NOVEL PARTICULATE SEPARATIONS BY ELECTROSTATIC COALSCENCE

ETCI WILL INVESTIGATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF USING A MIXED-LIQUID ELECTROSTATIC COALESCENCE METHOD FOR THE SEPARATION OF MICRONIZED PARTICLES OF DIFFERING SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS. THE PROPOSED METHOD USES EMULSIFIED WATER AS A GETTER SELECTIVE TO HYDROPHILIC PARTICLES SUSPENDED ALONG WITH HYDROPHOBIC PARTICLES IN ORGANIC LIQUIDS SUCH AS KEROSENE AND FUEL OIL. IN THE ELECTROCOALESCE PROCESS, THE EMULSION IS BROKEN ELECTROSTATICALLY WITH THE AID OF DEEMULSIFYING AGENTS AND THE IMMISCIBLE LIQUIDS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PARTICULATES ARE THEN SEPARATED BY FIRST COALESCING THE WATER/HYDROPHILIC-PARTICULATE PULP ELECTROSTATICALLY AND THEN REMOVING THE WATER DROPLETS AND ENTRAINED PARTICULATES BY DIFFERENTIAL SETTLING. THE APPLICATION PROPOSED IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER ELECTROSTATIC COALESCENCE METHOD STUDIED TO DATE IN THAT THEHYDROPHOBIC PARTICLES REMAIN SUSPENDED IN THE ORGANIC LIQUIDPHASE.