Abstract

The manuscript describes oil-water separation based model. Over the years effluent quality from oil and gas processes sent to the environment has been a major problem to stake holders. A multiple regression model and Buckingham pi- model were used for the prediction of separation efficiency of some physical models constructed to examine, improve produced water from oil and gas industry sent to the receiving waters. Also some operating variables militating against quality effluent were studied like pressure and retention time. The study intended measuring, improving separation efficiency of some physical models in a micro scale, calibrate, verify them and compare their efficiencies with conventional separators. The oil-water separation models reveal that better separation efficiency was achieved from the multiple regression models than the Buckingham pi-method. Verification of the model also gave a good coefficient of correlation of R=84.3% between the measured and calculated separation efficiency at a significant level of 0.05. Coefficient of determination showed that 71.0% of the variation of the experimental results was explained by the developed multiple regression model. The operating variables of retention time, pressure were major contributors to separation efficiency. Therefore, the prediction of separation efficiency in the physical model was possible through pressure analysis of film drainage, film rupturing due to coalesces and also from the developed multiple regression model than the Buckingham pi method mode.