Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
  • F23G—CREMATION FURNACES; CONSUMING WASTE PRODUCTS BY COMBUSTION
  • F23G7/00—Incinerators or other apparatus for consuming industrial waste, e.g. chemicals
  • F23G7/06—Incinerators or other apparatus for consuming industrial waste, e.g. chemicals of waste gases or noxious gases, e.g. exhaust gases
  • F23G7/08—Incinerators or other apparatus for consuming industrial waste, e.g. chemicals of waste gases or noxious gases, e.g. exhaust gases using flares, e.g. in stacks
  • F23G7/085—Incinerators or other apparatus for consuming industrial waste, e.g. chemicals of waste gases or noxious gases, e.g. exhaust gases using flares, e.g. in stacks in stacks
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
  • E21B41/005—Waste disposal systems
  • E21B41/0071—Adaptation of flares, e.g. arrangements of flares in offshore installations
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/34—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
  • E21B43/36—Underwater separating arrangements

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a safety system intended to eliminate any risk of entrainment of liquids at the torch nose, during flaring of the gases associated with the production of hydrocarbons, in particular at sea (011 shore).
• the oil or the condensate entrained by the gas is ignited and falls back in flames on the installation or in the immediate vicinity of this one, thus putting in danger the whole installation and the lives of all staff.
• one of the best measures adopted to date is constituted by the interposition, between the drive source of liquid hydrocarbons and the nose of the torch, of three capacities, namely, a separator, a safety purifier and a torch foot balloon, mounted in series on the gas flow chain, these capacities being respectively equipped with three high level detection devices, which effect, in the case where the liquid level exceeds a predetermined height, the shutdown of the installation's hydrocarbon supply.
• the torch bottom flask has, or may have, a liquid retention capacity, such that it allocates sufficient time for the manual closing of the hydrocarbon supply valves of the installation. .
• the retention time of liquid in the torch foot balloon which is dimensioned according to a duration of human intervention always questionable and whose randomness is not in accordance with good logic of security.
• the torch foot balloon which is generally placed in the lower part of the installation, risks causing, by its dimensions, a considerable gene, or even unacceptable.
• the invention therefore aims to eliminate all these drawbacks. It therefore proposes a safety system involving, in the gas flow chain, between the source of liquid drive and the nose of the torch, at least one capacity such as, for example, a torch foot balloon fitted with a column of overflow opening below sea level, at a determined distance from its tapping on said capacity.
• a safety system involving, in the gas flow chain, between the source of liquid drive and the nose of the torch, at least one capacity such as, for example, a torch foot balloon fitted with a column of overflow opening below sea level, at a determined distance from its tapping on said capacity.
• the overflow column in certain applications, will be equipped with a discharge device inside it, of various products having the main aims, but not readjustably, of delaying or preventing the ascent. liquid hydrocarbons on the surface, decrease, delay or inhibit oil pollution.
• the torch will be equipped with manual or automatic ignition and extinguishing means allowing the flame to be started or smothered in different operating configurations or for safety or other reasons.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a first production facility equipped with a safety device according to a first embodiment of the invention
• Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a second installation of smaller footprint and equipped with anti-pollutant means.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a third installation in which the torch barrel acts as a torch foot ball
• the installation comprises, first of all, a drive source of liquid hydrocarbons constituted by a separator 1 receiving the crude oil or the gas by an inlet pipe 2.
• This separator is conventionally equipped with a circuit 3 for normal recovery of the oil or the condensates and a gas outlet connected to a gas flow chain 4 to the nose 5 of the torch.
• This gas flow chain 4 comprises, between the separator 1 and the nose of the torch 5, a torch base balloon 6 equipped, in a conventional manner, with a drip recovery circuit 7 comprising or not a pump S .
• the separator 1 and the torch bottom flask 6 are both equipped with a high level detection circuit, intended to shut off, in the event of an abnormally high liquid level, the supply of crude or gas to the installation. .
• this installation comprises an overflow column 10 coming to be pricked (tapping 11) on the torch foot ball 6 at a location corresponding to a predetermined maximum level and opening out below sea level 12 at a distance L R below the tap 11 on said balloon 6.
