Patent ID: 9744478
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: B01D,E21B

Claim:
1. A water-oil separation apparatus comprising: an upright separation vessel, a degassing boot attached to the vessel, inlet piping attached to the degassing boot, the inlet piping being configured to provide a fluid mixture into the degassing boot where gas is removed from the fluid mixture to form a degassed fluid mixture, said degassing boot being in fluid communication with a central inlet for the vessel that is configured to introduce the degassed fluid mixture into a separation portion of the vessel where the degassed fluid mixture separates into an oil layer and a water layer, an upper baffle provided within the vessel below the central inlet, means for skimming oil off of the oil layer provided within the vessel above the upper baffle, wherein the means for skimming oil fluidly communicates with an oil outlet for removing the skimmed oil from the vessel, a lower baffle located below the upper baffle within the vessel, a central outlet for the water layer provided below the lower baffle, a water leg functionally attached to the vessel, wherein the central outlet for the water layer fluidly communicates with an inlet of the water leg that regulates a level of interface between the oil layer and water layer within the vessel, and an outlet provided on the water leg for discharging water out of the water leg, wherein the water leg is provided with an inner tube concentrically located within an outer tube, said inlet of the water leg communicating with the outer tube such that water entering the water leg flows upward within an annulus between the inner tube and the outer tube, and an adjustable height upper end of the inner tube serving as a flow over weir allowing water from the annulus to flow into the upper end of the inner tube and out of the annulus between the inner and outer tubes and from there downward within the inner tube to the outlet provided on the water leg, and wherein the adjustable height upper end is adjusted in height external to the water leg inner and outer tubes.