Hydrate mitigation in a pipeline with vortex tubes
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorAhmad Noor Al-Deen Hassan Rizq
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system to prevent the formation of hydrates in a pipeline includes a heater assembly. The heater assembly has a vortex tube mounted on an outer surface of a first section of the pipeline and a compressed gas source. The vortex tube is configured to separate gas from an inlet into a hot gas pathway and a cold gas pathway. The vortex tube includes an inlet, a cold gas outlet, and a hot gas outlet. The hot gas outlet of the vortex tube is fluidly connected to an opening defined in the first section of the pipeline. The hot gas outlet is configured to flow hot gas from the vortex tube into an interior volume of the pipeline. The compressed gas source is fluidly connected to the inlet of the vortex tube.
Claims25
A system to prevent the formation of hydrates in a pipeline;
- the system comprising:
- a heater assembly comprising:
- a vortex tube mounted on an outer surface of a first section of the pipeline, wherein the vortex tube is configured to separate gas from an inlet into a hot gas pathway and a cold gas pathway;
- wherein the vortex tube comprises:
- the inlet,
- a cold gas outlet, wherein the cold gas outlet is configured to vent cold gas from the cold gas pathway to the environment, and
- a hot gas outlet, wherein the hot gas outlet of the vortex tube is fluidly connected to an opening defined in the first section of the pipeline, wherein the hot gas outlet is configured to flow hot gas from the vortex tube into an interior volume of the pipeline;
- and
- a compressed gas source fluidly connected to the inlet of the vortex tube.
A system to prevent the formation of hydrates in a pipeline comprises:
- a first heater assembly comprising:
- a first vortex tube mounted on a first section of the pipeline, the first vortex tube comprising:
- a first inlet,
- a first cold gas outlet, wherein the first cold gas outlet is configured to vent cold gas generated by the first vortex tube to the environment, and
- a first hot gas outlet, wherein the first hot gas outlet of the first vortex tube is fluidly connected to a first opening of the first section of the pipeline;
- and
- a second heater assembly comprising:
- a second vortex tube mounted on a second section of the pipeline in fluid commination with the first section, the second vortex tube comprising:
- a second inlet,
- a second cold gas outlet, and
- a second hot gas outlet, wherein the second hot gas outlet of the second vortex tube is fluidly connected to a second opening of the second section of the pipeline.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.