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OIL WATER SEPARATOR DESIGN __________________________________________________________________________________________

Reference: Monographs on Refinery Environmental Control - Management of Water Discharges. Design and Operation of Oil-Water Separators. API Publication 421, First Edition. February 1990. American Petroleum Institute. Worksheet Description: This worksheet determines the dimensions of the oil-water separator based on API 421. Oil-Water separation theory is based on the rise rate of the oil globules (vertical velocity) and its relationship to the surface-loading rate of the separator. The rise rate is the velocity at which oil particles move toward the separator surface as a result of the differential density of the oil and aqueous phase of the wastewater. The surface-loading rate is the flow rate to the separator divided by the surface area of the separator. In an ideal separator, any oil globule with a rise rate greater than or equal to the surface-loading rate will reach the separator surface and be removed. The required surface-loading rate for removal of a specified size of oil droplet can be determined from Stokes' Law: g w o D 18 cm
3

Vt =

(1)

gm

where, Vt = vertical velocity of the design oil globule (cm/sec) g = acceleration constant (981 cm/sec) = absolute viscosity of wastewater at the design temperature (poise) w = density of water at the design temperature (gm/cm3 ) o = density of oil at the design temperature (gm/cm3 ) D = diameter of the oil globule to be removed (cm) Two fundamental principles that should always be kept in mind when designing and operating oil-water separators: The closer the specific gravity of the oil is to that of the water, the slower the oil globules will rise. The oil globules will rise more slowly at lower temperatures. IMPORTANT NOTE: Conventional oil-water separators remove only free oil; emulsified and dissolved oil require additional treatment. In an ideal separator (one which there is no short-circuiting, turbulence, or eddies) the removal of a given suspension is a function of the overflow rate, that is, the flow rate divided by the surface area. The overflow rate has the dimensions of velocity. In an ideal separator, any oil globule whose rise rate is greater than or equal to the overflow rate will be removed. This means that a particle whose rise rate is greater than or equal to the water depth divided by the retention time will reach the surface, even if it starts from the bottom of the chamber. When the rise rate is equal to the overflow rate, this relationship is expressed as follows:

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Vt =

Ds Ts

Ds
Ls Bs Ds Qm

Qm AH

= o

(2)

where, Ds = depth of wastewater in an ideal separator Ts = retention time in an ideal separator Ls = length of an ideal separator Bs = width of an ideal separator AH = surface area of an ideal separator o = overflow rate Equation 2 establishes that the surface area required for an ideal separator is equal to the flow of wastewater divided by the rise rate of the oil globules, regardless of any given or assigned depth. By taking into account the design factor (F), the minimum horixontal area (A H), is obtained as follows:

AH = F

Qm Vt

(3)

where, F = turbulence and short-circuiting factor, determined from Figure 1 DESIGN PARAMETERS: Design Flow: Design flow (Qm), the maximum wastewater flow. The design flow should include allowance for plant expansion and stormwater runoff, if applicable. Qm := 30 gpm Wastewater oil-fraction Specific Gravity: Higher values are used for conservative design. So := 0.86 So = o g

Wastewater Temperature: Lower temperatures are used for conservative design. T := 80 F Wastewater Specific Gravity: Sw := 1.0 Sw = w g

Wastewater Absolute Viscosity: := 3.229 10

5 lb sec

ft

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Diameter of the Oil Globule: It has been determined from API research that the nominal size is 0.015 centimeter, although other values can be used in conjunction with Equation 1 if indicated by specific data. d o := 0.015 cm Separator Width: DETERMINE THE VERTICAL VELOCITY:

Vt :=

(Sw So) do2

18 cm
3

Vt = 0.219

ft min

gm

DETERMINE THE HORIZONTAL VELOCITY: The horizontal velocity (H) through the separator should be less than or equal to 3 ft/min or equal to 15 times the rise rate of the oil globules (Vt), whichever is smaller. 15 Vt = 3.278 ft min ft min , 15 Vt , 3

H := if ( 15 Vt) < 3

min
ft

H = 3

ft min

DETERMINE THE MINIMUM VERTICAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA: Using the design flow to the separator (Q m) and the selected value for horizontal velocity (H), the minimum total cross-sectional area of the separator (A c) can be determined from the following equation: Ac := Qm H Ac = 1 ft
2

DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF SEPARATOR CHANNELS REQUIRED: Typically, the maximum cross-sectional dimensions recommended for a single channel are 20 feet wide and 8 feet deep (160 ft). Fractional numbers of channels are rounded up to the next whole number, based on engineering judgment.

