Fluid diverter
AssigneeSentinel Subsea Ltd
InventorsNeil Gordon, Andrew Jaffrey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for monitoring the integrity of a subsea well or a fluid sequestration site by detecting the presence of a first predetermined chemical in a volume of fluid being released at a flow rate in excess of a threshold value is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus detects the presence of a predetermined chemical in a volume of fluid only when the flow rate of the fluid exceeds a threshold value. Restricting the fluid's flow based on its flow rate can enable the system to ignore low-level/background emissions of a fluid including a chemical, thereby avoiding unintended triggering of a detector. Once the flow rate exceeds the threshold, as will be indicative of a failure of a subsea well, the detector can receive a sufficient quantity of the fluid including the chemical for detection.
Claims20
An apparatus for monitoring the integrity of a subsea well or a fluid sequestration site by detecting the presence of a first predetermined chemical in a volume of fluid when the volume of fluid is being released at a flow rate in excess of a threshold value, the apparatus comprising:
- a detection unit configured to detect the first predetermined chemical;
- and
- a fluid control unit configured to:
- i) capture the volume of fluid;
- ii) direct the volume fluid to the detection unit;
- and
- iii) restrict the flow of the volume of fluid to the detection unit until its flow rate exceeds a threshold value, wherein
- fluid control unit comprises:
- i) an input portion arranged to capture the volume of fluid;
- ii) an output portion arranged to provide the volume of fluid to the detection unit;
- and
- iii) a fluid path portion positioned therebetween, the fluid path portion being arranged to direct the volume of fluid from the input portion to the output portion;
- wherein:
- the fluid path portion comprises a flow restriction component to restrict the flow of the volume of fluid to the detection unit until its flow rate exceeds the threshold value.
A method of monitoring the integrity of a subsea well or a fluid sequestration site, the method comprising:
- i) capturing a volume of fluid being released by the subsea well or the fluid sequestration site, using an input portion of a fluid control unit;
- ii) providing the volume fluid to a detection unit, using an output portion of the fluid control unit;
- iii) directing the volume of fluid from the input portion to the output portion using a fluid path portion of the fluid control unit positioned between the input portion and the output portion;
- and
- iv) restricting the flow of the volume of fluid to the detection unit until its flow rate exceeds a threshold value, using a flow restriction component of the fluid path portion.
An apparatus for monitoring the integrity of a subsea well or a fluid sequestration site, the apparatus comprising a fluid control unit for restricting the flow of a volume of fluid until its flow rate exceeds a threshold value, the fluid control unit comprising:
- a first unit enclosing a first volume and arranged to capture the volume of fluid within the first volume and to provide the volume of fluid to a second volume;
- and
- a second unit at least partially enclosing the first unit and enclosing the second volume and arranged to provide the volume of fluid from the second volume to a third volume;
- wherein:
- the fluid control unit is configured to restrict the passage of the volume of fluid to the third volume until the flow rate of the volume of fluid exceeds a threshold value;
- and
- wherein:
- the fluid control unit comprises a flow restriction component arranged to restrict the passage of the volume of fluid to the third volume until its flow rate exceeds the threshold value.
A method of restricting the flow of a volume of fluid until its flow rate exceeds a threshold value as part of a process for monitoring the integrity of a subsea well or a fluid sequestration site, the method comprising:
- providing a first unit, a second unit, and a flow restriction component, the second unit at least partially enclosing the first unit;
- capturing the volume of fluid within a first volume enclosed by the first unit;
- providing the volume of fluid to a second volume enclosed by the second unit;
- providing the volume of fluid from the second volume to a third volume;
- and
- restricting the passage of the volume of fluid to the third volume until the flow rate of the volume of fluid exceeds a threshold value using the flow restriction component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.