| |
For the trade press
Siemens’ new pulsed-bed walnut shell filter offers small footprint for offshore oil/water
separation applications
Houston, Texas, USA, 2009-05-04
Siemens Water Technologies announces a new, compact walnut shell filter for offshore oil
and gas applications. The proprietary filter design requires no moving equipment to
perform backwashes, and greatly reduces the volume of backwash water produced when
compared to other walnut shell filter designs. This simplifies the design of the filters,
reduces the weight and footprint, and lowers the cost of multiple filter systems, making it
ideal for offshore oil production.
Walnut shell filtration was developed as a more suitable method of filtering free oil and suspended
solids in applications where sand filters have traditionally been used. Today, walnut shell filtration
is used to treat oil field produced water, refinery wastewater, and other types of wastewater. Due to
the reduction in backwash water volume and reduction in weight and footprint, the new pulsed-bed
walnut shell filter is ideal for many off-shore oil production applications.
The pulsed-bed walnut shell filter uses a deep bed of 100 percent black walnut shells, which have
excellent surface characteristics for coalescing and filtration, plus superior resilience to attrition.
The filter’s deep nutshell bed (66 in., 168 cm) offers superior effluent quality, longer filtration runs,
and greater throughput efficiency.
The filter uses raw process water and gas or air for backwashing, eliminating the need for moving
mechanical equipment or external scouring equipment. The filter operates at up to twice the flux
rate of conventional filters in the same application, and can remove more than three times the
amount of solids before needing to be cleaned.
During the filtration cycle, dirty process water passes through the filter from top to bottom. As the
water passes through the walnut shell media, free oil and suspended solids are removed.
After 24 hours of filtration, the dirty process water is redirected and pulsed into the bottom of the
vessel to fluidize the media bed. In addition, air or process gas is added in a proprietary manner to
create an airlift pump. The airlift pump lifts the contaminated media to the top of the
vessel where the turbulence of the backwash water and gas separates oil and suspended solids
from the walnut shells. The use of air or gas greatly reduces the amount of backwash
water required. The mixture of air or gas and backwash water is separated in an external vessel.
One separator vessel can be used for multiple walnut shell filters. Upon completion of the
backwash cycle, the flow of dirty process water is again returned to the top of the vessel.
 |
|
The new pulsed-bed walnut shell filter is a simple design, has a
reduced weight and footprint, and a lower cost when multiple filter
systems are used, when compared to conventional filtration.
Further information about solutions for water treatment is available at
 www.siemens.com/water
A picture supplements this press release. Please see:
www.industry.siemens.com/data/presse/pics/IIS200905709.jpg |
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the
world's leading supplier of production, transportation, building and
lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies as well
as comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the
productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields
of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six Divisions:
Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry
Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide
Siemens Industry posted in fiscal year 2008 a profit of EUR3.86 billion
with revenues totaling EUR38 billion.
www.siemens.com/energy
With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies, (Linz,
Austria), Siemens Water Technologies
(Warrendale, Pa., U.S.A.), and Industrial Technologies, (Erlangen,
Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions
Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and
service providers for industrial and infrastructure
facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies,
Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for
end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire
life cycle. With around 31,000 employees
worldwide Siemens Industry Solutions achieved an order intake of EUR
8.415 billon in fiscal year 2008.
Further information and downloads at:
www.siemens.com/industry-solutions
| Reference number: IIS200905.709e fp |
 |
Media Relations: Dr. Rainer Schulze
Phone: +49 9131 7-44544
E-mail:
rainer.schulze@siemens.com
Siemens AG
Industry Sector - Industry Solutions Division
Schuhstr. 60, 91052 Erlangen, Germany |
 back
|
|
