Designing and studying operational parameters of hydrocyclone for oil – water separation

Abstract

This research presents the design procedure for liquid – liquid hydrocyclone to separate kerosene – water emulsion. It studies the effects of varying feed flow rate (6, 8, 10, and 12 l/min), inlet kerosene concentration (250, 500, 750, 1000, and 1250 ppm) , and split ratio (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9) on the outcomes; separation efficiency and pressure drop ratio . This study used factorial experimental design assisted with Minitab program to obtain the optimum operating conditions. It was shown that inlet concentration of 250 ppm, 12 l/min inlet flow rate, and 0.9 split ratio gave 94.78 % as maximum separation efficiency and 0.895 as minimum pressure drop ratio.