Performance of a New Geometry of Deoiling Hydrocyclones: Experiments and Numerical Simulations

A new geometry of liquid‐liquid hydrocyclones is proposed seeking to perform the separation of oil emulsified in water. The hydrocyclone performance was investigated by means of a factorial experimental design (23) leading to a total of ten experiments. The results enabled the determination of empirical mathematical models that describe capacity, total separation efficiency, and flow ratio as a function of oil concentration in the feed inlet, operating pressure drop, and presence or absence of a vortex finder in the geometry. Numerical simulations were also carried out to further understand the flow field characteristics in the studied hydrocyclone. The performance of a new class of liquid‐liquid hydrocyclones designed for the separation of dilute aqueous emulsions of oil is presented. The influence of different parameters was studied experimentally and numeri‐cal simulations were carried out by CFD techniques. The improvement of this separation technology can contribute to the reduction of environmental impact in the discharge of the produced water.