In-line phase separation
AssigneeEquinor Energy AS
InventorsAlastair Buchanan, Ketil Pettersen, Tor Kindsbekken Kjeldby
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of separating fluid phases in a well or riser. The method comprises: locating an inlet device of a flexible tubing at a substantially horizontal portion of the well or riser, wherein a portion of the flexible tubing extends into the well or riser and the flexible tubing terminates at the inlet device; biasing the inlet device against a wall of the well or riser; and extracting a stratified fluid phase from the well or riser through the inlet device and flexible tubing, wherein a shape of the inlet device is configured to match a shape of the wall.
Claims13
A method of separating fluid phases in a well or riser, comprising:
- locating an inlet device at a substantially horizontal portion of the well or riser, wherein a portion of a flexible tubing extends into the well or riser and the flexible tubing terminates at the inlet device;
- biasing the inlet device against an inside wall of the well or riser;
- and
- extracting a stratified fluid phase from the well or riser through the inlet device and flexible tubing,
- wherein the inlet device comprises a curved portion matching the shape of part of the inside wall,
- wherein the inlet device comprises a partially tubular outer wall, the curved portion of the inlet device is an outer curvature of the partially tubular outer wall which matches an inner curvature of the inside wall of the riser or the well, corresponding to an inner diameter of the well or riser, and the inlet device is biased against the inside wall of the well or riser such that the inlet device is flush with the inside wall of the well or riser, and
- wherein radii of the outer curvature of the partially tubular outer wall and the inner curvature of the inside wall of the riser or the well are the same.
A system for separating fluid phases in a well or riser, comprising:
- a flexible tubing extending into the well or riser and terminating at an inlet device, wherein the inlet device is located at a substantially horizontal portion of the well or riser and is biased against an inside wall of the well or riser;
- wherein the inlet device comprises a curved portion and a shape of the curved portion of the inlet device is configured to match a shape of the inside wall, corresponding to an inner diameter of the wall of the well or riser, and wherein the inlet device and flexible tubing are configured to extract a stratified fluid phase from the horizontal portion of the well or riser, and
- wherein radii of an outer curvature of the curved portion of the inlet device and an inner curvature of the inside wall of the riser or the well are the same.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.