SPARGEDHYDROCYCLONES

Concentration of Oil-in-Water Emulsion

Using the Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone
By J.P. Beeby and S.K. Nicol
BHP Research, Newcastle Laboratories, PO Box 188, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia

The air-sparged h y d r o c y c l o n e w a s originally designed for use in the

mineral processing industry. Certain properties that m a k e it very
e f f e c t i v e in that area have n o w been exploited in a w a s t e w a t e r
t r e a t m e n t application - the r e m o v a l of emulsified oil f r o m w a t e r .
Statistical design e x p e r i m e n t a l p r o c e d u r e s w e r e used to investigate
the interrelationship b e t w e e n several operating variables. This led
to optimisation of the oil r e m o v a l process with this unit and
production of t r e a t e d w a t e r with 9 5 % r e m o v a l of the turbidity
resulting f r o m the emulsified oil. The optimisation w o r k also led to
an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the m e c h a n i s m of oil r e m o v a l . This is c o m p a r e d
with t h e m e c h a n i s m of separation of fine particles using the s a m e
device. T h e use of the air-sparged hydrocyclone in a one- or t w o -
stage oil r e m o v a l process w a s explored and efficiencies c o m p a r e d
under various operating conditions.

E mulsified oil in water poses a problem in wastewater
t r e a t m e n t because of the difficulty in separating the oil
from the water before discharge to sewerage systems or
inland waterways. The e x t e n t of the problem can be
dependent on the degree of stability of the emulsion.
Unstable emulsions, such as those often produced by the
simple application of shear, separate into two phases in a
relatively short time on standing. Emulsions produced in
the presence of certain surface active reagents are stabilised
by the high surface charge density of the oil droplets which
results from the adsorption of the emulsifying compound.
When such an emulsion is quiescent the oil droplets
coalesce ('cream') extremely slowly, because the electro-
static repulsion between the droplets is greater than the van
der Waals attraction. For this reason, in w a s t e w a t e r
treatment, chemically stabilised oil-in-water emulsions are
not readily separated by a simple oil skimmer. Furthermore,
other methods of separating the emulsified oil from water
using polyelectrolyte emulsion breakers or acid and steam
have also been found to be inefficient when treating low
concentrations of oil in water.
Chemically stabilised oil-in-water emulsions can be
successfully treated by flotation after flocculation of the
droplets with a cationic polyelectrolyte. This procedure is
believed to cause improved flotation, possibly as a result of
the improved collection efficiency at coarser particle size, or
as a consequence of the net positive charge on the
flocculated droplet assemblies which can subsequently
float with the aid of an anionic collector. (1) The most
common method for concentration of emulsions is by
dissolved air flotation. (2) In this method air is introduced
to the emulsion under pressure and subsequently depres-
surised within the flotation cell. This procedure produces
extremely fine air bubbles, which are believed to enhance
the flotation rate of fine emulsion droplets by increasing
their capture rate. This enhanced capture rate results from
the increased n u m b e r of bubbles per unit volume of
emulsion. However, a p o t e n t i a l p r o b l e m with t h e s e
flotation devices is the large size of the units required
when treating high flowrates, because of the slow rise times
of fine air bubbles.
Filtration & Separation March/April1993
In contrast to these f o t a t i o n units, the alr-sparged
hydrocyclone is designed to accomplish fast flotation with
the aid of a high interfacial flux in a swirl flow regime. The
air-sparged hydrocyclone has been developed as a high-
capacity unit for mineral flotation. Its effectiveness has been
demonstrated on a pilot-scale basis for a number of mineral
commodities, including coal, (a) copper, (4) gold (5) and
industrial minerals, using a nominal 5 cm x 50 cm
system with separation efficiencies equivalent to those
achieved by conventional flotation machines. (6) The high
specific capacity of the air-sparged hydrocyclone (3500 to
21,000 t p d / m 3 of cell volume for a nominal 5 cm 50 cm
system, compared to 35 to 75 t p d / m 3 of cell volume for
conventional columns and mechanical machines) makes it
especially well suited for the processing of low-grade ore.
The air-sparged hydrocyclone also has the potential for high
flow usage in the wastewater treatment industry. Previous
test work in this area has investigated the use of the air-
sparged hydrocyclone for the separation of an oil/water
mixture with mechanically produced oil droplets between
5 mm and 50 #m in diameter. (7) In this work it was found
that the highest efficiency was obtained when the effluent
split was 3/10, the air/water ratio (Q) was 11/10 (Q= 1.1)
and no surfactant was added. However, the underflow
showed only a 40% reduction in oil content, making the
process u n c o m p e t i t i v e with o t h e r forms of o i l / w a t e r
separation.
Separation of a chemically stabilised oil-in-water emul-
sion with the air-sparged hydrocyclone has not previously
been attempted. A stable emulsion is similar in many
respects to a fine particle dispersion, and so it was
considered that the air-sparged hydrocyclone might be
appropriate in this situation. In this study the air-sparged
hydrocyclone has been evaluated for use as a viable means
for separating a chemically stabilised oil-in-water emulsion.
Description of t h e air-sparged h y d r o c y c l o n e
The unit consists of a right-vertical cylinder having a porous
wall, a conventional cyclone header, and a froth pedestal
located at the bottom of the porous cylinder. A schematic
d i ag r am of the air-sparged hydrocyclone is given in
141
 bSPARGED HYDROCYCLONES
Statistical experimental design and procedure
Overflow The o i l - i n - w ~ t e r e m u l s i o n was p r e p a r e d on a 2000 l i t r e scale
4, using the following procedure adapted from a standard text
on emulsion preparation. (s) Sodium hydroxide pellets
(14.5 g) were added to water (2000 litres) while stirring.
Oil-in-water Oleic acid (100 ml) was added to mineral oil (2 litres,
emulsion I Delvac 1200 Super) and gently stirred. The oleic acid/oil
'inder mixture was added to the water solution that was then
continuously passed through a high shear pump. The high
shear pump was operated for approximately five hours,
tube during which time the turbidity of the emulsion rose and the
,Air ink average particle size fell. The final emulsion droplet size
distribution was 90% by volume less than 10 #m in
lyer diameter. This emulsion was diluted by a factor of two to
give an emulsion with an oil concentration of 440 mg/l and
a turbidity of 450 NTU (nephelometric turbidity units).
olumn Similar size distributions and turbidities were obtained for
all the emulsions made in this manner, as shown by the
particle size distributions in Figure 2.
,Air ink The effect of flocculant and frothing agents was
investigated using a high m o l e c u l a r weight cationic
flocculant and an anionic surfactant. Flocculant levels were
varied from 2 to 6 mg/l, while surfactant concentrations
were varied from 2 to 60 mg/l.
pedestal
The primary method used for optimisation was turbidity
because of the ease of m e a s u r e m e n t . Turbidity was

