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Technology Information
Sludge Treatment Systems
Providing hydrocarbon purification technologies to the petroleum industry through integrated equipment, chemical treatment and process expertise.
Company and system background
Heavy-oil separation experience since 1996.
HydroPure engineers, manufactures and operates centrifuge systems for separating heavy oil sludges. Since 1996, the company has processed oily sludges and produced millions of barrels of marketable oil from waste sludge.
The HydroPure Sludge Treatment System (STS) combines a unique three-phase centrifuge, proprietary chemical treatments, ancillary equipment and process technology into a single operating platform.
Purpose-built technology
HydroPure is the only centrifuge processing company that engineers and manufactures its own centrifuge specifically for heavy oil sludges.
Pipeline-grade recovery
HydroPure is the only company to market pipeline-grade crude oil recovered from waste oil lagoons and to report successful recovery from heavy oil sludges in Western Canada and the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico.
Complete delivery model
HydroPure sells systems and provides turnkey treatment services, including equipment, chemical treatments, training, operating support and maintenance—everything required to process heavy oil sludge.
Complete sludge management
A complete system for a demanding application.
Heavy oil sludge treatment is a difficult and complex centrifugation application. It uniquely combines abrasive solids, tight emulsions and dispersions, high temperatures, corrosion, sticky material and precipitated solids in one feed stream.
A centrifuge alone cannot process heavy oil sludge without the correct mechanical features, chemical treatments and ancillary equipment. Many centrifuge packages supplied by original equipment manufacturers fail because the machines were not engineered for this service.
Successful oil sludge treatment requires the right equipment and operating knowledge packaged as a complete system. In contrast to general-purpose centrifuge suppliers, HydroPure integrates an efficient, reliable centrifuge with chemical treatment, ancillary equipment, training and ongoing support.
The heart of the STS
HydroPure Tri-Phase Centrifuge
The heart of HydroPure’s STS is its Tri-Phase Centrifuge—described by HydroPure as the most advanced and reliable three-phase centrifuge manufactured for this application.
It is designed specifically to separate heavy, abrasive oil sludge into pipeline-grade crude oil, clear water and dry solids, with the machine engineered to maximize recovered-oil quality.
Three-phase design
One machine. Three separated phases.
The centrifuge is engineered to process heavy oil sludge in a single machine. Solid matter separates and is conveyed to the solids-drying and discharge area.
Oil, shown in red in the diagram, and water, shown in blue, flow to the liquid-separation zone. An adjustable impeller and nozzles separate the two liquid phases. Operators can adjust oil and water separation while the machine remains online, allowing the process to respond as feed consistency changes.
Performance features
Designed for separation control.
- Up to 3,600 rpmThe centrifuge can rotate at up to 3,600 rpm to remove the finest solid particles.
- Dual-flighted scrollA dual-flighted conveyor provides longer liquid residence time to produce the highest-purity centrate.
- Proprietary feed acceleratorThe conveyor feed-zone accelerator rapidly brings sludge to centrifuge speed, extending settling time and maximizing separation.
- Variable-speed hydraulic driveOperators can change scroll speed while the machine is running to produce the driest, cleanest cake possible without packing the machine with solids.
Engineered for heavy oil processing
Built around the behavior of difficult sludge.
The HydroPure Tri-Phase Centrifuge is specifically engineered to separate heavy hydrocarbon sludges. These feeds often contain high concentrations of paraffins, asphaltenes, sand and clay that create serious operating problems for conventional centrifuges.
Proprietary weir-cleaning devices and impeller scrapers help prevent plugging caused by precipitated paraffins and asphaltenes—conditions that commonly plug other OEM three-phase centrifuges and separators.
Durability features
Protection where abrasive feeds cause wear.
Processing heavy oil usually requires separating highly abrasive solids such as sand, clay and iron sulfide. The Tri-Phase Centrifuge uses proprietary abrasion-protection components made from extremely hard alloys and ceramics to protect the core machine.
Abrasive solids are kept away from the core machine, preventing metal erosion, extending centrifuge service life and minimizing costly repairs. The wear components can be replaced in the field to reduce downtime.
Field comparison
Ceramic protection under operating conditions.
HydroPure PetroChem
Heavy-oil sludge chemical treatment.
HydroPure PetroChem is a chemical-treatment program developed specifically to separate heavy oil sludges containing fine particulates such as clay and iron sulfide.
A pre-mixed solution is injected directly into the centrifuge feed stream using a machine designed for this process. No batch treatment, chemical recycling or manual chemical mixing is required.
Adjustable while the system is operating
Chemical dosages and mixtures can be adjusted while the machine is online. This enables operators to optimize performance and avoid unnecessary chemical use caused by overdosing.
PetroChem treatments combine high-grade industrial flocculating polymers, detergents, demulsifiers, crystal inhibitors and other surfactants blended for difficult sludges.
The program is designed to provide highly effective, straightforward treatment at a cost that is typically lower than conventional products offered by major petroleum-chemical manufacturers.
HydroPure STS flow
Broad feed tolerance. Controlled outputs.
The HydroPure STS can process sludge with widely varying oil, water and solids content. Lagoon feed ratios may change significantly, so the chemical-injection system and centrifuge provide full, on-the-fly adjustment to maintain optimal processing without downtime.
The system’s straightforward operation typically allows STS operators to be fully trained within one week.
FeedSludge feedstock
→
ConditionWater + PetroChem treatments
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MeterChemical mixing and metering
→
SeparateTri-phase centrifuge
Process engineering
Sludge Treatment System flow diagram
The complete process moves sludge from a lagoon through melting, screening, heated and agitated pretreatment, heat exchange, chemical mixing and injection, and centrifuge separation. Utility requirements and product routes are shown in the source engineering diagram.
Benefits and accomplishments
Technology developed through field operations.
Across the eight-year operating period documented in the source presentation, HydroPure STS systems and centrifuges processed several million barrels of heavy lagoon oil sludge—more than any other centrifuge manufacturer or operator cited in the presentation.
By combining a specialized centrifuge with purpose-designed chemical treatment, HydroPure processes lagoon and other heavy oil sludges that other processing companies cannot.
Designed from service-company experience
Most OEM centrifuge manufacturers supply machines for a wide range of applications rather than equipment specifically engineered for heavy oil. HydroPure developed its systems from direct experience as a centrifuge service company, incorporating lessons from completed projects into every STS system and centrifuge.
HydroPure manufactures its own centrifuges out of necessity: no other OEM design can process the sludges the company handles on a daily basis. HydroPure reports a 100% project success rate.
Thank you for your interest in HydroPure
Discuss your sludge stream, treatment objective and processing volume.
Visit hydropure-tech.com or email info@hydropure-tech.com.