Hydrocarbon-in-water purification system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10526548-B2
Application number	US-201615558614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 17, 2015
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A hydrocarbon-in-water purification system includes a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage having a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material and an inlet configured to receive a hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion from a fuel system. A polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage is in liquid communication and downstream of the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage including polishing activated carbon. The high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a greater saturation capacity than the polishing activated carbon and the polishing activated carbon has a greater polishing capacity than the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material. A method for controlling and managing the evacuation of water from the hydrocarbon-in-water purification system includes tracking the purification state of water volumes and the bed loading states of purification beds defined in the water filter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrocarbon-in-water purification system, comprising:
a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage comprising a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material and an inlet configured to receive a hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion from a fuel system, wherein when the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion is a 2500 ppm 5% biodiesel blend-in-water dispersion, and the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a saturation capacity greater than 750 mg of hydrocarbon per gram of material; and
a polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage in liquid communication and downstream of the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage, the polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage comprising polishing activated carbon, wherein when the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion is a 2500 ppm 5% biodiesel blend-in-water dispersion and the water has a target cleanliness of 2 ppm hydrocarbon, the polishing activated carbon has a polishing capacity greater than 25 mg of hydrocarbon per gram of material; wherein
the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a greater saturation capacity than the polishing activated carbon and the polishing activated carbon having a greater polishing capacity than the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein, the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage and the polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage are contained within a filter housing.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material comprises activated carbon.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material comprises polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester, or combinations thereof.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the high capacity hydrocarbon absorbing material comprises polyethylene, polyurethane, or polyester and defines a non-woven fabric layer or a foam element.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a first weight and the polishing activated carbon has a second weight and the first and second weight equal a total absorber weight, and the first weight is in a range from 10% to 90% of the total weight.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the total absorber weight absorbs at least 10% more hydrocarbon than the polishing activated carbon alone.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage defines a first volume and the polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage defines a second volume and the first volume and the second volume are contained within a filter housing, and a porous dividing element separates the first volume from the second volume.

9. An engine fuel and water separation system comprising:
a fuel and water separator system fluidly connected to an engine fuel line and having a water drain outlet; and
a hydrocarbon-in-water purification system, according to claim 1 , in fluid communication with the water drain outlet.

10. The engine fuel system according to claim 9 , wherein the engine fuel line contains diesel fuel.

11. The engine fuel system according to claim 9 , wherein the fuel and water separator system comprises a fuel filter water separator fluidly connected between the fuel line and the hydrocarbon-in-water purification system, the fuel filter water separator removing particulates from the hydrocarbon fuel and forming a hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion that passes into the hydrocarbon-in-water purification system.

12. The engine fuel system according to claim 11 , wherein the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion has a hydrocarbon content of at least 500 ppm and the hydrocarbon-in-water purification system has a clean water outlet downstream of the polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage and the clean water outlet discharges clean water having a hydrocarbon content of 2 ppm or less.

13. A method comprising:
forming a hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion from a fuel system;
passing the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion through a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber stage comprising a high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material and removing at least a portion of hydrocarbon from the dispersion to form a permeate that is substantially water, wherein when the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion is a 2500 ppm 5% biodiesel blend-in-water dispersion, and the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a saturation capacity greater than 750 mg of hydrocarbon per gram of material; and
passing the permeate through a polishing hydrocarbon absorber stage comprising polishing activated carbon to adsorb hydrocarbon and form a polished water stream, wherein when the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion is a 2500 ppm 5% biodiesel blend-in-water dispersion and the water has a target cleanliness of 2 ppm hydrocarbon, the polishing activated carbon has a polishing capacity greater than 25 mg of hydrocarbon per gram of material; wherein
the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material has a greater saturation capacity than the polishing activated carbon and the polishing activated carbon having a greater polishing capacity than the high capacity hydrocarbon absorber material.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion comprises at least 100 ppm hydrocarbon and the polished water stream comprises less than 5 ppm hydrocarbon.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the hydrocarbon is diesel fuel.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion is provided by a fuel filter water separator.

17. The method according to claim 13 further comprising contacting the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion with a high capacity hydrocarbon absorbing material being a polymeric material.

18. The method according to claim 13 further comprising contacting the hydrocarbon-in-water dispersion with a high capacity hydrocarbon absorbing material being a non-woven fabric layer or a foam element.

Assignees

• Donaldson Co Inc

Inventors

• Moravec Davis B
• Dallas Andrew J
• Block Joseph M
• Hauser Bradly G
• Hall Cullen E
• Shepherd Mark C
• Madsen Mike J

Classifications

• C02F1/285

  using synthetic organic sorbents · CPC title

• C02F2209/44

  Time · CPC title

• B01J20/2805

  Sorbents inside a permeable or porous casing, e.g. inside a container, bag or membrane · CPC title

• B01J20/261

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds (macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds per se C08F) · CPC title

• B01J2220/46

  Materials comprising a mixture of inorganic and organic materials (materials coated or impregnated on a carrier B01J20/32) · CPC title