Application of Coalescing Oil Removers in Refinery Circulating Water Treatment
Refinery circulating water is reused for cooling and washing in oil refining. During production it is easily contaminated by oil leaks and process media, forming oily wastewater. The difficulty lies in the high degree of emulsification, the complex pollutant composition and the strongly fluctuating quality, which conventional treatment struggles to handle stably and efficiently.
Application of the coalescing oil remover
The coalescing oil remover uses specially designed coalescing media and the coalescence principle to separate oil from water. Oily wastewater passes through a special polyester fibre material; fine oil droplets are captured and adsorbed by the fibres, migrate along them to the crossing points under the flow, coalesce on collision into larger droplets and are finally separated. The design uses bidirectional flow and CFD-optimised flow fields to keep the internal flow stable and avoid short-circuiting and recirculation.
Technical features and advantages
The unit uses high-efficiency coalescing inclined plates that enlarge droplet size and shorten droplet residence time, achieving efficient separation in a more compact vessel. A specially designed inlet cyclone uses centrifugal force to remove dispersed oil quickly, reducing the load on the downstream coalescing media and preventing plugging.
The coalescing media uses super-hydrophilic modification, with atomic layer deposition applied for molecular-level surface modification, giving the media high density and shape retention. This design effectively removes droplets of 20µm and above, with strong fouling resistance and high stability.
Field application cases
At an Uzbek refinery circulating water de-oiling project, a coalescing oil remover handles 17000m³/d, demonstrating outstanding large-scale capacity. The unit runs steadily and the effluent meets design requirements, providing reliable support for the refinery circulating water system.
At CNOOC Huizhou Refining's oily sludge washing wastewater project, a coalescing oil remover +CDFU combined process with a capacity of 720m³/d. The project successfully treated high-oil wastewater with good effluent, demonstrating the technology's adaptability to complex water conditions.
A Zhejiang petrochemical desalter wastewater project also uses a coalescing oil remover +CDFU process at 900m³/d, further confirming the technology's applicability in the chemical industry.
Coalescing oil remover project site at a refinery
Summary of technical advantages
The coalescing oil remover shows multiple advantages in refinery circulating water treatment: a fully automatic control system keeps operation smooth and reliable; the enclosed pressure de-oiling design adapts to complex conditions; and a special sand-flushing system removes deposits in time to prevent plugging. These features make it an ideal choice for refinery circulating water treatment.
As environmental rules tighten, the coalescing oil remover, with its innovative technology and stable performance, is providing more economic and efficient solutions for refinery circulating water treatment and supporting the green, sustainable development of the petrochemical industry.
