US3565562A

US3565562A - Apparatus for burning away oil produced by an oil well

Info

Publication number: US3565562A
Application number: US802989*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jean Auguste Prosper Drivet
Original assignee: Societe Auxiliaire des Producteurs de Petrole Flopetrol SA
Current assignee: Societe Auxiliaire des Producteurs de Petrole Flopetrol SA
Priority date: 1968-11-06
Filing date: 1969-02-27
Publication date: 1971-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-23
Also published as: FR1591287A; NL6901500A; GB1219743A

Abstract

A DEVICE FOR BURNING AWAY WASTE CRUDE OIL PRODUCED WHEN INVESTIGATING OR TESTING OIL WELLS COMPRISES A BURNER CONNECTED TO THE OIL WELL HEAD AND HAVING A SPRAYING ASSEMBLY FOR ATOMIZING THE OIL TO BE BURNT AND MIXING IT WITH AIR FOR IMPROVING THE COMBUSTION. THE OIL PENETRATES TANGENTIALLY WITHIN A CHAMBER THROUGH LARGE CHANNELS PERMITTING THE PASSAGE OF RELATIVELY LARGE SOLID PARTICLES, AN OBTURATOR OR VALVE MEMBER BEING SLIDABLY LOCATED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER. THIS OBTURATOR COOPERATES WITH A SEAT OPENING INTO A NOZZLE COMBINED WITH AIR INFLOW TANGENTIAL CHANNELS. SAID BURNER IS LOCATED COAXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO A FURNACE. THE EXIT OF SAID FURNACE IS SURROUNDED WITH AN ANNULAR TUBE PROVIDED WITH WATER-SPRAYING NOZZLES DIRECTED RADIALLY OR AT AN ANGLE OUTWARDLY TO PROVIDE A WATER SHIELD AS A PROTECTION AGAINST THE HEAT PRODUCED BY THE COMBUSTION OF THE OIL.

Description

Feb. 23, 1971 J. A. P. DRIVET 3,565,562

APPARATUS FOR BURNING AWAY OIL PRODUCED BY AN OIL WELL Filed Feb. 27, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JEA/V 40 0M? Pfaspzae Feb. 23, 1971 Y J, -r A 3,565,562

APPARATUS FOR BURNING AWAY OIL PRODUCED BY AN OIL WELL Filed Feb; 27, 1969 l 3 Sheets-Sheet l 5e. 4 5s. 5 He. 6

Jaw Hl/Gl/Sff 8905, 5? 04w Feb. 23, 197 1 J- A. P. DRIVET 3,565,562

APPARATUS FOR BURNING AWAY OIL PRODUCED BY AN OIL WELL Filed Feb. 27, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 8 c/EH/V Hueus 7E Peoswaefinmr Firm s.

United States Patent 0 3,565,562 APPARATUS FOR BURNING AWAY OIL PRODUCED BY AN OIL WELL Jean Auguste Prosper Drivet, St.-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France, assignor to Societe Auxiliaire des Producteurs de Petrole Flopetrol (Societe Anonyme), Paris, France Filed Feb. 27, 1969, Ser. No. 802,989 Claims priority, application France, Nov. 6, 1968,

Int. Cl. F2sm 9/00 US. Cl. 431-184 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for burning away Waste crude oil produced when investigating or testing oil wells comprises a burner connected to the oil well head and having a spraying assembly for atomizing the oil to be burnt and mixing it with air for improving the combustion. The oil penetrates tangentially within a chamber through large channels permitting the passage of relatively large solid particles, an obturator or valve member being slidably located within said chamber. This obturator cooperates with a seat opening into a nozzle combined with air inflow tangential channels. Said burner is located coaxially with respect to a furnace. The exit of said furnace is surrounded with an annular tube provided with water-spraying nozzles directed radially or at an angle outwardly to provide a water shield as a protection against the heat produced by the combustion of the oil.

The present invention relates generally to the art of exploiting oil or petroleum wells and has more particular reference to the disposal of oil as produced by burning.

Estimating the productive capacity of an oil well calls for tests during which the parameters that are necessary for the technical study of the well are recorded. While the elimination of the oil produced during these tests does not pose any problem in the case of continental wells, the same does not apply to wells that'were drilled from drilling barges or production platforms and that are not yet connected to a gathering system.

