Modeling and Experimental Study on the Design of Separators for Water/Oil Separations using Electric Fields

The efficient elimination of water from water/oil emulsions has been an important issue in the industry for many decades.This paper reports simulation and experimental study on different designs of the separator and their effects on the separation time of water/oil.The separator with a cylindrical design is found to have shorter separation time when compared to the separator using flat-plates design.The effects of the size of the separator and design of the center electrode (i.e., thickness, length, and air-gap) on electric field are also studied by computational simulation, and the results can be used to explain the experimental tests.It is found that the decrease in the thickness and the air-gap of the central electrode, as well as the diameter of the separator, can significantly increase the electric field in the emulsion.In addition, the elongation of the center electrode can also enhance the electric field.The results of this reported study can be used to design an efficient water/oil separator for various applications.