Offshore oil storage and transfer facility

Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof – Storage container

Patent

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Details

141388, 405195, E02D 2900

Patent

active

045563438

ABSTRACT:
An offshore oil storage and transfer facility is provided to receive and store crude oil from one or several sea floor located production wells. The storage facility includes an ellipsoid dome having an outer wall and an inner wall. The inner wall, which defines the closed chamber to receive and store crude oil, is spaced inwardly from the outer wall so as to create a closed pocket therebetween. At or near its top, the chamber communicates with the pocket whereas the pocket, near the bottom of the dome, communicates with the sea. When the storage facility is submerged and positioned, water in the pocket is forced therefrom with compressed air at a pressure substantially equal to the water pressure head existing at the sea floor. The compressed air in the pocket defines a moving bubble. As a result of this moving air bubble, the crude oil is stored in the chamber under pressure and may be unloaded via a suitable conduit to a surface vessel without using submerged pumps. In another embodiment, the storage facility is constructed by assembly of polyhedron-shaped modules to define the desired shape and size. Inner modules are assembled in a three-dimensional lattice-like formation having common passageways between adjacent modules such that the formation functions as the storage chamber. Thick wall modules similar to the inner modules are incorporated into and about the three dimensional lattice-like formation thereby forming the desired protective outer shell. To discharge or unload oil from the facility onto a tanker, pumps supply the crude oil from the storage chamber through a suitable unloading mechanism.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3339367 (1967-09-01), Lacy
patent: 3610194 (1971-10-01), Siegel
patent: 3712068 (1973-01-01), Liautaud
patent: 3824942 (1974-07-01), Stafford et al.
patent: 3835653 (1974-09-01), Hix
patent: 4200411 (1980-04-01), Brown et al.

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