Actually it is impossible to set up on drilling barges or production platforms a plant for storing the collected oil chiefly for safety reasons as the oil is generally only partly degasified. Moreover, the available space and the permissible overloads are generally very limited. The

evacuation of the oil by a small tanker is only conceivable when the weather is favorable and even in that event this may result in important stop down expenditure owing to the uncertainty that prevails as regards test programs. Lastly the produced effluent may be polluted and devoid of any trade value while presenting problems for the evacuation of the oil on land.

The main object of the invention is to provide a solution to this technical problem and a device permitting the oil to be burnt away.

Considering that the oil as produced under such conditions is often polluted and contains solid particles, a further object of the invention is to provide a burning device capable of accommodating the encountered conditions by burning the oil away without causing clogging by solid particles, the burning taking place in proportion as the oil production proceeds.

According to the invention, a burning device is provided for burning away the oil produced by an oil well and comprising a burner forming a spraying assembly adapted to receive the oil from the well and to convert it into a jet of sprayed oil, said burner preferably comprising air intake members for mixing the air mixture with oil so as to improve spraying and burning, a combustion furnace, the burner being arranged along the axis of said furnace so as to direct the jet of sprayed oil along its axial direction, and igniting means for flaming up the sprayed oil so as to burn it away.

According to a feature of the invention, said device may furthermore comprise a protective system against heat radiation due to combustion, combined with the furnace and advantageously constituted by a tube fitted with nozzles and connected with a source of water under pressure, said nozzles being orientated either radially or outwardly at a suitable angle with respect to the furnace axis so as to spray the water into a screen performing the required protection rearwardly of the furnace.

In a suitable and apparently advantageous aspect of the invention, the burner comprises a body portion defining a chamber in which terminate tangential channels connected with the oil inlet, thereby imparting to it a rotary motion, an axial outlet port communicating with said chamber through which the revolving oil stream escapes, and an atomizing nozzle in which the oil forms a thin layer. A closing member or obturator fitted in the aforesaid chamber cooperates with the tangential channels and the axial port for adjusting the rate of flow of the oil. This closing member may be conveniently connected with an actuator (for example of the pneumatic type) preferably actuated by a controller adapted to maintain a constant pressure or a constant oil flow. The closing member or obturator could also be manually controlled.

Preferably the burner also has tangential channels for the intake of compressed air terminating in the nozzle, said air being intimately mixed with the thin oil layer so as to facilitate the spraying action.

The combustion furnace advantageously defines with the burner an annular space providing a secondary air intake towards the burning flame, said space being combined if required with a set of flaps or shutters permitting a regulation of the air intake.

The following description which reads on the accompanying illustrative drawings will facilitate proper understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an edge view of the active device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear end view thereof, assuming the burner to be omitted.

FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view of the burner.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views drawn to a larger scale along lines IVIV, VV and VIVI in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are detail views drawn at a still larger scale showing the set of flaps or shutters for adjusting the intake of secondary air.

The device for burning away oil from an oil well according to the invention generally comprises a burner 1 fitted coaxially to a combustion furnace 2, and a protecting device or shield 3, said furnace and shield being supported by a frame designated in its entirety by 4.

The burner is represented more in detail in FIG. 3; it comprises a body portion 5 defining a chamber 6 in which a union 7 terminates the purpose of which is to receive owing to a screwed up engagement a pipe 37 for the inflow of pressurized oil, said pressure ranging from a few bars to very high pressures.

Inside the chamber 6 is provided a member 8 angularly blocked in position by a pin 9 and through which tangential channels 10 are provided. Four of these channels are provided here as shown in FIG. 4 so as to impart a rotary motion to the oil current admitted into a central chamber 38.

The chamber 38 is limited forwardly by a partition 11 through which a port 12 is provided for constituting a seat with which a needle-shaped obturator 13 cooperates for the purpose of adjusting the sectional area of the tangential channels and the port 12. This obturator is connected via a rod 14 with a pneumatic actuator 15 (see FIG. 1) which may be combined wtih a controller located in the safety zone for permitting for example a constant oil pressure to be maintained upstream of the burner or a constant oil flow. The rod 14 is guided through a flange designated generally by 16 in FIG. 1. In the showing of FIG. 3 is illustrated a portion 16' of said flange which contains bushes 17 through which the rod 14 is slidably guided. A coil spring 18 acting by compression tends to compress a gasket 39 to ensure fluid tightness in known fashion. Fluid tightness between the several parts of the body portion may be performed by O-rings 40 of rubber.

