe oil detection by the two probes
• - no overflow of the separator possible
• - no evaporating light liquids (such as solvents or water)
• - Safe fire protection for flammable liquids
• - no condensation in the system.

Reference list

1 ø 10 mm holes for oil to escape from the still housing
2 sensors to monitor the oil level or to control the oil drain valve
3 automatic quick exhaust valves
4 oil drain valve, possibly with automatic control
5 cleaning and slide-in covers, primary side
6 Automatic ventilation valve
7 funnels
8 Drain tap for water sample
9 reinforcement tubes
10 dirt-cleaning cover, secondary side
11 slide rails for coalescent material
12 drain valve
13 Dirt-cleaning cover, primary side
14 stainless steel separator housing
15 reinforcement tubes
16 still housing for liquid supply
17 manometers from -1 to +2 bar

Claims (5)

1. Light liquid separator for separating light liquid such as mineral oil from dirty water, characterized in that the operation is carried out under atmospheric pressure. 2. light liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized, that the separator works in a completely closed design tet (safe exclusion of an otherwise possible overflow). 3. light liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized, that the separator also in the event of vacuum formation or one Negative pressure in the drain line a safe retention ensures the separated liquid. 4. light liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized, that oil level detection is carried out by sensors, and thus the system is shut down immediately, and or Example of the oil drain automatically into a sub-tank can follow (overfill prevention). 5. light liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized, that no evaporation is possible even with solvents or the like is, and safe fire protection is guaranteed.