Fluid handling – Self-proportioning or correlating systems – Mixture condition maintaining or sensing
Patent
1985-08-30
1987-02-10
Nilson, Robert G.
Fluid handling
Self-proportioning or correlating systems
Mixture condition maintaining or sensing
137 13, 137110, 137154, 137890, F04D 3100
Patent
active
046416790
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns a feed device for a two-phase fluid pump.
It is known that such pumps, known for example from French patent application No. 79 31031, are used for pumping a two-phase fluid, i.e. a mixture comprising a liquid phase and a gaseous phase not dissolved in the liquid. For correct operation, the fluid supplied to the pump must be homogenous and at stable pressure and must, moreover, have a feed and volumetric ratio of the gaseous phase to the liquid phase for given thermodynamic conditions within the specified limits.
In particular pumps intended to ensure the compression of two-phase fluids only accept mixtures having a volumetric ratio of the gaseous phase to the liquid phase less than a maximum value and only tolerate bubbles of gas, i.e. masses of fluid only occuring in gaseous form, in their feed pipe if their volume is also lower than a maximum value.
This invention aims to provide a feed device for a two-phase fluid pump enabling the supply to the pump of a two-phase fluid having characteristics, especially those regarding feed and the volumetric ratio of the gaseous phase to the liquid phase, compatible with the operating characteristics of the pump.
For this purpose the scope of the invention is such a feed device, characterised in that it comprises a main pipe and a plurality of auxiliary pipes arranged parallel to the main pipe, each of the pipes capable of being connected upstream to a supply line of two-phase fluid and downstream to the pump, each of the pipes having an isolation and flow control gate at its entrance end and an isolation and flow control gate at its exit end, each of the pipes also having means for introducing a carrier liquid, in particular water.
Thus, when the volumetric ratio becomes greater than the maximum permissible ratio, carrier fluid may be introduced into the main pipe so as to bring about a reduction in this volumetric ratio.
Similarly, if a gas bubble with a volume too great to be absorbed by the pump appears at the entrance to the feed device, this gas bubble may be directed towards auxiliary pipes where it is stored until the supply becomes normal again. Carrier fluid can then be introduced into these auxiliary pipes so as to form there a two-phase fluid having suitable characteristics which can then be directed toward the pump.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the pipes has at least one flow homogenising mechanism, preferably of the converging/diverging type.
Advantageously, each of the pipes has one homogenising mechanism downstream from each entry gate and one homogenising mechanism upstream from each exit gate.
When the flow is operating normally the gates of the auxiliary pipes can be closed, these pipes then being filled with a carrier liquid, in particular water.
The main pipes and auxiliary pipes can be rigid or flexible.
The device according to the invention is preferably controlled so that the gates of auxiliary pipes are selectively opened as a function of feed values and values of the volumetric ratio of the gaseous phase to the liquid phase determined by a measuring mechanism in the supply line for two-phase fluid upstream from the said device.
In a particular embodiment of the invention the device comprises a recycling circuit for the two-phase fluid between the delivery side of the pump on the one hand and the main pipe and/or the supply line upstream from the device on the other hand.
In this case, the carrier fluid introduced into the device, or at least a part of this fluid, is consequently taken downstream from the pump.
The scope of this invention is also a hydrocarbon producing installation, characterised in that it comprises an external two-phase pump such as, for example, that described in French patent application No. 79 31031, fitted with a feed device as described above, the two-phase fluid then being a two-phase oil effluent composed of a mixture of oil and gas.
A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a gen
REFERENCES:
patent: 4310335 (1982-01-01), Arnaudeau
patent: 4325712 (1982-04-01), Arnaudeau
Arnaudeau Marcel
Rousset Philippe
Institute Francais du Petrole
Nilson Robert G.
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