Patent ID: 8747679

Claim:
A separation system for the bulk separation of water from an oil/water mixture, the system comprising: a uniaxial cyclonic separator comprising a first inlet for receiving the oil/water mixture, a spiral-shaped inlet chamber, a separation chamber that separates the oil/water mixture by cyclonic action into a first fluid and a second fluid, the first fluid being denser and having a greater proportion of water than the second fluid, at least one spiral-shaped outlet chamber, a first outlet for the first fluid and a second outlet for the second fluid, a first reverse flow cyclonic separator having a second inlet that receives the first fluid from the first outlet, a separation chamber that separates the first fluid by cyclonic action into a third fluid and a fourth fluid, the third fluid being denser and having a greater proportion of water than the fourth fluid, wherein the third fluid comprises an oil/water mixture containing less than 1% oil, a third outlet for the third fluid and a fourth outlet for the fourth fluid, a second reverse flow cyclonic separator having a third inlet that receives the second fluid from the second outlet, a separation chamber that separates the second fluid by cyclonic action into a fifth fluid and a sixth fluid, the fifth fluid being denser than the sixth fluid, a fifth outlet for the fifth fluid and a sixth outlet for the sixth fluid, and a containment vessel that contains the uniaxial cyclonic separator and the first and second reverse flow cyclonic separators, the containment vessel comprising a first chamber connected to the third outlet to receive the third fluid, and a second chamber connected to the fourth and sixth outlets to receive the fourth and sixth fluids.