I
Underflow
t measured using a Hach Ratio/XR turbidity meter, cali-
Figure 1. Diagram of the air-sparged hydrooyclone.
Figure 1. The emulsion is fed tangentially through the
header into the cylinder to develop a swirl flow. Air is
sparged through the cylinder wall and is sheared into small
bubbles by the swirl flow. The flocculated emulsion droplets
in the wastewater collide with these bubbles, and, after
attachment, are transported into the froth phase. The froth
phase moves vertically along the axis of the cyclone to the
vortex finder pipe, and is discharged as an overflow product.
The cleaned water is discharged as an underflow product
through the annular opening between the cylinder wall and
froth pedestal that supports the froth phase.
brated over the range 0 to 2000 NTU with formazin
standards. Total organic carbon (TOC) measurements
were made on the underflow to determine the oil content
of the treated oil-in-water emulsion. Good correlation was
found between the turbidity and TOC measurements, as
shown in Figure 3. A Dohrmann DC190 analyser equipped
with an infra-red detector was used to measure the TOC.
In order to investigate an extensive range of operating
variables, a statistical experimental design was used to
maximise the results obtained from a limited number of
experiments. A proprietary computer software package,
ECHIP, was used to design the experimental programme
and for statistical analysis of the results. The statistical
analysis provided a measure of the experimental error and
the probability of the observed change being greater than
the error. Three-dimensional graphs of the results of the
experimentation were produced. This allowed determination

12 Figure 2. Particle size dis-

t r i b u t i o n of o i l - i n - w a t e r
d90 7.3 llm,. I060 NTU
emulsions prepared using
! oleic acid and mineral oil
10 before dilution to 4 4 0 mg/I.
o~oe . . ~ , lo5o NTU The diameter of which 90%
mmmm~
of the droplets were smaller
dg0 7.81Sin,1000 NTU (dgo) is given in the legend
HHIIH, with the turbidity of the
solution.
~0 8.BII~ 1220
/ I-~ IOo
/" "y,..:, .., o~0 9.sjlm, 1~0
*m~ouel I

k ",)'

"-.N-",
0 I I I I ;',,N %'~ '%- I I
2 3 5 10 20 30 50 100
P a r t i c l e size (l~m)

142 March/April 1993 Filtration & Separation

 ISPARGEDHYDROCYCLONES
100 d o s i n g w a s necessary, b u t t h a t t h e s e p a r a t i o n efficiency w a s
A n o t highly s e n s i t i v e to c o n c e n t r a t i o n . This v a r i a b l e w a s
t h e r e f o r e m a i n t a i n e d a t 2 mg/1 for t h e s e c o n d e x p e r i m e n t a l
set. It w a s f o u n d t h r o u g h e x t r a p o l a t i o n of t h e r e s u l t s t h a t
v
E o p t i m u m oil s e p a r a t i o n w o u l d o c c u r a b o v e a s u r f a c t a n t
r-

