A set of oily sludge separation equipment has been completed for a middle east client, designed to treat the oily slurry generated from contaminated soil treatment and oily sludge separation systems. The client faces a challenge in reducing the solid content of the material, which the centrifuge can process, to below 10%, with solid particles smaller than 2 millimeters. Currently, they aim to achieve this without using dilution.
The desilter mud cleaner used in the system is capable of separating particles as small as 30 micrometers. If all particles larger than 30 micrometers are successfully separated, the solid content can be reduced to a certain level, but further steps are necessary to achieve the desired result. Following flocculation, the minimum solid content that can be achieved by using the 4 inch cyclone for separation will depend on the efficiency of the process, as flocculation helps to aggregate fine solids, making them easier to separate.
An important consideration is the oil content in the liquid phase. If the oil content is too low, the three-phase decanter centrifuge becomes ineffective at separating the oil, making it unsuitable for the task. In such cases, only a two-phase centrifuge will be effective.
The equipment setup also includes a desilter mud cleaner, which serves as a pre-separation stage to remove the majority of the solids, reducing the weight of the slurry before it moves into the next treatment stages. After this, two sets of high-speed centrifuges (22-inch big bowl centrifuges) are used in tandem for ultra-fine solids separation. The two centrifuges can process the slurry together to achieve better separation of the fine solids.
Additionally, the system is equipped with a chemical dosing unit that allows the client to treat the slurry in two stages: the first set of centrifuges for fine solids separation and the second set for dewatering treatment. After the centrifuge treatment, an oil-water separator is employed to separate the oil and water phases, completing the treatment process. This setup is designed to provide efficient oily sludge separation while addressing the specific challenges of the middle east client’s materials.