The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 01, 1997
Filed:
Feb. 08, 1996
National Tank Company, Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A method of augmenting the coalescence of water in an emulsion having a heavier water component that is relatively electrically conductive and a lighter oil component that is relatively non-conductive, including the steps of tangentially injecting the emulsion into the interior of a cylindrical vessel and tangentially withdrawing the emulsion from the vessel interior to cause the emulsion to flow circumferentially within the vessel to thereby impart centrifugal force on the emulsion to create a first area within the vessel adjacent the vessel sidewall in which the heavier water component of the emulsion is maintained and a second area within the vessel interior towards which the lighter oil component migrates and imposing an electrical potential on a concentrically positioned electrode within the vessel interior and thereby on the areas within the vessel having the circumferentially flowing emulsion to cause at least a portion of the water component of the emulsion to coalescence, the lighter, relatively non-electrically conductive oil component in the vessel interior first area adjacent the electrode permitting a higher voltage potential to be imported on the electrode.