[]
c o n c e n t r a t i o n of 20 mg/1, a n d so t h i s w a s i n c r e a s e d for Set
2. The feed flowrate a n d t h e a i r / f e e d flowrate ratio, Q, w e r e
03
O [] [] [] b o t h f o u n d to b e s e n s i t i v e to oil c o n c e n t r a t i o n , a n d so were
,f,,1
t-
40 v a r i e d in Set 2. T h e h e i g h t of t h e f r o t h p e d e s t a l affected t h e
(g u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y b e c a u s e of t h e feed flow split. W h e n t h e
f r o t h p e d e s t a l w a s fully e l e v a t e d or fully lowered t h e o v e r /
i
O 2o ~ n underflow ratios were approximately 1/1 a n d 1 / 2 0 ,
S respectively, d u e to t h e size of t h e a n n u l a r o p e n i n g . For
0 I , I i I i I i I t h e s e c o n d e x p e r i m e n t a l set t h e f r o t h p e d e s t a l w a s fully
0 20 40 80 80 1 O0 12(] 14(~
e l e v a t e d to p r o d u c e o p t i m u m u n d e r f l o w quality.
Turbidity ( N T U )
T h e effect of s u r f a c t a n t c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d Q v a l u e over
Figure 3. Correlation between turbidity measurement and total t h e r a n g e of flowrates from 45 1/min to 65 1/min is s h o w n in
organic carbon value for the underflow from the air-sparged
hydrocyoione. F i g u r e 4. T h e s e t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l p l o t s i n d i c a t e t h e
i n t e r r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n feed flowrate, Q v a l u e a n d s u r f a c t a n t
c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d t h e p e r c e n t a g e r e d u c t i o n in t u r b i d i t y in
of t h e o p t i m u m c o n d i t i o n s for f o t a t i o n of t h e o i l - i n - w a t e r t h e underflow. As s t a t e d earlier, a t low levels t h e r e was a
e m u l s i o n . Two s e t s of e x p e r i m e n t s w e r e c a r r i e d out. The p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p e r c e n t a g e r e d u c t i o n in
first s e t w a s p e r f o r m e d to d e t e r m i n e t h e r e l a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e t u r b i d i t y a n d TOC r e m o v a l p e r c e n t a g e . T h e r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e d
of t h e five v a r i a b l e s given in T a b l e 1. F r o m t h e r e s u l t s of t h a t t h e r e are two r e g i m e s of o p e r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s t h a t
t h e s e e x p e r i m e n t s it w a s p o s s i b l e t o fix two of t h e v a r i a b l e s o p t i m i s e d p e r f o r m a n c e . A t low feed f i o w r a t e s a n d low Q
in t h e s e c o n d set of e x p e r i m e n t s -- a n n u l a r o p e n i n g a n d values, t h e u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y w a s relatively i n s e n s i t i v e to
f l o c c u l a n t a d d i t i o n . T h e v a r i a b l e s u s e d in t h e s e c o n d set are surfactant concentration, although a slight increase with
also given in T a b l e 1, a n d w e r e u s e d to o p t i m i s e t h e d e c r e a s i n g s u r f a c t a n t w a s o b s e r v e d . At low feed flowrates
p e r f o r m a n c e of t h e a i r - s p a r g e d hydrocyclone. A 2.5 cm- and high Q values, surfactant concentration became
d i a m e t e r v o r t e x f i n d e r w a s u s e d in all e x p e r i m e n t s . significant, w i t h h i g h s u r f a c t a n t c o n c e n t r a t i o n s r e q u i r e d
F r o m t h e r e s u l t s of Set 2, o p t i m u m c o n d i t i o n s w e r e to o b t a i n u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y e q u a l to t h a t o b t a i n e d a t low Q
d e t e r m i n e d for o p e r a t i o n of t h e a i r - s p a r g e d h y d r o c y c l o n e values. A m i n i m u m u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y o c c u r r e d a t a Q v a l u e
w h e n t h e f r o t h p e d e s t a l w a s fully elevated. T h e s e c o n d i t i o n s of 6.5 w h e n t h e s l u r r y flowrate was 45 1/min, as s e e n in
gave o p t i m u m u n d e r f l o w quality, b u t n o t o p t i m u m u n d e r - Figure 4a. This m i n i m u m p r o g r e s s e d to lower v a l u e s of Q as
flow flowrate. To d e t e r m i n e w h a t u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y c o u l d b e t h e feed flowrate increased. At feed flowrates of 55 l / r a i n
o b t a i n e d w h i l e m a x i m i s i n g t h e u n d e r f l o w rate, t h e f r o t h a n d 65 1/min t h e m i n i m u m o c c u r r e d a t Q v a l u e s of 5.3 a n d
p e d e s t a l w a s l o w e r e d a n d t h e effect of f r o t h c o n c e n t r a t i o n 4.3, respectively. T h e u n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y m i n i m u m o c c u r r e d
w a s i n v e s t i g a t e d . T h e q u a l i t y of t h e u n d e r f l o w w a s also b e t w e e n t h e two r e g i m e s of o p t i m i s a t i o n -- w h e r e t h e
d e t e r m i n e d w h e n t h e u n d e r f l o w w a s p a s s e d twice t h r o u g h underflow quality was either dependent on surfactant
the flotation unit under the same conditions. c o n c e n t r a t i o n o r w a s relatively i n s e n s i t i v e to s u r f a c t a n t
E x p e r i m e n t s w e r e c a r r i e d o u t in b a t c h , w i t h r e a g e n t concentration.
a d d i t i o n p r i o r to flotation. F l o c c u l a n t w a s a d d e d t o a T h e two c o n d i t i o n r e g i m e s for o p t i m i s a t i o n i n d i c a t e d
200 litre s u b s a m p l e of t h e o i l - i n - w a t e r e m u l s i o n a n d s t i r r e d t h a t two d i f f e r e n t m e c h a n i s m s of d r o p l e t collection m a y
for four m i n u t e s , t h e n t h e s u r f a c t a n t w a s a d d e d w i t h a d o m i n a t e in t h e s e two areas. T h e r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d a t t h e low
s i m i l a r c o n d i t i o n i n g time. S a m p l e s of b o t h t h e u n d e r f l o w feed flowrates a n d low Q v a l u e s u p p o r t t h e f i n d i n g s of t h e
a n d overflow w e r e t a k e n for analysis, a n d f i o w r a t e s were p r evious s t u d y of w a t e r de-oiling by t h i s m e t h o d . (7) In t h a t
m e a s u r e d t o d e t e r m i n e feed flow split. w o r k it w a s f o u n d t h a t o p t i m u m o i l - w a t e r s e p a r a t i o n
o c c u r r e d a t low feed flowrates, a Q v a l u e of 1.1 a n d w i t h
Interpretation of experimental response surface n o s u r f a c t a n t a d d i t i o n . This c o r r e l a t e d well w i t h t h e r e s u l t s
results d i s p l a y e d in Figure 4 a for t h e 45 1/min feed flowrate. The