The arrangement as described permits an adjustment of the needle valve 13 and consequently of the sectional area of the tangential channels 10 and port 12 to be obtained in terms of the pressure and quality of the admitted oil. Thus if the oil contains solid particles (the diameter of which may reach 10 millimeters) the sectional area of the channels and port is temporarily increased thereby staving off any clogging whereas it is, contrary to what has just been said, decreased where the oil is no longer polluted.

Downstream of the port 12 is provided a nozzle 19, in which the oil escaping through the axial port 12 forms a thin atomized layer, The required minimum oil pressure for achieving a suitable degree of atomization is equal to a few bars. However the apparatus may also operate under a very high pressure so as to produce a very fine degree of atomization. The permissible maximum pressure may reach about 200 bars. Such pressure may be furnished from the oil well itself or by a separator or else by a pump.

It will be easily understood that the needle valve 13 might be also controlled by another device different from the one as described or alternatively manually.

The body portion 3 of the burner is provided at a position corresponding to the nozzle 19 with an air inlet union '20 to which may be screwed up a compressed air inlet pipe 21 (FIG. 1). Such a union terminates in an annular chamber 22 formed around the nozzle 19 and a pair of

tangential channels

23, 24 are provided through the wall of the nozzle at two spaced points as visible on FIGS. 3, 5 and 6. The compressed air which is advantageously admitted under a pressure equal for example to 7 bars is revolved by the sets of

tangential channels

23, 24 and thus drives the thin oil layer while producing a spray or mist which can be easily burnt away. The coni- V cal shape of the nozzle permits the energy derived from the compressed air the mass rate of which may represent for example 5% of the mass of sprayed oil to be utilized in optimum fashion.

It will be noticed from FIG. 3 that the outlet port 25 of the nozzle 19 preferably has a sectional area slightly larger than that of the port 12.

Mounting of the burner assembly upon a platform can be done by means of a lattice beam having for example a length of twenty meters supported by cables or guys. This beam extends horizontally and carries the burner at one of its ends.

The possibility is also afforded to mount the aforesaid assembly upon the jib of a crane having adequate capacity and range. Furthermore the mounting of said assembly may be performed upon a pontoon floating upon the sea. However this technical solution is only applicable when providing a reliable system for anchoring the pontoon.

As more specially visible in FIG. 1, the combustion furnace 2 preferably of conical shape and which can be made of carbon steel sheets of conventional shape coaxially surrounds the burner 1 while defining around it an annular space 27 for secondary air intake by being forwardly extended with respect to said burner over a sufficiently large distance. The furnace 2 is fitted with 4 an igniting contrivance diagrammatically shown at 28 which may be of any suitable type (for example of electric type) and which maintains a pilot flame for the ignition of the sprayed or mistlike mass of oil or for its re-ignition if it is extinguished.

In use, the furnace 2 is orientated in the direction in which the prevailing wind blows so that the flame direction is the same as the wind direction. Inside the furnace and after ignition by the igniting contrivance 28 a sufiicient temperature prevails so as to ensure an even combustion and to keep the flame front sufficiently stable in the space. In dotted lines as indicated by 29 in FIG. 1 the conical jet of sprayed oil corresponding to the flame that burns inside the furnace.

In the space 27 between the burner 1 and the furnace 2 extends a diaphragm (see FIGS. 7 and 8) made up of flaps or shutters 30 carried by axes 31 which can be rocked in ports provided in a carrier member 32 arranged around the burner and the furnace 2 itself. Such axes 31 are fast with pulleys 33 over which is trained a control cable (not shown) actuated from a suitable device. Thus control of the flaps 130 permits the sectional area of the secondary air intake to be varied and more particularly to be so reduced as to proect the flame against gusty winds the effect of which would be harmful to combustion stability while nevertheless permitting such a secondary air inflow as will improve the combustion where no Wind or only light wind prevails.

In order to ensure protection against heat radiation due to the combustion of oil, there is provided a protecting system 3 constituted by a tube 34 having a polygonal cross section carrying nozzles 35 distributed along its periphery and receiving water under pressure through a conduit 36. Water (for example sea water) is sprayed through the nozzles 35 at a high rate of flow so as to build a screen extending (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) quite close to the hot source, thereby forming a large cone of shadow which protects the surrounding installations and the staff.

