Processing of oil sludge

In the past, large pits and ponds were used to dispose the oil contaminated wastewater and sludge from refineries, oil chemical plants and other industrial facilities. Even today, in many parts of the world, you can still find huge lagoons and ponds where these oil contamindated wastes have been stored for decades.

In order to process such waste we offer our services with the use of equipment for centrifugal separation. The system includes a sludge intake device, which helps to take the oil sludge from any depth. The pump for sludge is mounted on a pontoon, which floats on the surface of the pond. If the surface is heavily weathered and the content of paraffins and asphaltenes is high, steam-heated collection tanks are used for sludge liquefaction in the intake zone. The oil sludge collected this way is processed as follows: first it is heated with addition of demulsifiers and flocculants and then it is separated in centrifuges into three phases: commercial oil, water and solid residue.

Advantages of using a centrifuge to process oil sludge from sludge ponds:

• About 90% of the oil contained in the initial sludge is recovered;
• The solid phase separated in the centrifuge is about 10-20% of the original quantity of sludge;
• The solid residue can be thermally, biologically disposed or deposited;
• Continuous and automated production is possible, even if the composition of the oil sludge varies;
• Elimination of the threat to the environment that comes from oil contamindated ponds and lagoons.

Reducing the cost of production by:

• Secondary use of recovered oil as crude oil;
• Reduction of transportation, deposition (landfill disposal) costs;
• Reduction of up to 10-20% of the initial amount of sludge to be disposed of.

Equipment used:

• A pontoon connected to the shore by a communication gangway;
• Flocculant preparation station;
• Control Room;
• Steam generator;
• Accumulation tanks for product preparation;
• Heat Exchanger;
• Centrifuge;
• Hydraulic unit.

Major customers of this technology in Russia and CIS countries:

• OZENMUNAIGAS
• MANGISTAUMUNAIGAS