The r e s u l t s of e x p e r i m e n t Set 1 s h o w e d t h a t t h e f l o c c u l a n t p r e v i o u s work l o o k e d only a t t h e r a n g e of Q v a l u e s from 0 to
1.6. W i t h i n t h i s r a n g e t h e m a x i m u m in n n d e r f l o w q u a l i t y
w a s o b s e r v e d a t a Q v a l u e of 1.1, b u t h a d t h e Q r a n g e b e e n
c o n t i n u e d to h i g h e r levels t h e s e c o n d m i n i m u m a n d
Variable Set 1 Set 2 s u b s e q u e n t s e c o n d m a x i m u m m a y h a v e b e e n observed.
Conversely, h a d t h e r a n g e of Q v a l u e s in t h e p r e s e n t s t u d y
Feed flowrate, I/min 45-75 45-75 b e e n e x t e n d e d to zero, t h e m a x i m u m a t low Q v a l u e s h o u l d
h a v e b e e n o b s e r v e d . T h e o b s e r v a t i o n of t h e p r e v i o u s
Air/feed flowrate ratio (Q) 2-6 4-8 s t u d y (7) t h a t t h e s e p a r a t i o n efficiency d e c r e a s e d w i t h
i n c r e a s i n g feed flowrate a t a c o n s t a n t Q v a l u e w a s also
Annular opening, cm 0.15-0.35 0.15 o b s e r v e d in t h e c u r r e n t work, as s e e n in t h e p r o g r e s s i o n of
t h e m i n i m u m in Figures 4 a to 4c as t h e flowrate increased.
Su rfactant, mg/I 2-- 20 2 0 - 60 T h e m e c h a n i s m s of oil f l o t a t i o n in t h e s u r f a c t a n t -
i n d e p e n d e n t a n d s u r f a c t a n t - d e p e n d e n t r e g i m e s w e r e con-
Flocculant, mg/I 2--6 2 s i d e r e d t o b e as follows. A t t h e low feed f l o w r a t e a n d low Q
v a l u e r e g i o n t u r b u l e n c e in t h e f l o t a t i o n r e g i o n w a s
Table 1. Variables used to investigate the separation of minimised. Under these conditions the flocculated emul-
the oil from an oil-in-water emulsion using the air- sion d r o p l e t s r e m a i n e d i n t a c t a n d r e a d i l y a t t a c h e d to t h e a i r
eparged hydrocyoione. b u b b l e s . T h e s l i g h t d e c r e a s e in e f f l u e n t q u a l i t y w i t h
i n c r e a s e d s u r f a c t a n t c o n c e n t r a t i o n m a y h a v e a r i s e n from
Filtration & Separation March/April1993 143
SPARGEDHYDROCYCLONES
~ 98
94~
41b
(a)
C percentage turbidity reduction of the underfiow.
.o
~ee
"0
.o
.=
(c) 0
the production of smaller air bubbles (by virtue of the lower
surface tension) that caused more turbulence. This is in
agreement with the previous work (7) t h a t considered
quiescent conditions were favourable for oil-water separa-
tion in the air-sparged hydrocyclone, and the work of
Schubert (9) concerning the requirement of low levels of
turbulence for flotation of large particles.
At high feed flowrates, conditions within the hydro-
cyclone were different to those at low feed flowrates. The
high feed flowrates resulted in greater turbulence within the
cyclone. This caused a breakdown of the flocculated
emulsion droplets into smaller units. To remove these
smaller oil flocs effectively a greater surfactant concentra-
tion is beneficial, because this would lead to smaller air
bubbles and a greater electrostatic attraction between the
droplets and the air bubbles. Conventional oily water
flotation processes have shown that the smaller the air
bubble then the greater the efficiency of removal of small
particles, as is especially noted in dissolved air flotation
units. (2) Since a cationic flocculant was used, the oil flocs
would have possessed a positive charge, and so increasing
the negative charge on the air bubble surface by using
increased concentrations of the anionic surfactant would
have increased the efficiency of droplet/air attachment and
hence improved underflow quality. In mineral flotation
using the alrosparged hydrocyclone, studies (1) have shown
that increasing the feed flowrate enhances the recovery of
fine particles because of the increased inertia of particles
which leads to increased collision efficiency.
Two-stage flotation of oil-in-water emulsion
To maximise both underflow quality and flowrate, experi-
ments were carried out with the froth pedestal in the fully
lowered position, 0.35 cm annular opening, at various
surfactant concentrations. The feed flowrate was main-
tained at 45 l/min, and a Q value of 7 was used for all tests.
The underflows from the tests were passed through the air-
144
C
0~
#,
0
(b)
Figure 4. Effect of frother concentration and Q value on the
(a) Influent flowrate 45 I/min
(b) Influent flowrate 55 I/min
(c) Influent flowrate 65 I/min.
sparged hydrocyclone a second time, under the same
conditions, to determine the potential benefit of two
flotations in series. For the second flotation the infiuent
was redosed with surfactant, because this would have been
removed in the overflow of the previous flotation, but no
extra flocculant was added. Results of these experiments
are given in Table 2.
The results in Table 2 indicate that in the use of the air-
sparged hydrocyclone a compromise must be made between
underflow quality and flowrate. When the froth pedestal was
in the fully elevated position 96% turbidity removal from the
underflow was possible, but the overflow flowrate was 50%
of the feed flowrate. By lowering the froth pedestal a larger
split of the feed flow went to the underflow but the optimum
turbidity removal was only 86--89%, as shown in Table 2.
Passing the underflow through the air-sparged hydrocyclone
a second time gave only a slight improvement in the
underflow quality, while a further 1 4 - 1 8 % of the feed
reported to the overflow. Thus for an overall 90--92%
turbidity removal, the total loss of feed to the overflow was
23 -- 26%.
A comparison of the underflow oil concentration and the
flowrate for the experiments with the froth pedestal fully
elevated or fully lowered are given in Figure 5. The froth
concentration used in both these experiments was 40 mg/l.
It can be seen that, although the underflow quality was
lower when two passes of the hydrocyclone were performed
with the pedestal lowered, the oil concentration of the
overflow product was higher than when the pedestal was
raised. The combined overflows from passes 1 and 2 with the
pedestal lowered gave a total product of 1880 mg/l oil at a
flowrate of 9.9 l/min, as compared to 862 mg/l oil with one
pass when the pedestal is fully elevated. However, it can be
noted that in total the highest mass of oil was removed from
solution when the pedestal was fully raised.
The results of this work have indicated that the alr-
sparged hydrocyclone has the potential to be used for the
removal of oil from stable oil-in-water emulsions. The
March/April 1993 Filtration & Separation
 kSPARGEDHYDROCYCLONES
Test Surfaotant (rag/I) Overflow flowrate % Turbidity reduction
(% of total feed flowrate) of underflow

