DAF flotation equipment to treat wastewater in oil refineries

Scenario

SIGMADAF Clarifiers has supplied new DAF flotation equipment for the modernization of the wastewater treatment system at PetroPerú SA's refinery in Talara.

PetroPerú is the most important oil company in Peru, the main fuel supplier for the entire South American country. Its activities include the transportation, refining, distribution and marketing of fuels and other petroleum derivatives.

The Talara refinery is the most important industrial oil exploitation center in Peru.

At its facilities, various hydrocarbon refining activities are carried out, including the production of domestic gas, fuels, industrial oils and asphalts for export.

During the treatment and refining of crude oil in Talara, and in any oil refining plant, large quantities of wastewater are generated and require treatment.

These wastewaters contain high doses of solid residues, such as oils, greases, organic acids, phenolic compounds and other metals. The use of dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems is essential for the clarification of water with a high load of solid contaminants and very high water flow rates.

DAF FPHF treatment system

Dissolved air flotation technology in DAF FPHF equipment can be used for the treatment of wastewater that:

• They need to remove fats, oils, grease, solids and suspended flocs, which do not float enough to be separated.
• They have a higher density in oils and solids that require air flotation to improve the separation process.

These wastes are characteristic of the oil industry, where the need to eliminate oily and greasy substances is combined with the presence of high densities of liquids and solid contaminants, such as oils and metals.

The Talara project includes two of these DAF FPHF units, with a water treatment capacity of up to 300 m³/h each.

Both units will be manufactured in AISI316 stainless steel to guarantee greater resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and as a result will have greater durability. Their dimensions will be 6250x3400x4600, and their weight will range between 30 and 35 tons each.

As the treatment of industrial wastewater in oil companies involves high oil densities, and as a complement to the DAF Treatment System at the Talara Refinery, SIGMADAF will also provide two CPI (Corrugated Plate Interceptor) equipment for oil separation.