In the field of industrial fluid handling, oil-water separation technology has always been a key link to ensure production safety and environmental compliance. The coalescent-separator independently developed by Henan Xinxiang Lifelte Filter Co., Ltd. has brought revolutionary upgrades to the traditional separation process with breakthrough coalescent-material technology and system integration innovation. This paper will deeply analyze the core technical principle of the equipment, and through the comparison with the traditional scheme of the industry, the system presents its significant advantages in separation efficiency, energy saving and environmental protection, intelligent operation and maintenance, and finally outlook its broad market prospects combined with typical application scenarios
The coalescence separator adopts the synergistic mechanism of "oil-hydrophobic coalescence - gravity sedimentation separation". When the oily sewage enters the equipment, it first passes through a special coalesce filter. The filter element is composed of modified polypropylene fiber and nanoscale hydrophobic coating, and the microscopic rough structure formed on the fiber surface can significantly enhance the adsorption capacity of oil droplets. Under the action of fluid shear force, small oil droplets continuously collide and coalesce on the surface of the filter element to form large oil droplets, and the density difference makes them float to the oil collecting chamber at the top of the separator. The water phase enters the settling zone through the pores of the filter element, and the oil-water phase is completely separated under the action of gravity. Liffert's original "gradient aperture design" further optimizes the separation dynamics. The inner pore size of the filter element shows a gradient decreasing distribution from the outside to the inside, the outer large pore size ensures high flux, and the inner small pore size strengthens the coalesce effect. This structure not only reduces the fluid resistance, but also effectively avoids the penetration of oil droplets inside the filter, so that the separation efficiency is 25% higher than that of the traditional single-aperture filter
The traditional gravity sedimentation equipment can remove only 60% of the oil droplets below 10μm, while the Liefert coalescator can control the surface energy of the coalescated material to reduce the minimum size of the separable oil droplets to 1μm, and the separation efficiency is stable at more than 99.5%. In the field test of Zhongyuan Oilfield, the equipment reduced the water content of crude oil from 8% to 0.3%, in line with SY/T 5329-2012 special purification standard, and effectively solved the problem of corrosion and blockage of water injection system in low permeability oilfield.
The system optimization equipment of energy saving and environmental protection adopts modular combination design, single processing capacity covers 5-500m³/h, and the number of operating modules can be adjusted intelligently according to flow changes. The built-in differential pressure sensor and frequency conversion control system can dynamically adjust the pumping power according to the degree of filter blockage, achieving a 20% reduction in energy consumption. Compared with the traditional centrifugal separation equipment, the annual operating cost can be saved by 150,000 yuan (calculated at 100m³/h processing capacity).
Construction of intelligent operation and maintenance system Lifelter Coalescences separator is equipped with online oil-water interface monitor and remote monitoring platform, which can display key parameters such as reservoir thickness and water cut in real time. When the oil layer accumulates to the set height, the system automatically starts the oil discharge program; The filter life prediction model, combined with historical data, can warn the replacement cycle 30 days in advance to avoid sudden failures. This intelligent management extends the average trouble-free uptime of the equipment to 8,000 hours.
Petroleum and petrochemical industry: crude oil dehydration and oily sewage treatment In Shengli Oilfield produced liquid treatment project, coalescent separator replaced the traditional "sedimentation tank + centrifuge" combination process, the land area is reduced by 40% and the investment cost is reduced by 35%. Its efficient oil-water separation capability ensures the stable operation of the subsequent electrical dehydration unit, and the crude oil loss rate is reduced by 0.2%. Chemical industry: solvent recovery and wastewater in-depth treatment A fine chemical enterprise uses this equipment to treat wastewater containing toluene, the purity of the recovered solvent reaches 99.8%, saving the raw material cost of 1.2 million yuan per year. The device withstands a wide range of pH values from 3 to 11, making it excellent in acid-base media separation. Power industry: After turbine oil purification is applied to the steam turbine oil system of thermal power plant, the equipment controls the water content in the oil below 50ppm, effectively extending the service life of the bearing. Its compact structure can be embedded into existing oil circulation systems, reducing the amount of retrofit work by 70%.
With the continuous improvement of fluid purification requirements in the industrial field, coalescence separation technology is expanding to extreme conditions. Lifelter is developing high-temperature coalescent materials (temperature resistance 300℃) and corrosion resistant coatings, which will break through the application bottleneck of traditional equipment in refining and high temperature sulfur-containing media. The next generation intelligent control system combined with artificial intelligence algorithms is expected to realize the independent optimization of equipment operation and promote the development of fluid separation technology to a higher dimension. As an innovative example of industrial fluid purification technology, Lifelter Coalesces create efficient, economical and environmentally friendly separation solutions through the cross integration of material science, fluid mechanics and intelligent control. Its technical advantages are not only reflected in the breakthrough of performance indicators, but also through systematic design to achieve the maximum value of the whole life cycle, providing both scientific and practical optimal solutions for fluid handling problems in various industries.