A 1st stage 40 6 87
2nd stage 40 18 92

B 1st stage 60 11 89
2nd stage 60 14 92

C 1st stage 80 12 87
2nd stage 80 16 90

Table 2. IEIMuent quality and flowrate obtained using the air-sparged hydrooyolone in a two-stage flotation with the froth
p e d e e ~ fully lowered.

manner in which the flotation unit would be operated would
depend on the quality of underflow required from the
treatment. For the highest levels of oil removal the penalty
is high overflow volumes. This overflow would have to
undergo further treatment, and this would reduce the
economic viability of the system. The air-sparged hydro-
cyclone can be more effectively used to concentrate the oil in
water ff used in a manner to maximise underflow, but the
quality of the underflow is then not as high as in other
configurations. Treating the underflow a second time
through the unit made only a slight difference to the
underflow quality. The air-sparged hydrocyclone may there-
fore be used as a primary t r e a t m e n t for the removal of
emulsified oil from water, but the underflow may involve
further t r e a t m e n t depending on discharge requirements.
Conclusions and summary
The air-sparged hydrocyclone was found to be successful at
separating chemically stabilised, emulsified oil from water.
Using turbidity as a measure of the concentration of
emulsified oil in the water, it was possible to obtain 96%
removal of turbidity from the underflow of a feed oil
concentration of 440 mg/l. The highest turbidity removal
was achieved when the froth pedestal was fully elevated, but
the underflow was then only 50% of the total flow. A viable
method of operating the air-sparged hydrocyclone would be
with the froth pedestal in the fully lowered position,
provided that secondary treatment of the underflow was
possible before discharge. The flowrate of the underflow
from this configuration was 88--94% of the feed flowrate,
but the oil concentration of the underflow was up to 50 mg/1.
Optimisation of the air-sparged hydrocyclone for oil
removal when the froth pedestal was in the fully elevated
position indicated the presence of two regimes where
greater than 95% turbidity removal was possible. One
regime occurred where the flowrate and Q value were low,
and the underflow quality was relatively insensitive to
surfactant concentration. In the second regime the feed
flowrate and Q value were high, and underflow quality
improved with surfactant concentration. The two areas of
optimisation are considered to be due to differing mechan-
isms effecting flotation. In the surfactant-independent
regime the hydrocyclone was in a relatively quiescent
mode, while turbulence increased at higher feed flowrates
and Q values. In the turbulent conditions surfactant was
important in maintaining small bubble sizes and enhanced
oil attachment to the air bubbles.

Oil 9632 m g / I ~ Oil 157 mg/I

FlowrateOil1.8571/min
mg/I i ~ ~L~,...~Bik Flowrate 8.1 I/min

Oil 440 mg/I i ' m " 3.. 0,440m0/I =b---------'t r - I

Flowrate 45 I/min " v ~ Flowrate 45 I/m

'?:
Oil 18 mg/196% removal Oil 57 mg/187% removal Oil 35 mg/I Overall 92% removal from stage 1 feed
Flowrate 22.5 I/min 50% offeed Flowrate 43.2 I/rain 94% of feed Flowrate 36.9 I/rain 79% of stage 1 feed

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 5. Comparison of underflow and ovorflow quality and flowrate with tho froth pedostal in tho fully elevated (a) and fully
lowered (b) positions and with two-stage flotlWon with the froth pedostal in tho lowered position (c).

