CRUDE OIL AND WATER TREATMENT Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: oil and gas production. SUBSTANCE: oil-water mixture is fed into low-pressure tank where oil and water are gravity-separated at maximum permissible upper oil level in tank. Oil and water are withdrawn separately from specified height levels over outlet pipelines, upper oil level in tank being controlled by the velocity of withdrawing water from water tank zone. Irregularities in oil intake in the tank and in oil withdrawal are compensated by varying level of water layer in tank within specified limits. EFFECT: reduced number of operations in the process, improved reliability of operation, and decreased investment and operation expenses. 1 dwg