• This overflow column 10 is equipped with the above-mentioned spill device 14 and means 13 for taking up liquid hydrocarbons which have overflowed into the overflow column in order to reinsert them into the normal treatment circuits.
• These recovery means will consist, for example, of various types of pumps or liquid or gas ejectors (gas lift). They can be put in place during the construction of the installation or, later, be removable or not.
• the two level detection systems will inform operators of a malfunction, and will cut off the arrival of rough if the fault cannot be corrected.
• the liquids will be discharged into the sea by the overflow column 10, the torch continuing to be supplied with gas, this until the correction of the fault or until the manual closing or automatic when the crude arrives.
• the overflow column 10 must satisfy determined design criteria meeting at least two main conditions, namely:
• P 1 is the pressure inside the torch base balloon 6 (expressed in P a ); P atm is the atmospheric pressure (in P a ); d o is the density of the liquid (in kg / m 3 at T 1o ); d w is the density of seawater (kg / m 3 at T 2o ).
• P 1 P atm (case of stopping after engorgement and total filling of the overflow column 10 with length L R )
• the volume of liquid "trapped" in the overflow column can be reassembled in the installations and evacuated.
• the liquids are put into the sea “at source", that is to say that a large hot spot will be required in the area where the liquid hydrocarbons will reach the surface of the sea to cause their ignition.
• the water level inside the overflow column 10 will follow the water level outside with delay and damping. However, this point should be checked in order to avoid air entering the torch barrel 13, especially in the case of short overflow columns 10 and low gas flow rates. As a general rule, the longer the overflow column 10, the less the wave effect will be felt.
• the torch base balloon 6, generally placed at the low point of the installation, resumes, in normal service, the drips (circuits 7, 8). Its dimensions and weight become acceptable again. It is completed by a liquid / gas separator 15 placed at the part bottom of the torch fot 13, this being useful only in the event of engorgement.
• This separator 15 can be hidden in the tower 16 supporting the torch. I1 operates at very low level and low pressure.
• the overflow column 10 can possibly be expanded to form a retention capacity 17, thus avoiding any pollution for a limited period.
• the liquid hydrocarbons thus trapped can be reinserted later in the installations by means 13.
• the lower part of the column 10 can be screened laterally in order to better disperse the liquid hydrocarbons in the sea.
• the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 presents a simplified solution.
• the vertical torch barrel 20 is constituted by m tube of variable or non-variable section which can be in certain applications self-resistant to external stresses, and of a diameter such that the rate of rise of the gas is sufficiently low so that the separation of gas / liquid takes place.
• the gas can be speeded up if necessary at the torch nose 5 by passing through a reduced tubular section 21 or by other means.
• the lower end 22 of the torch barrel serves as a torch foot balloon in normal service, and is equipped with an overflow column 10 such as those previously described as well as a drip recovery circuit 7, 8 and 13.
• An additional simplification will consist, for certain applications, in producing the overflow torch-column assembly, in a continuous tube, of possibly variable section, the drip recovery circuit then being installed at a suitable altitude on the continuous tube.
• the latter may use, for its production, parts of already existing tubing, made of steel or other materials, such as concrete, and capable of fulfilling other functions. such as supporting installations. Its support may also be carried out using frames or supports required or not to fulfill other functions.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
• Details Or Accessories Of Spraying Plant Or Apparatus (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9262405

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (7)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1981
  • 1981-09-23 FR FR8117969A patent/FR2513356A1/fr active Granted
• 1982
  • 1982-09-23 US US06/506,647 patent/US4547149A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1982-09-23 EP EP82902735A patent/EP0088776B1/fr not_active Expired
  • 1982-09-23 WO PCT/FR1982/000156 patent/WO1983001086A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1982-09-23 BR BR8207865A patent/BR8207865A/pt unknown
  • 1982-09-23 DE DE8282902735T patent/DE3267050D1/de not_active Expired
• 1983
  • 1983-05-23 OA OA58005A patent/OA08943A/xx unknown
  • 1983-05-24 NO NO831828A patent/NO831828L/no unknown

Patent Citations (6)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events