Filtration & Separation March/April 1993 145

SPARGEDHYDROCYCLONES
A p r e v i o u s s t u d y of t h e effectiveness of t h e a i r - s p a r g e d 3. Stoessner, R.D., Shirey, G,a~ and Gopalakrishnan, S.: 'Optimizing
h y d r o c y c l o n e as a m e t h o d of s e p a r a t i n g oil a n d w a t e r d i d the Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone for Fine Coal Cleaning. A Progress
n o t a c h i e v e h i g h efficiency. (7) T h e difference b e t w e e n t h e Report', Adv. Coal Miner Process Using Flotation, Proc. Eng. Found
previous work and that described here was that the previous Conf., Soc. of Mining Engineers of AIME, Littleton, Colorado, USA,
1989, pp. 107-112.
study was performed on a mechanically stabilised emulsion,
4. Kinneberg, DJ. and Miller, J.D.: 'Copper Sulfide Flotation in an
w h i l e in t h i s w o r k t h e e m u l s i o n w a s c h e m i c a l l y stabilised. Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone'. BUMINES-OFR-149-83, No. PB83-
C h e m i c a l l y s t a b i l i s e d oil d r o p l e t s b e h a v e m o r e like solid 253526, May 1983.
p a r t i c l e s t h a n m e c h a n i c a l l y s t a b i l i s e d d r o p l e t s , b e c a u s e of 5. Miller, J.D., Misa, M. and Gopalakrishnan, S~: 'Gold Flotation from
t h e h i g h e r c h a r g e d e n s i t y o n t h e d r o p l e t surface. T h e Colorado River with the Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone', Trans. Am.
p r e v i o u s s t u d y also c o n s i d e r e d t h a t a c h a n g e in t h e Inst. Mining, Metallurgical & Petroleum Eng. (Soc. of Mining
d i a m e t e r / h e i g h t r a t i o of t h e hydrocyclone t o 1/1 w o u l d Engineers of AIME), 1986, 280 ( B ) , pp. 145-148.
i m p r o v e oil s e p a r a t i o n by c a u s i n g m o r e q u i e s c e n t s e p a r a - 6. Ye, Y., Gopalakrishnan, S., Pacquet, E. and Miller, J.D.:
t i o n c o n d i t i o n s . This m a y also i m p r o v e t h e s e p a r a t i o n of a 'Development of the Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone -- A Swirl
Flotation Column'. Proceedings of Column Flotation '88, 1988,
c h e m i c a l l y s t a b i l i s e d e m u l s i o n . However, if o p e r a t e d in t h e
Chapter 34, pp. 305-313.
t u r b u l e n t r e g i m e -- w h e r e o p t i m u m oil r e m o v a l c a n be 7. Miller, J.D. and Hupka: "Water De-Oiling in an Air-Sparged
a c h i e v e d by h i g h Q v a l u e s a n d s u r f a c t a n t c o n c e n t r a t i o n -- Hydrocyclone', ~ l t r a t i o n & Separation, July/August 1983, 20(3),
t h e c h a n g e in d i m e n s i o n s m a y n o t b e beneficial. pp. 279-282.
8. Becker, P.: 'Emulsions Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed.'. Rheinhold,
New York, 1965.
References
9. Schubert, H.: 'Hydrodynamics of Flotation Processes', Au.fber-
1. Dixon, D.R. and Ha, T.C. (CSIRO): 'Effluent Treatment'. eitungs -- Technik, 1979, 5, p. 252.
Australian Patent no. 623787, 1992. 10. Miller, J.D., Kinneberg, DJ. and Van Camp, M.C.: 'Principles of
2. Bennett, G.F.: The Removal of Oil from Wastewater by Air Swirl Flotation in a Centrifugal Field with an Air-Sparged
Flotation: A Review', CRC Critical Reviews in Environment Control, Hydrocyclone'. Presented at AIME Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas,
1988, 18(3), pp. 189-253. February 1982.

Separations Technology Associates

pc-SELECT vl.Ol,by E. S. Tarleton and R. J. Wakeman.

pc-SELECT is a new concept in solid/liquid separation equipment selection. The interactive
computer software package allows even the novice involved in separation technology to make a
preliminary choice of large scale separation equipment from simple laboratory tests and a
knowledge of the required duty. The software incorporates an expert system into its hierarchical
calculation procedures to give the most practicable solution for the data available to the
engineer, pc-SELECT is supplied as fully documented computer software which may be used on
almost any IBM or true IBM compatible personal computer running PC-DOS or MS-DOS
(no detailed knowledge of computers is required). The operator is guided through the analysis
of experimental data via a system of easy to follow menus to give the information required to
produce a list of equipment (from an initial choice of over 50 groupings of solid/liquid separation
equipment) potentially capable of performing the required duty. The equipment list can be
ranked according to a variety of performance criteria defined by the engineer.

---- ORDER FORM

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146 March/April 1993 Filtration & Separation

 RACTSOFREFEREEDPAPERS
Concentrajion of Oil-in-Water Emulsion Using the Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone

PI141.
Konzentration einer Ol-in-Wasser-Emulsion unter Verwendung elnes Luftdurchblasungs-Waschzykions
J.P. Beeby und S.K. Nicol
ZIOTZ
Der Luttdurchblasungs-Waschzyklon war ursprtingkch zum Einsatz m der Erzautber- eme 95%lgt? Beseltigung der auf 61 zuriickzuttihrenden Trubung autwes. Dlese
eftungsmdustne entwickelt worden. Bestrmmte Eigenschatten. d/e lhn in dmsem Faktoren werden mft dem Abscheidungsmechamsmus van Femparbkeln unter
BereIch sehr nirtzkch machen, smdtetzt in emer Anwendung zur Abwasserbehandlung Veerwendung derselben An/age vergkchen Es wurden der Etnsatz emes Luttdurch-
- der BeseGigung YOR NaBbl - genutzt worden Unter Verwendung experimenteller blasungs- Waschzyklons m emem em- oder zwe!stutrgen Olbeseitrgungsvertahren
stat!sOscher Auslegungsmethoden wurde d!e Wechselbeziehung zwischen mehreren erforscht und d!e Ettizienzwerte unter versch!edenen Betriebsbedmgungen mfteman-
Betriebsvercinderlrchen untersucht. Dlese Untersuchungen tOhrten ZUI Opt!m!erung der vergbchen (6 sn., 5 abb., 2 tabs, 10 ref)
des Olbesert~gungsvertahrens mrt Hiite dieser An/age, wobe! das autbereltete Wasser

