Free Water Knock-Outs, Desalters and Dehydrators are just some of the applications in the oil industry where it is necessary to separate water and oil. The density differences between water and oil causes water to drop to the bottom of a separation tank, and oil to rise to the top.
Often there is a need for quick field measurement of gas condensate concentration in produced water, such as when performing process optimization, water treatment verification, as well as routine process monitoring. Rigorous laboratory analysis methods such as gravimetric oil & grease measurements or gas chromatographic methods are not sufficiently sensitive to process changes and/or do not provide the required quick turnaround.
Pipeline companies install oil collection containments in sensitive locations along the pipeline (e.g. near rivers and/or groundwater drinking wells) for oil leakage monitoring. When an ID-223 Oil Sheen Detector installed in such a containment detects oil or oil on water, it sets off an alarm in a remote location.
Storm water accumulated on a concave floating roof of an oil storage tank may affect its floatation, making it necessary to immediately drain the water. This is usually done through a flexible pipe, running from the floating roof down the tank, with an outlet above the ground near the bottom of the tank.
Hydrocarbon leakage, from Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and from the bottoms of aboveground tanks, can seep into the groundwater, where it forms a floating oil sheen, growing to a thick oil layer over time. This layer, if left undetected, will eventually dissolve and cause severe damage to water quality.
The unique capabilities of the Leakwise Oil on Water Monitoring Systems enable remote measurement of oil presence for: Site assessments, Recovery wells and remediation systems, Well closures. The data can be transmitted to remote data loggers or computers via local wired processor or via satellites, cellular, or point-to-point wireless communications.
Leakwise Oil Spill and Leak Detection systems are installed in many oil/fuel storage facilities all over the world. The systems are being used in a variety of applications to address health and safety directives, environmental regulations and economic necessity.
It is all too easy to forget that the primary function of the desalting system is the removal of inorganic chlorides and other water-soluble compounds from crude oil. One need not be a corrosion specialist to realize the acids that form from these compounds can do tremendous, long-term damage in downstream processes of the refinery (as the inspection of crude tower overhead condensers can prove).
Many manufacturing processes produce hydrocarbon waste that contain varying amounts of water. Some of these industries are: Refining, Chemical Manufacturing, Steel, Metal Finishing, Pharmaceutical
By itself, hydrogen is colorless, odorless, tasteless and nontoxic. But when even small amounts of this seemingly harmless substance mix with air, it morphs into a major fire hazard.