CA1063367A - Oil blowout retaining device - Google Patents

Oil blowout retaining device

Info

Publication number
CA1063367A
CA1063367A CA270,227A CA270227A CA1063367A CA 1063367 A CA1063367 A CA 1063367A CA 270227 A CA270227 A CA 270227A CA 1063367 A CA1063367 A CA 1063367A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
oil
gas
dome
blowout
skirt
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA270,227A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
G. Roger Pilkington
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Dome Petroleum Ltd
Original Assignee
Dome Petroleum Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Dome Petroleum Ltd filed Critical Dome Petroleum Ltd
Priority to CA270,227A priority Critical patent/CA1063367A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1063367A publication Critical patent/CA1063367A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21BEARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/01Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations
    • E21B43/0122Collecting oil or the like from a submerged leakage
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02BHYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B15/00Cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water; Apparatus therefor
    • E02B15/04Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02ATECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A20/00Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
    • Y02A20/20Controlling water pollution; Waste water treatment
    • Y02A20/204Keeping clear the surface of open water from oil spills

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Feeding And Controlling Fuel (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A device is provided for containing and allowing disposal of oil and gas from blowouts from an undersea well. It includes (a) a dome having a peripheral downwardly depending skirt; (b) a central oil outlet tube, the tube having an inlet communicating with a floating layer of sub-surface contained oil; (c) means associated with the bottom of such skirt for anchoring the device over the region of an underwater blowout; (d) a plurality of peripherally disposed, space-apart gas outlet valves; and (e) a central control system for such gas outlet valves. The device can be placed over a blowout after such blowout occurs so as to contain a large quantity of the oil to the vicinity of a plume where the oil can be burned.

Description

~6336~
This invention relates -to a me-thod and means for the containmen-t and eventual disposal o~ oil and gas from blowouts from an und~rwater well.
In -the event of blowou-t from an underwa-ter we~l, large quantities oF oil and gas issue from the ground and -thi6 crea-tes an environmental pollu-tion problem. This is more acute in the Arctic. In open water, the gas may confine a quantity of the oil in a "wave ring" around the plume which has a diameter equaI to water depth in which the blowout occurs.
The wave, if it exists at all, only confines a small quanti-ty of oil; if it does not exist, the gas plume and wind will spread the oil away from the plume. In either case, the burning gas will not be in contact with the oil and so will probably not help to reignite the oil should the oil burn up faster -than it is supplied, which, in fact, is expected.
In -the even-t of an ice cover over -the blowou-t, the oil will be spread below the ice undersurface and more or less be confined by the irregularities in this sur~ace. A
boom on the surface would confine most of this oil in open water but would have li-ttle or no effect below the ice.
Accordingly, i-t is an object of a principal aspect of this invention to provide a device which may be place'~
over a blowou-t from an underwa-ter well to contain a large quantity-of the oil to the vicinity of the plume where the oil can be burned.
An object of another aspect of this inven-tion is -to provide such device which can be placed over such a blowout after it occurs.
An object of ano-ther aspec-t of this invention ~ is -to provide such device which requires no mo-tive power.
30 ',,'~! An object of yet ano-ther aspect of this invention ~, - : , . . .

, ' ' , ~ . ;~
, _ is to provide such device which will operate both in open and in ice-covered waters ar,d which will not be significantly affected by ice.
An object of still another aspect of this invention is to provide such device which will keep the oil contained and in intimate contact with the gas which can be ignited readily.
By one broad aspect of this invention, a device is provided for ~ntaining and allowing disposal of oil and gas from blowouts from an undersea well, such device comprising:
(a) a dome having a peripheral downwardly extending skirt;
(b) a central oil outlet tube, such tube having an inlet communicating with a floating layer of sub-surface contained oil; (c) means associated with the bottom of the skirt for anchoring the dome over the region of an underwater blowout;
(d) a plurality of peripherally disposed, spaced-apart gas outlet valves; and (e) a centrally located control system to open such valves equally.
By another aspect of this invention, a method is provided for containing and allowing disposal of oil and gas blowouts from an undersea well comprising the steps of (i) setting mooring points around a well prior to drilling th~
well; (ii) if a blowout occurs, anchoring over such blowout using such mooring system, a gas containment dome comprising (a) a dome having a peripheral downwardly extending skirt, (b) a central oil outlet tube, such tube having an inlet communicating with a floating layer of sub-surface contained oil, (c) means associated with the bottom of such skirt for anchoring such dome over the region of such underwater blowout, such dome being initially wholly or partially filled with water, (d) plurality of peripherally disposed, spaced-apart gas outlet _ = ' ,'' , ' .: :............ , ~ '. ~ :. :

- ~ , ;
': . . : ~ , : .