Concentration des 6muisions huiledans-leau B Iaide dun hydrocycione ir tirage dair

par J.P. Beeby et S.K. Nicol
Lhydrocyclone d t/rage dafr a bt6 con? ongmellement pour employ& dans d6barrassee de 95% de sa turbrd!t@ IfBe d lhufle Bmulsit@e Le travail dopbm!satfon a
lmdustrie min&ale. Certames propri&s qu! /e rendent perfOrmant dans ce domame auss! perrms de COmDrendre le m&anisme de s&aratfon de Ihuile. Ceo a 818 comDar6
ont BtB exploit6es ICI dans une app/!catron de trartement deaur r&rduarres, 1 savou la avec ie m8camsme de &paratron de tines p&bcules d Iaide du meme appereit
s&paratron dune h&e Bmulslhee Des pro&dures exp&imentales basees sur /es Lubiisation dun hydrocyclone d brage dair dans un pro&d6 de s8parabon dhuile B
statisbques ont 8t.k utrkskes pour rechercher /a corr6labon entre plus~urs vanables un ou deux &ages a 616 explor6e et /es etticaot6s compar6es pour drverses conditrons
op&ato!res. Ceci a conduit B loptim~sabon du proc8d6, avec production dune eau op&ato!res. (6 pigs., 5 frgs., 2 tabs., 10 r8ts.j

Concentraci6n de emulsiones de aceite en agua empleando un hldrocicibn con dispersi6n de aire

par J.P. Beeby y S.K. Nicol
Se ha deseiiado onamanamente el hldroocldn oara /as mdustrias de c~roceso de acelte emulsronado La obra de oDbm!sar conduce tambren a una comorenodn de/
mmerates C!ertas pjopriedades etectrvas en aqirel campo se han expl&ado en la mecanismo de elrminar acerte, q;e se compara con el mecanismo de separarar
apiicao6n de/ tratamiento de aguas desechadas - la separaodn de acefte particulas trnas con el rmsmo aparato Se ha examinado el use det hrdroocl6n con
emulsionado de agua Se han empleado m&odos de diserio experimentales dfspersidn de aire en un proceso de ebmmar acelte de una o dos etapas. y se han
estadist!cos para estudlar la mterrelacidn entre unas varrables de tunoonamiento. comparado /as eticiencias baio varras condrcrones de tuncronamrento. (6 pigs.. 5
Esta conduce a opt!mlsar el proceso de eliminaodn de acelte con esta umdad. y la figs., 2 tabs., 70 rets)
producodn de agua tratada, con el quftar de 95% de la turbfdldad, de resultas de/

Fl
A Non-Destructive Method for Estimating the Water Content of Filters Containing Activated Carbon
Eine zerstiirungsfrele Methode zur Schiitzung des Wessergehalts von aktlvkohlehaltlgen Flltern
i47
van C.R. Hall, R.J. Holmes Slater
eme .?erstorungstre!e Prutmethode zur Best!mmung des Wassergehalts van Hauptemschrankung bei dleser Methode sowe die mogkchen Fehlerquellen werden
Aktwkohle m zusammengesetzten Dampffittern entwickelt worden. Ber dresem erortert D/e Methode ergnet srch am besten dattir stcherzustetlen. daf3 neu hergestellte
Prlitvorgang mrd der Filter m eme Feuchtigkeftssperre gesetzt, danach werden die Filter eine annehmbare Menge adsorblerten Wassers enthalten sowie zur Uberwa-
Temperafur und der Taupunkt der Luff innerhalb der Kammer gemessen Gewdhnlich chung van Fittern wdhrend der Lagerung. Sle 1st bei Filter unterschiedlicher GrbBe mrt
1st zwecks Stabitisierung der Messungen eme Gte!chgewchtsze!t van 20 Mmuten Anal- und Rad~alstrdmungskonhguration und emem ernzigen Kohleelement bzw. be!
ertorderlich. Der Wassergehatt der Akbvkohle wrrd dann durch Bezugnahme auf eme kombmlertem Emsatz emes Kohle- und Part~kelelements (Verbundtilter) ertotgre!ch
fijr d!e jewe!kge Kohle vorbestimmte Wasseradsorpbonsrsotherme geschatzt. Die angewandt worden. (4 sn., 4 abb, I
tab., 7 ref.)

Une mithode non-destructive pour estlmer ie contenu en eau des filtres & charbon actlf
par C.R. Hall, R.J. Holmes et L.E. Skx?er
On a d&elopp8 un test non-destructrt pour d&ermmer /a teneur en eau dans /es tiltres /es bmitatrons prmcpales de la techmque et /es sources probabtes derreurs. La
B charbon actit. /I conslste d placer le trltre B tint&reur dune barritire dhumrdit8 pus d methode conwent tr6s b!.en pour sassurer que des hltres nouvellement instaNBs
mesurer /a temp&ature et te point de r&e de Iarr dans lespace C/OS. Typiquement, UR cont!ennent une quartfit acceptable deau amsr que pour swre 18volubon des trltres
temps dbqwlibre dapproximativement 20 minutes est requis avant que /es mesures se pendant leur stockage Ce test a 8tB apptrqu6 avec suc& B des tilt&es de dittbrentes
stabiksent. Le contenu en eau du charbon est alors estrm6 par r6f&ence B une tail/es, d Bcoulement ax@ et radial, contenant seulement du charbon ou du charbon
isotherme dadsorption deau pr.@d&ermm6e pour le charbon en questvan. On dlscute avec dautres partwles (hftres composftes). (4 pigs.. 4 hgs, 1 tab, 7 r6ts.)

