Patent ID: 7160467
Filing Date: 2007-01-09
Classification: C02F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of separating oil from water in a water-retaining trench of an oilfield, comprising the steps of: providing a hollow housing defining an interior chamber, said housing having an inlet conduit; providing a vertical separating wall in the housing and forming a water passage channel below the separating wall, while dividing the housing into an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, and further providing a screen extending across the interior of the housing the screen dividing the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber into respective bottom parts and upper parts; providing an outlet conduit having an inlet opening located above the screen in the upper part of the outlet chamber and an outlet opening directed outside of the housing; providing a plurality of buoyant oil-absorbing members and positioning them in the housing; providing a means positioned downstream from said oil-absorbing members for removing a pre-determined quantity of water from the housing; removably positioning the housing in the trench such that the inlet conduit rests at least in part on the bottom of the trench, while a bottom of the housing is located below the inlet conduit; depositing a pre-determined quantity of water in the housing so as to substantially equalize the level of liquid in the housing with a level of liquid in the trench; admitting trench water into the housing and causing the trench water to contact the oil-absorbing members, such that oil particles suspended in the trench water adhere to the oil-absorbing members; and causing substantially oil-free trench water to exit the housing.