Experimental Research on a Cyclone Air Flotation Separator for Polymer-Containing Wastewater

When using polymer injection technology in oilfields, the problem is the separation of oil and water from the produced fluid. Based on the water quality characteristics of the polymer-containing sewage, an improved cyclone air-flotation separation device has been designed and tested in an oilfield wastewater treatment station to investigate the sewage treatment volume and return flow parameters. The effect of polymer ratio, split ratio, and bubble size on the air-flotation cyclone productivity is studied. The results show that when the treatment volume of polymer-containing sewage is 7 m3/h, the reflux ratio and the split ratio are 20% and 11%, respectively, the bubble size is large, the oil content in the wastewater after treatment decreases from 500.6 to 45.75 m3/h, and the suspended solids content decreases from 601.7 to 206.1 m3/h. Finally, the test results show that the wastewater after treatment complies with the requirements for the further filtration process.