n := ceil

Ac 160 ft
2

n=1

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DETERMINE THE CHANNEL WIDTH AND DEPTH: Given the total cross-sectional area of the channels (A c) and the number of channels desired (n), the width and depth of each channel can be determined. A channel width (B) between 6 and 20 feet should be used. Several design criteria for the depth of water water in the separator shall be observed, they are as follows: depth shall not be less than 3 feet, to minimize turbulence depth shall not exceed 8 feet depth to width shall range between 0.3 and 0.5 Try a width of B := 6 ft

Select an adequate width

Therefore, the depth (d) is given by: d := ceil

Ac B n
d B

d = 1 ft

d := 3 ft

Select an adequate depth

ratio :=

ratio = 0.5

depth-to-width ratio shall range between 0.3 and 0.5. If not, then try a different separator width or depth.

DETERMINE THE SEPARATOR LENGTH: The separator length (L), is found using the following equation: Qm Vt B

L = F

where, F = turbulence and short-circuiting factor, determined from the following plot Turbulence and Short-Circuiting Factor
1.8 1.75 1.7 1.65 1.6 1.55 1.5 1.45 1.4 1.35 1.3 1.25 1.2 Turbulence and Short-Circuiting Factor

2.2

4.4

6.6

8.8

11 13.2 15.4 17.6 19.8 vH/Vt

22

Figure 1:

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Since,

H Vt

= 13.729

H = 3

ft min

Vt = 0.219

ft min

then

F := 1.61

Therefore, the length of the separator can be determined. A length-to-width ratio (L/B) of at least 5 is suggested to provide more uniform flow distribution and to minimize the effects of inlet and outlet turbulence on the main separator channel. Qm Vt B

L := F

L = 5 ft L := 1 ft

B = 6 ft

d = 3 ft

Select an adequate length

L B

= 0.167

L/B should be at least 5

OVERFLOW VELOCITY: In an ideal separator, any oil globule whose rise rate is greater than or equal to the overflow rate will be removed. o := Qm B L o = 0.668 ft min Vt = 0.219 ft min Vt should be greater than or equal to o

PARALLEL-PLATE SURFACE AREA: The efficiency of an oil-water separator is inversely proportional to the ratio of its discharge rate to the unit's surface area. A separator's surface area can be increased by the installation of parallel plates in the separator chamber. The resulting parallel-plate separator will have a surface area increased by the sum of the horizontal projections of the plates added. In addition to increasing separator surface area, the presence of parallel plates may decrease tendencies toward short-circuiting and reduces turbulence in the separator, thus improving efficiency. The plates are usually installed in an inclined position to encourage oil collected on the undersides of the plates to move toward the surface of the separator, whereas sludge collected on the plates will gravitate toward the bottom of the separator. Because of the greatly increased effective surface area of parallel-plate separators, they have been designed to achieve satisfactory effluent quality based on complete removal of oil globules 60 microns and larger in diameter. The basic design variables of parallel-plate separation is as follows: perpendicular distance between plats 0.75-1.5 inches angle of plate inclination from the horizontal 45-60 type of oil removed free oil only direction of wastewater flow crossflow, downflow Several equations have been set forth for sizing the surface area of parallel plates. In general, their basis is Stokes' law. As with conventional separators, the oil globules' rise rate can be equated with the surface-loading rate (Q m/AH), assuming a design mean oil-globule diameter of 60 microns:

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Recall that the diameter of the oil globule is Qm AH = Vt Solving for AH,

d o = 0.015 cm AH := Qm Vt

Total surface area required to separate oil globules with a design diameter of 60 microns from the wastewater under a given set of influent conditions. Vertical Velocity of the Oil Globule:

Vt :=

(Sw So) do2

18 cm
3

Vt = 0.219

ft min

gm

Horizontal Separator Area: AH := Qm Vt AH = 18 ft

2

SUMMARY: Design Flow Rate: Qm = 30 gal min Oil Globule Diameter: d o = 150 micron Required Surface Area: AH = 18 ft
2

Separator Dimensions: Width: B = 6 ft Length: L = 1 ft Depth: d = 3 ft Surface Area:

2

Cross-Sectional Area: A := B d A = 18 ft

A := L B

A = 6 ft

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gpm

gal min

F 1 micron 10
6

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i := 1 .. 5

20 15 x := 10 6 3

1.74 1.64 Ft := 1.52 1.37 1.28

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