~C~633~7 valves, and (e) a centrally loca-ted control sys-tem to open such valves equally; (iii) floa-t:ing t]le clome on a layer of gas and oil floating under water above -the blowou-t, the dome now being filled wi-th gas; (iv) permit-ting gas to escape from -the periphery oF the dorne to provide a containmen-t ring on the surface of -the water; (v) permitting oil to escape through the cen-tral oil outlet tube to the region of -the con-tainment ring and (vi) igniting the gas and oil to dispose of -the oil and gas from the blowout by continuous burning.
The dome described above is anchored over the plume close to the sea bed and so is below the moving ice.
The device par-tially fills with oil and gas. The gas leaks out around the periphery of the device and forms a circular plume on the water surface which causes s-trong radially inward surface currents. The oil rises in -the center of the gas con-tainmen-t plume (or partially within the gas plume) an~ so is confined~
Calcula-tions in~ica-te that for a 50 foo-t di~meter device, slick -2a-.. .. ..
,. ' ' .
. .. .
.
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, ~ ~06336~
thicknesses of several centimers can be retained by the gas containment plume and such slicks can be ignited and burned. Also the gas, which ignites readily, is in intimate contact with the oil and would help to reignite the oil if necessary.
The gas containment plume would also contain the oil under smooth ice and cause substantial erosion of the ice which would either erode through the ice ~f ~he latter was stationary, or possibly erode an oil confining channel if the ice was moving. Since the lower surface of the ice is near freezing, it can easily be melted or eroded by a high speed water and gas stream.
The theory of operation of the gas containment plume of an aspect of this invention will now be given.
Theory of Gas Containment Plume Quantity of gas released = Q cu.ft/sec.
Quantity of gas released ~ q cu.ft./sec./ft, Radius of device ~ R ft.
Distance between gas outlets ~ d ft.
Maximum water flow velocity at surface = V ft./sec.
Depth of water = D ft.
20 Atmospheric pressure = Ho ft. water Thickness of oil slick = h ft.
Acceleration of gravity ~ g ft./sec.
Speciic gravlty of oil ~ SG
Quantlty of ga~ Lssuing throu~h each hole around perLphery of devLce q ~ Q~ R cu. t./sec./ft.
Maximum water flow velocity at surf~ce V ~ 1.46 ~ l/3 Thickness of oil sllck retained, h, is given by v/J gh~l-SGj = 1.2 -
2- 1 46 2. - ~ 2/3 or h = -2 ; ~ ~ ) L j ~ g(l-SG) ,3367 .

Volume of oil contained V = R h l~, ,_ (1 46 ) ~ ~qD/H ~ g(l-3G) For the model Beaufort Sea blowout oil released = 1,000 bbl/day , Q = 800 cu.ft./bbl. l, = 9.25 cu.ft./sec. ,1' D = 100 ft. `
- Ho = 33 ft. l SG = .85 '`""
g = 32 v = 5 R 1-1/3 ~l F (ft) '(Cu.Ft.) Hours of Oil_Contained ~, 107 .45 ~l 362 1.60 jl;
59 920 '4.00 !l'' 100 `
In the acco~panying drawing, the single figure is a schematic side view of the gas contaimnent plume of an aspect of this invention.
The plume 10 includes a dome 11 and a peripheral downwardly extending skirt 12. Disposed peripherally around the dome 11 are a plurality of 8as outlet valves 13. A central oll,outLet tubc 1li passes through an opening 15 in the top center oE the dome 11 to pr~vkle an outlet 16 and extencls flownwardly to,have an inlet :L7 within a Eloating layer of oil l8. A system 19 is provided to open all valves equally. The system contains a centrally located piston 27 coupled to each valve 13.
The pLston re~ponds to difEerences in pressure between the inside and the outside of the dome 11. The lower end of the skir~ 12 includes rings 23 to permit anchor lines 24 to anchor the device 10 in location over the area of the blowout 25 on the preset anchor poin~s 31 by means of mooring line6 32 which are tensioned and set after the blowout occurs.

