Abstract: A mechanical flotation system having only one cell may be nearly as efficient as one having two or more cells, yet provide an apparatus with a considerably smaller footprint, significantly reduced capital and operating costs, as well as be resistant to floating oil recovery platform wave effects. The single-cell mechanical flotation system may have one skim collection channel that at least partially surrounds a single gas ingestion and mixing mechanism. At least one baffle may direct suspended matter or floc toward the skim collection which may be circular. The gas layer over the liquid is not vented for the purpose of gasification. The vessel may be a cylindrical pressure vessel oriented vertically, and optionally the inlet may be tangential to the periphery of the vessel to impart liquid rotation inside the vessel when liquid is introduced.

Abstract: A mechanical vessel may effectively and simultaneously displace a first undesired gas from within water with a second desired gas, and remove at least one alkaline species and oily matter from the water. The vessel raises the pH of the water and reduces the lime requirement for subsequent lime softening. The vessel receives the water containing the first gas and passes the water through a series of gasification chambers. Each gasification chamber may have a mechanism that ingests and mixes a second gas into the water thereby physically displacing at least a portion of the first gas into a vapor space at the top of each gasification chamber from which it is subsequently removed. There is an absence of communication between the vapor spaces of adjacent chambers. An acid is added to remove the alkaline species, where the first gas is an optional by-product that is also removed.

Abstract: It has been discovered that a mechanical flotation system having only two cells can be nearly as efficient as one having more cells, yet provide an apparatus with a considerably smaller footprint, significantly reduced capital and operating costs, as well as be resistant to floating oil recovery platform wave effects. The dual-cell mechanical flotation system has, in sequential order, an inlet chamber and two gasification chambers or cells, each with at least one gas ingestion and mixing mechanism, and a discharge chamber. A common primary skim collection channel atop the partition dividing the gasification chambers efficiently channels away the bulk of the floating collected matter. At least one baffle depending from the top of the vessel near the primary skim collection channel helps dampen the action of the fluid containing the suspended matter when the vessel is affected by wave motion against the floating oil production platform.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of treating the waste brine generated by the regeneration step in a water softener system and for recovering the treated waste brine so that it can be utilized as the regeneration feed for the water softener regeneration step thereby, requiring substantially lesser amounts of fresh salt.

Abstract: It has been discovered that a mechanical device may be used to effectively displace a first undesired gas from within a liquid with a second desired or at least inert gas. The device is a vessel that receives the liquid containing the first gas and passes the liquid through a series of gasification chambers. Each gasification chamber has at least one mechanism that ingests and mixes a second gas into the liquid thereby physically displacing at least a portion of the first gas into a vapor space at the top of each gasification chamber from which it is subsequently removed. There is an absence of communication between the vapor spaces of adjacent chambers. The ingesting and mixing mechanisms may be a dispersed air flotation mechanism, and may be a conventional depurator. The liquid now containing the second gas and very little or none of the first gas is removed from the vessel for use.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of treating the waste brine generated by the regeneration step in a water softener system and for recovering the treated waste brine so that it can be utilized as the regeneration feed for the water softener regeneration step thereby, requiring substantially lesser amounts of fresh salt.