Abstract
A unique device for separating oil from oil-contaminated seawater by the magnetohydrodynamics (MHID) method, so-called the MIID separation device, is improved on the basis of the results of observation of the inside of MHD separation cells. The MHID method is based on the difference in electric conductivity between seawater and oil; the separation force applied to oil as a reaction of the electromagnetic force is used for oil separation. The performance of the improved device with a mixture of artificial seawater and simulation particles instead of oil droplets is tested using a 10-T class superconducting magnet. The results show perfect separation at a magnetic field of 5 T 10.1 A or higher.
