Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Experimental analysis of the interactions between air microbubbles and oil droplets immersed in water inside a model flotator
Submission Author:
Tiago Henrique Leitão Dalcuche , ES
Co-Authors:
Tiago Henrique Leitão Dalcuche, Pedro Morales, Thiago Sirino, Henrique Stel, Moisés Marcelino Neto, Rigoberto Morales
Presenter: Pedro Morales
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-0365
Abstract
Upon extraction from the well, the crude oil, gas and water are subjected to a phase separation process, usually by using a sequence of separator vessels. This process involves separating the gas phase, the oil-rich phase and the water-rich phase. This latter, consisting of water and dispersed oil and gas, is then directed to a flotation system, which makes use of several separation techniques such as gravity separation and flotation to separate the oil and water phases. The interactions between air microbubbles and oil droplets in water are of great importance in flotation. In this study, the behavior of air microbubbles and oil droplets in a model flotator was experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted by injecting microbubbles and oil droplets into a water-filled model flotator under a continuous inflow of water at a constant flowrate of 25 l/h. The experimental apparatus is under atmospheric pressure. The main focus was to evaluate the process of adhesion of microbubbles and droplets and to determine the influence of the continuous phase on the dispersed phases. To achieve this, a high-speed camera was used to capture the behavior of the microbubbles and droplets in real-time. Our experimental results showed that the adhesion between microbubbles and droplets is highly contingent upon the velocity and the diameter ratios. Specifically, adhesion is more likely to occur when the velocity ratio approaches unity. Analysis of the contact angle further indicates that, within our experimental conditions, the region behind the droplet, known as the wake, exhibits favorable conditions for adhesion. A comparative examination of the bubble velocity angle and the droplet velocity angle indicates that the movement of both bubbles and droplets is governed by the flow of the continuous phase. Overall, the experimental analysis herein discussed provides valuable insights into the behavior of air microbubbles and oil droplets in water and their interactions under different conditions. The findings in the present work can be useful in designing and optimizing flotation systems for oil-water separation in the industry.
Keywords
flotation, phase separation, microbubbles, Oil Droplets, adhesion