Un mitodo no destructive de calcular la cantldad de agua en fiitros que contlenen carbon0 activado
par C.R. Hall, R.J. Holmes y L.E. Slakr
Se ha desarrottado una prueba no destructwa de determmar el contenldo de agua en drscuten la bmltacrdn pnnopal de la t8cmca y las tuentes probabies de errores. El
carbono actwado en un montage de tiltros para vapores. Esta conslste en c&car el metodo es muy md!cado para trltros reclen tabncados, oara DrObar /a cantidad de
Wtro dentro de una barrera de h.umedad, y despu&medir la temperatura y el punto de agua adsorbide y momtorrzar tiltros durante almacenate Se te ha empteado con &to
rocm de/ ave dentro del espacio cerrado. Tipicamente necesita 20 mmutos para la con hltros de varies tamarios y de contiguraoones de Nuto axial y radial que contrenen
estabrhzacrdn de las medrdas. Entonces se calcula el contenrdo de agua por referenoa sdlamente un elemento de carbono, o ambos etementos de carbono y particula
a una wterma predeterminada de absoro6n de agua del carbono pertmente Se (elementos compuestos). (4 pigs., 4 figs, 1 tab., 7 rets.)

Analysis of the Motion of Mechanically Shaken Filter Bags

Bewegungsanaiyse von mechanisch geschiitteiten Filters&ken
151 van X. Li, A.J. Chambers und R. HeLstroom

Dfe Bewegung emes Stoftfftersacks wahrend emes Remrgungsablauts mlt mechan- das verhalten emes geschtittelten Filtersacks wlhrend emes Rernrgungsablauts
ischem Schirtteln 1st mit Hilte zahlrercher, an der Sackobertltiche betestigter Muxatur- kennzerchenen, ber dessen V&auf Staub abgeliist wird Vor der Abliisung vibrrert
Beschleunigungsmesser und be! Messung der Sackantrlebsbeschleunigung tiber- der Sack we em halbstarrer Zylmder Wdhrend der Ablosung ta//t der Sack tef/we!se in
wacht worden. Dartiber hmaus wurden obere und untere Spannungswerte. such zusammen. nimmt jedoch kurz daraut weder zyhndrische Form an. Zu den
Staubmasse und der fin Sack entwckelte lnnendruck tlir eine Wetzahf verschredener vorgelegten Ergebmssen gehbrt d/e VerteUung der Beschleunrgung an der Sackober-
Fitterbetnebsparameter autgezeichnet Es wurden drew Bewegungsstad!en ermittelt. d/e t/&he bei emer Reihe van Schuttetparametern (9 sn.. 72 abb.. 4 ret.)

Etude du mouvement de manches flitrantes secouies m6canlquement

par X. Li, A.J. Chambers et R. HeMnxnn

Le mouvement dune manche tiltrante pendant son nettoyage par secouage nettoyage. Avant le dbtachement des poussr&es. /a manche vibre comme un cybndre
mbcanique a 618 suivi par un grand nombre dacc&rom&res mmiatures attaches B semi-ngide Pendant le d&achement des g&aux solides /a manche settondre
la surface du tiltre. On a Bgalement enregfstr8 pour un large BventaU des parambtres partieltement mals blent& apr&s e//e reprend sa forme cylindrrque. Les r&u/tats
op&atoires du tiltre les tensions dans le dessus et le fond de /a manche. la masse de pr6sent6s incluent la distnbutron des accet&ations le long de /a surface du tittre pour
pouss&es recueill~es et /a pression rnterne d&elopp&e dans le tiltre. Trois phases du un &entail des param&res du secouage. (9 pdgs.. 12 trgs., 4 r6ts.)
mouvement caract&isent le comportement dun tel tfltre pendant la phase de

Anaiisis dei movlmiento de sacos de flltro sacudidos mecinicamente

par X. Li, A.J. Chambers y R. HeLstroom
Se ha monitorizado el movim!ento de un saco de hltro de tela durante el ciclo de desalotamiento de polvo. Antes de este desalotamiento. vibra el saco a /a manera
limpieza, con un gran ntimero de aparatos mmiaturas de medir aceleracidn. sujetados de UR cilindro medm rigido Durante el desalojamiento de polvo elsaco plega en parte.
a/ supertioe de/ saw. Se han notado aceleraci6n. tensiones en el alto yen et tondo de/ pero poco despubs se restablece su forma cilindrica. Los resultados que se presentan
saco! masa de polvo. y presi6n mterna, sobre una ancha gama de par&metros de incluyen d!str!bucidn de aceleracrdn sobre et supertroe de/ saco con una gama de
funoonamiento det h/fro Se han hallado tres etapas caracteristicas del tuncion- pakmetros de nbraodn. (9 pdgs., 12 figs, 4 ret&
amlento de un saco de tiltro sacudido durante un ciclo de Cmpfeza. con el

140 March/April 1993 Filtration & Separatlon