Liquid purification or separation – With alarm – indicator – register – recorder – signal or... – Material level or thickness responsive
Patent
1995-01-18
1996-04-23
Drodge, Joseph W.
Liquid purification or separation
With alarm, indicator, register, recorder, signal or...
Material level or thickness responsive
55452, 55456, 96157, 96215, 2105121, B01D 1712, B01D 1900
Patent
active
055100171
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating liquid contained in a liquid/gas mixture.
Gas extracted from a well is commonly contaminated by liquid which has to be removed. Drying facilities are conventionally provided at the production site to perform this removal. However, space on the production site is at a premium. Further, any breakdown or maintenance which causes the separator to be out of use may reduce the capacity of the site.
According to the present invention a liquid/gas separator comprises a pipe section having an inlet, in use, connected to an upstream part of a liquid/gas supply pipe and an outlet, in use, connected to a downstream part of the supply pipe; the pipe section containing a first drain for draining liquid which has undergone preliminary separation; a plurality of fixed vanes downstream of the first drain arranged, in use, to swirl the liquid/gas mixture to cause further separation; and a second drain downstream of the vanes to separate the liquid which has undergone the further separation; wherein, in use, gas which is substantially free of liquid leaves the separator through the outlet.
The separator of the present invention being housed within a pipe section can be fitted into a conventional supply pipe. The space needed for the separator is therefore minimal. The separator need have no moving parts and therefore has excellent reliability and needs little maintenance.
The vanes may be arranged in any configuration which causes the liquid/gas mixture to swirl. The best separation is provided by two sets of vanes, a radially outer and a radially inner set, arranged in parallel which are each symmetrically disposed around the axis of the pipe section. The vanes are inclined in the direction of the flow of the liquid/gas mixture and are circumferentially inclined. The radially outer set of vanes preferably comprises more vanes than the radially inner set of vanes. Also, the radially outer set of vanes are preferably inclined at a steeper angle with respect to the axis of the pipe.
The inlet of the pipe section is preferably flared in the direction of flow of the liquid/gas mixture. This causes the mixture to undergo the preliminary separation.
To improve the drainage of the liquid from the separator, a third drain may be provided adjacent to the vanes.
The drains preferably lead into a common tank. Advantageously, means are provided to monitor and control the level of liquid in the tank.
More than one of the above described separators may be provided in series further to improve the drying process.
An example of a separator constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an axial section through the pipe and the tank;
FIG. 2 is an axial section through the vanes;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the vanes;
FIG. 4 is a section taken along line IV--IV in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V--V in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a section taken along line VI--VI in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a section taken along line VII--VII in FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, the separator is housed in a pipe section 1 which is fitted between an upstream part 2 and a downstream part 3 of a liquid/gas supply pipe.
A concentric expander 4 and a concentric reducer 5 join the upstream end and the downstream end respectively of the pipe section 1 to the liquid/gas supply pipe.
Two diffusers 6, 7 are sealed to the inner wall of the pipe section 1 adjacent upstream and downstream ends respectively of the pipe section 1. Each diffuser comprises an annular plate 10 sealed to the wall of the pipe section 1 and a tubular sleeve 11 extending upstream from the inner edge of the annular plate. This leaves a gap 12 at the radially central region of the pipe. Thus a trap is formed by the annular plate 10 and tubular sleeve 11 to trap liquid flowing at the radially outer part of the pipe section 1. Drains 8, 9 are provided adjacent to the tubular sleeves 11 of the respective diffusers 6,7.
A combined swirler/diffuser
REFERENCES:
patent: 1273595 (1918-07-01), Fisher
patent: 3258895 (1966-07-01), Wiebe et al.
patent: 4187089 (1980-02-01), Hodgson
Drodge Joseph W.
Merpro Azgaz Limited
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