Gas separation: processes – Deflecting – Centrifugal force
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-01-23
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: processes
Deflecting
Centrifugal force
C055S340000, C055S348000, C055S424000, C055S457000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176900
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a compact gas/liquid separator having a creep flow interrupter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gas/liquid separators generally take a bulky form in order to make certain that the separation efficiency required in determined conditions is ensured. In practice however, problems occur in difficult conditions, such as high operating pressures, high viscosity of the liquid or in conditions where the space is limited, such as occur for instance in offshore oil fields. Poor gas/liquid separators can considerably impair the production yields of oil fields.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a device for treating a gas/liquid mixture, comprising:
an inlet for infeed of the mixture;
a flow element placed in the line of the inlet and having one or more swirling members to cause turbulence of the mixture;
an outlet placed in the line of the flow element for outfeed of the gas flow having liquid at least partially removed;
one or more feedback lines for discharge of the separated liquid and a part of the gas flow,
wherein the discharge line is connected onto a channel arranged substantially centrally in the flow element and wherein close to the end of the channel an anti-creep flow element is arranged for preventing creep flow of liquid.
In contrast to existing separating devices wherein a mixture flows through a set of parallel plates or through a layer of net-like wires or wherein use is made of a traditional cyclone wherein liquid is introduced therein radially, the present device has extremely compact dimensions, achieves a high separation efficiency which does not depend (or depends little) on liquid viscosity, has an extremely low pressure drop and/or a wide-ranging-option of decreasing the flow rate (turn down ratio).
The anti-creep flow means are preferably formed by an anti-creep flow element close to the end of the channel. It is however also conceivable to arrange such anti-creep flow means at another location in the device according to the present invention or to have them formed by a determined dimensioning of the flow element and/or the swirling members and/or by preselected values of the flow speed of the mixture and/or the pressure ratios in the device according to the present invention.
The present invention further provides a method for treating a gas/liquid mixture, wherein a device according to any of the foregoing claims is applied. The present invention likewise relates to a system for treating a gas/liquid mixture from a bored well in the earth's crust, comprising:
an outer pipeline which is lowered into the bored well;
an inner pipeline which is arranged in the outer pipeline while leaving clear and suitably arranged to form a radial space; and
a plurality of parallel placed gas/liquid separating devices which are arranged in the radial space and which each comprise an inlet for infeed of the mixture, a flow element placed in the line of the inlet and having one or more swirling members to cause turbulence of the mixture, the outlet placed in the line of the flow element for outfeed of the gas flow having liquid at least partially removed and one or more feedback lines for discharge of the separated liquid and a part of the gas flow.
Partly due to the extremely compact dimensions, devices according to the present invention can herein be disposed in considerable numbers in a circular arc between the casing and the tubing in a borehole, whereby so-called decks are formed, while a plurality of such decks can likewise be placed in series for separation of for instance 99.5% of the liquid and the gas.
In the sub-claims further steps are designated for an extremely compact embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in addition to the method wherein use is made of one or more such devices.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3199270 (1965-08-01), Oehlrich
patent: 3964884 (1976-06-01), Judith et al.
patent: 4197102 (1980-04-01), Decker
patent: 0436973 (1991-07-01), None
patent: 8101961 (1981-07-01), None
patent: 9305339 (1993-03-01), None
Hopkins Robert A.
Simmons David A.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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