.. ':
4 1:

1L063367 `~

In use, the device 10 is anchored by lines 24 over the area of the blowout 25. The device 10 is initially filled with water. As gas ~
starts to fill the device 10, a gas chamber 26 is provided and the ,'.
devlce is buoyed up and oil and water are depressed to provide oil layer 7`".
18. A horizontal liquid/gas surEace 27 is provided on which the device 10 levels itself by the simple float-parallelogram system 19. As the oil ~i`
level drops, valves 13 open in the top of the dome 11 allowing the gas 28 , -to escape around the circumference of the device 10. As the oil level drops, pressure increases in the dome 11, valves 13 open in the top of the dome 11, allowing the gas 28 to escape around the circumference of the device 10. As the gas rises, it forms a plume at the water surface 29 (or ice-water interface if ice is over blowout) which provides a con-tainment taurus, and which generates a radially inwardly flowing current l which confines the escaping oil 30, whi.ch rises through the outlet tube i 14 in the center of the device 10. The gas at the surface can readTly be ignited and this will ignite the oil since the two are in intimate contact.
,, ~
' ' ~

..

'~

! ~

30 . ..

. ..

, `. '~

Claims (2)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A device for containing and allowing disposal of oil and gas from blowouts from an undersea well, said device comprising:
a) a dome having a peripheral downwardly extending skirt;

b) a central oil outlet tube, said tube having an inlet communicating with a floating layer of sub-surface contained oil;

c) means associated with the bottom of said skirt for anchoring said dome over the region of an underwater blowout;

d) a plurality of peripherally disposed, spaced-apart gas outlet valves; and e) a centrally located control system to open said valves equally
2. A method for containing and allowing disposal of oil and gas blowouts from an undersea well comprising the steps of:

i) setting mooring points around a well prior to drilling the well;

ii) if a blowout occurs, anchoring over such blowout using said mooring system, a gas containment dome comprising (a) a dome having a peripheral downwardly extending skirt, (b) a central oil outlet tube, said tube having an inlet communicating with a floating layer of sub-surface contained oil, (c) means associated with the bottom of said skirt for anchoring said dome over the region of said underwater blowout, said dome being initially wholly or partially filled with water, (d) plurality of peripherally disposed, spaced-apart gas outlet valves, and (e) a centrally located control system to open said valves equally;

iii) floating said dome on a layer of gas and oil floating under water above the blowout, said dome now being filled with gas;

iv) permitting gas to escape from the periphery of the dome to provide a containment ring on the surface of the water;

v) permitting oil to escape through said central oil outlet tube to the region of the containment ring; and vi) igniting said gas and oil to dispose of said oil and gas from the blowout by continuous burning.
CA270,227A 1977-01-21 1977-01-21 Oil blowout retaining device Expired CA1063367A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA270,227A CA1063367A (en) 1977-01-21 1977-01-21 Oil blowout retaining device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA270,227A CA1063367A (en) 1977-01-21 1977-01-21 Oil blowout retaining device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1063367A true CA1063367A (en) 1979-10-02

Family

ID=4107791

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA270,227A Expired CA1063367A (en) 1977-01-21 1977-01-21 Oil blowout retaining device

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1063367A (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2473615A1 (en) * 1979-11-16 1981-07-17 Inst Francais Du Petrole ANTI-POLLUTION DEVICE FOR IMMERSE OIL WELL, COMPRISING AN ORGAN ADAPTED TO COME TO COIFFER THE HEAD OF THE WELL
US4405258A (en) * 1977-10-24 1983-09-20 Dome Petroleum Limited Method for containing oil and/or gas within a blow-out cover dome
US5035536A (en) * 1990-09-24 1991-07-30 Von Winckelmann Emil H Oil spill retrieval system

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4405258A (en) * 1977-10-24 1983-09-20 Dome Petroleum Limited Method for containing oil and/or gas within a blow-out cover dome
FR2473615A1 (en) * 1979-11-16 1981-07-17 Inst Francais Du Petrole ANTI-POLLUTION DEVICE FOR IMMERSE OIL WELL, COMPRISING AN ORGAN ADAPTED TO COME TO COIFFER THE HEAD OF THE WELL
US5035536A (en) * 1990-09-24 1991-07-30 Von Winckelmann Emil H Oil spill retrieval system

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