US2865470A - Process for treating gas containing fluid - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. J. SOCHOR PROCESS FOR TREATING GAS CONTAINING FLUID Dec. 23, 1958 Filed April 8 0 .SD ofuawuw Sama? #www PROCESS FOR TREATING GAS CONTAINING FLUID Filed April 8, 1955 J. J. SOCHOR Dec. 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. .Jai-IN Soci-Kal ATTGQHEYS Y2,865,470 l PRocEss Fon TREATINGGAS CoNTAINlNG FLUID John. J. Sochor, The Hague, Netherlands Application April 8, 1955, Serial No. 500,185 1 Claim. (Cl. 183-1145) This invention relates to a processfor-treating gas containing fluid under pressure above atmospheric pressure.

Anv object of the present invention is to provide a process for treating gas containing fluid under pressure above atmospheric pressure in which the gas and liquid constituents thereof are sharply separated into gas and liquid fractions respectively as the pressure is reduced.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for treating gas containing uid under pressure above atmospheric pressure in which such fluid is separated into gas and liquid fractions with the liquid fraction containing most of the low boiling constituent and the gas fraction having a small amount of the latter named constituent associated therewith.

A further object of the present invention is to provide -a process for treating gas containing fluid under pressure above atmospheric pressure which is positive in action, simple in execution, commercially practical, and

, more efficient than previously proposed processes.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus ernployed in carrying out the process of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the pressure reducing units of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line .4t-e4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the unit of Figure 2 illustrating the zone division and the separated ifractions in such divisions.

ln carrying out the process of this invention, the substance to' be treated may be any gas containing uid under pressure above atmosphericpressure, for example, a condensate or iluid under pressure above atmospheric pressure having either natural or artificial gas associated with or dissolved in the condensate or fluid, or crude petroleum oil it Ais received at the ground level from the well. In the Showing of Figure 1, the gas Containing fluid under pressure above atmospheric pressure is crude Petroleum oil, such oil as it is received at the ground level `from .the well 11 being caused to 110W through a conduit 12 into a pressure reducing unit 13 in which. `the owing oil is separated into a liquid fraction and a gas fraction.. The separated gas and liquid fractions are discharged from the pressure reducing unit 13 into a con duit 1.4, and are conveyed by the conduit 14 into a conned eollection space or closed shell 1S. The gas frac tion is withdrawn from the shell 15 through the pipe 16 connected in communication with the top of the shell, the pipe 16 being provided with a valve 17 for controlling the discharge of the gas fraction therefrom. The liquid fraction is withdrawn from the shell 15 ietaiea Dec. .23, 41.95:?.

which afurthergas fractionv is separated from the liquid fraction. The conduit 1,8 isprovided with a valver 2'3 -for controlling; therein the ow of the: liquid fraction.

The liquid fraction containing` the further ,gas Ifraction is discharged from they pressure reducing unit19` into a second confined collection Aspace or storage `receptacle 20 through vak pipe 24. The gas fractionY is withdrawn from the receptacle 20 through the pipe 21 connected in communication with. the top of the receptacle 20, and the liquid fraction isy withdrawn from the receptacle 20 through the pipe 22.

The unitj13,- Figures 2, 3- and 4, comprises a` tubeZS whichhasone of itsvr endsy provided with arange 26. The adjacentend ofthe conduit.k 12 is likewise providedfwith a .complementalz ilange V27 `which is connected in tight sealing engagement Vwithv the lflange 26 by means of` a gasket 2,57' and bolt andnut assemblies 27'.-y The other end of the tube 25` is provided withatange 32 which ris connectedY inv tightI sealing engagement ,tol a flange 33 on the adjacent end of the conduit 14 by means of a gasket 31 and bolt and nut assemblies 34. Positioned within and xedly secured to the tube 25 is a helix 28, the portion of the helix adjacent the flange 26 being of the double type 29 and the remaining portion being of the single type 30. It is to be noted that the peripheries of the respective convolutions of the helix 28 contact the inner wall of the tube 25. The oil entering through the conduit 12 flows around the convolutions of the double type helix 29 and thence around the convolutions of the single type helix 30. As the oil flows from the conduit 12 into the tube 25 this causes the oil to flow in a conned spiral path and as it flows through such path it is subdivided successively into temporary confined zones, the zones being formed by adjacent convolutions of the helix 28. The conned zones are in turn subjected to both centrifugal force and progressively decreasing pressures between the initial pressure of the crude oil and atmospheric pressure to separate the oil into a liquid fraction and a gas fraction, the centrifugal force being caused by the rotation of the helix and the decreased pressures being caused by the formation of the temporary conned zones. The separation of the oil in adjacent zones into liquid and gas fractions is graphically illl1s trated in Figure 5, and shows that in such separation there is a foam between the liquid fraction and the gas fraction.

The unit 19 is of the same structure as thatof unit 13, and in this unit 19 the liquid fraction. flowing from the conduit 18 is also treated in the same manner as described in connection with the unit 13, namely, caused to flow in a further spiral path, caused while flowing through the further spiral path to be subdivided successively into temporary confined zones, the zones subjecteci in turn to both centrifugal force and progressively degreasing pressures between the initial pressure of the liquid fraction and atmospheric pressure to separate a further gas fraction therefrom.

The oil as it is received at the ground surface from the Well 11 may be of a pressure of from atmospheric to several thousand pounds Per square inch and would normally be flowed to the pressure reducing vunit 13 at a pressure less than and not exceeding 600 pounds per square inch. In the reducing unit 13 the pressure of the uid or oil is progressively dropped in the temporary confined zones to an intermediate pressure of, for example, 300 pounds per square inch, depending on the initial pressure of the fluid or oil entering the unit 13, the fluid gas-liquid ratio, and the prevailing marketing conditions for the resultant gas. At this pressure of 300 pounds per y"and: the liquid-fraction Containing gas fraction being discharged-'at vornvear Yatmospheric pressure into .the second collection spaceor receptacle 20.

the separated further By the process of this invention above described, the separated liquid fraction contains most of the lowboiling fliquid constituents `such as thebutane-hexane containing constituentl with only'a small amount of the latter named constituent associated therewith.

Having thus described the invention what is new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: Y

Ina process for separating the liquidI and gaseous constituents' of a high pressure petroleum well stream, the steps of, owing the entire well stream from a well through a conductor at high velocity, causing the well stream to undergo a continuous progressive pressure drop at a substantially uniform rate by owing the entire well stream from the conductor into a helical path without any appreciable reduction in velocity, then flowing the well stream from the helical path into a conventional oil and gas separator while reducing the pressure upon the well stream,` withdrawing separated gas from the sepainch, the `separated liquid and gas fractions are rator, causing the entire remaining well stream to'undergo a further continuous and progressive pressure drop at `a substantially uniform rate by owing the entire remaining well stream from the separator in a second helical path at high velocity, both said paths being elongate and generally rectilinear and of much greater length than diameter, the paths being of substantially constant diameter whereby the well streams are caused to ow therethrough at substantially constant high velocities, subsequently discharging the well stream into a second oil and gas separator at near atmospheric pressure, and withdrawing separated gas and liquid from the second separator.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,471,088 Ballard Oct. 16, 1923 1,523,773 n Harris Ian. 20, 1925 1,539,968 Tabler June 2, 1925 1,970,077 Collins Aug.. 14, 1934 1,994,110 H Pittman Mar. 12, 1935 2,107,625 Bettis Feb. 8, 1938 2,186,344V Price Jan. 9, 1940 2,281,065 Loumiet et Lavigne Apr. 28, 1942 2,659,450 Baird Nov. 17, 1953

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