It will be seen that the device as described permits the oil from a well to be completely burnt away in an adjustable manner in terms of the rate of flow of the oil, pressure conditions, etc. even if the oil is polluted by solid particles, the device permitting eventually a selfregulation to be obtained proportionately to the pressure or rate of flow.

Modifications of the constructional form as above described are conceivable in the field of technical equivalencies without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for burning away waste crude oil produced when investigating or testing oil or petroleum wells, comprising a burner having an inlet and forming a spraying assembly adapted to receive the oil from the well and to convert the same into a jet of sprayed oil, means for connecting the inlet of said burner to an oil well head for conveying waste crude oil from said well to said burner, air intake means combined with said burner for intermixing the oil and air so as to improve the combustion of oil, a combustion furnace having a longitudinal axis, said burner being arranged along the longitudinal axis of said furnace so as to direct the jet of sprayed oil coaxially thereof, the end of the furnace opposite the burner being completely open, igniting means within said furnace for ensuring ignition of the sprayed oil to be burnt away, and annular water-spraying means surrounding said furnace so as to direct water outwardly away from said furnace to produce a water shield for providing a protection against heat radiation from the burning oil.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said annular water-spraying means comprise a tube having an annular shape and surrounding said furnace, and nozzles on said tube, said nozzles extending radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the furnace.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said annular Water-spraying means comprise a tube having an annular shape and surrounding said furnace, and nozzles on said tube, said nozzles extending at an angle outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the furnace.

4. A device for burning away waste crude oil produced when investigating or testing oil or petroleum wells, comprising a burner having a body portion having a longitudinal axis, said body portion having a chamber therein along the longitudinal axis thereof, means for connecting said burner to an oil well head for conveying waste crude oil from said well head to said burner, said body portion having tangential channels therein connected to said connecting means, said tangential channels opening into said chamber so as to impart a rotary motion to the oil within the chamber, said body portion having an outlet port on the longitudinal axis thereof communicating with said chamber, a valve member ahead of said outlet port for adjustably opening the same, an atomization nozzle on the longitudinal axis of the body portion, said outlet port opening into said nozzle, tangential air intake means opening into said nozzle for intermixing air with the oil, a combustion furnace having a longitudinal axis, said burner being arranged along the longitudinal axis of said furnace so as to direct a jet of sprayed oil-air mixture coaxially thereof, the end of the furnace opposite the burner being completely open, igniting means within said furnace, and annular water-spraying means surrounding said furnace so as to direct water outwardly away from said furnace to produce a Water shield for providing a protection against heat radiation from the burning oil.

5. A device according to claim 4, comprising a manual control member connected to said valve member.

6. A device for burning away waste crude oil produced when investigating or testing oil or petroleum wells, comprising a burner having an inlet and forming a spraying assembly adapted to receive oil from the well and to convert the same into a jet of sprayed oil, means for connecting the inlet of said burner to an oil well head for conveying Waste crude oil from said well to said burner, primary air intake means combined with said burner for intermixing oil and air so as to improve the combustion of oil, a combustion furnace having a longitudinal axis, said burner being arranged along the longitudinal axis of said furnace so as to direct the jet of sprayed oil coaxially thereof, the end of the furnace opposite the burner being completely open, said furnace defining an annular space with said burner for the admission of secondary air, igniting means within said furnace for ensuring ignition of the sprayed oil-air mixture to be burnt away, and annular water-spraying means surrounding said furnace so as to direct water outwardly away from said furnace to produce a water shield for providing a protection against heat radiation from the burning oil.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein a diaphragm is mounted in said annular space between said burner and said furnace.

8. A device according to claim 6, wherein flaps constituting a diaphragm are mounted in said space between said burner and said furnace, and axles for pivotally supporting said flaps so as to permit variation of their angular position for adjusting the secondary air inflow rate.

References Cited 1,934,837 11/1933 Zulver 239404X 2,000,733 5/1935 Avery 431-l83X 2,012,162 8/1935 Furlong l37505.l8X 2,747,657 5/1956 Harvey et al. 431-184 3,042,105 7/1962 Bitterlich 43 l-353 3,070,317 12/1962 Hunter et al 43 l353X 3,237,914 3/1966 Alix 251--6l.2 3,396,959 8/1968 Brown 266-32 CAROLL B. DORITY, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 239404; 431-353