# US 2014/0360361 A1 · Method and a Device for Separating a Multiphasic Liquid

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- Number: US 2014/0360361 A1
- Document ID: US20140360361A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/332,611
- Filed: 2014-07-16
- Published: 2014-12-11
- Earliest claimed: 2005-11-09
- Assignees: Saipem S.P.A.
- Inventors: Paul CHANTREL; Marc Bonnissel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360361A1

## CPC

- E21B 43/34: Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
- B01D 17/0217: {by centrifugal force}
- B01D 19/0057: {the centrifugal movement being caused by a vortex, e.g. using a cyclone, or by a tangential inlet}
- B01D 21/267: {by using a cyclone}
- B04C 3/06: Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber
- B04C 5/04: Tangential inlets
- B04C 5/103: Bodies or members, e.g. bulkheads, guides, in the vortex chamber (cores B04C5/107)
- B04C 5/14: Construction of the underflow ducting; Apex constructions; Discharge arrangements {; discharge through sidewall provided with a few slits or perforations (provided with a great number of slits or perforations B04C5/10)}
- B04C 5/181: Bulkheads or central bodies in the discharge opening
- B04C 5/28: for parallel flow
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B04C: APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES ({centrifugal separation of water from steam B01D45/12;} jet mills B02C19/06; {wind sifters B07B7/00;} cyclonic type combustion apparatus F23; {vortex burners for cyclone-type combustion apparatus F23D1/02; cyclonic type combustion apparatus for gas turbines F23R3/00})

## Abstract

A cyclone type liquid/gas or liquid/liquid separator having separation properties that are stabilized, even when the flow rate and the proportions of the liquid phases for separation vary, by means of a platform situated in the low portion of a cylindrical separation chamber that is fed at its top end via a tangential feed orifice. An installation and a method are also provided for separating the oil and water contained in crude oil, with the help of a cyclone separator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An installation for separating at least two liquid phases of different densities in a fluid that also contains gas, preferably at least oil and water of crude oil comprising oil, water, particles of sand, and gas, the installation comprising:
a) at least one cyclone type liquid/gas separator; and
b) at least one cyclone type liquid/liquid separator connected to said liquid/gas separator via a first pipe for feeding degassed oil; the at least one cyclone type liquid/liquid separator having a separation chamber having a wall that forms a surface of revolution that extends between at least one tangential admission orifice for the fluid to be separated and a top axial outlet orifice for the lower density liquid phase at the top end of said chamber; and a bottom outlet orifice for the higher density liquid phase; and wherein the separation chamber comprises a single cylindrical body extending at least between said admission orifices and a platform on the same axis (XX′) as said cylindrical body, the platform being of diameter smaller than that of said cylindrical body and being positioned over said bottom outlet orifice, such that two volumes are created under the effect of the fluid for separation entering via said tangential admission orifice(s), the volumes comprising a central volume of lower density liquid phase, in particular oil phase, in the form of a substantially cylindrical central column supported by said platform, and an annular peripheral volume of the higher density phase surrounding said central column, enabling the lower density liquid phase to be discharged via said top axial outlet orifice and said higher density liquid phase to be discharged via said bottom outlet orifice;
c) at least one main enclosure, said main enclosure being connected:
to said liquid/gas separator by a gas feed pipe, where appropriate from the top portion of said first enclosure to the high portion of said main enclosure, said gas feed pipe being fitted with a valve suitable for controlling the pressure of the gas; and
to said cyclone type liquid/liquid separator by two pipes extending from the top and bottom outlet orifices for the oil and aqueous phases respectively and opening out into two distinct zones of said main enclosure;
said main enclosure further comprising pipes for discharging the water and the oil separately.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a head-loss means suitable for imparting head loss proportional to the acceleration of the fluid.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said main enclosure comprises, respectively:
in an oil accumulation zone a device for controlling the discharging of oil and/or said gas via a common pipe; and
in a water accumulation zone, a device for controlling the discharging of water separated from said solid particles via a distinct pipe in the bottom portion of said main enclosure, and an orifice for discharging said solid particles at the bottom of said main enclosure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The installation according to claim 3, wherein said device for controlling the discharging of water separated from said solid particles is constituted by an automatic valve controlled by a float suitable for shutting off water discharge when the level of water drops below a given level, and suitable for allowing water discharge when the level rises above said level.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The installation according to claim 3 wherein said device for controlling the discharging of oil and/or said gas in a common pipe is constituted by a cylindrical collector connected to said pipe for discharging oil and/or gas, said collector comprising a cylindrical wall that is perforated at different levels up the height of said collector and suitable for allowing gas to be discharged via the perforations situated above the level of the oil and allowing oil to be discharged via the perforations situated below the level of the oil.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said two distinct zones in said main enclosure are separated by an internal partition suitable for allowing only said gas to communicate between the two zones.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said main enclosure does not include an internal partition and said oil and aqueous phases recovered separately at the outlets from said liquid/liquid separators are delivered into said two distinct two zones of said main enclosure that are separated merely by natural gravity as created by the difference in density between water and oil.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a series of said cyclone type liquid/liquid separators connected in parallel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said liquid/liquid separator(s) is/are placed inside said main enclosure, the outlet orifices for the oil and water phases delivered by said cyclone type liquid/liquid separator(s) communicating respectively with said distinct zones for accumulating oil and for accumulating water in said main enclosure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said main enclosure is installed on land or on board a floating support.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein said main enclosure is spherical in shape and is installed at the sea bottom.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of main enclosures are implemented, each containing a plurality of said cyclone type liquid/liquid separators, preferably at least four separators.

### Claim 13 (depends on 2)

The installation according to claim 2, wherein the head-loss means comprises a perforated plate or a diaphragm downstream from said bottom outlet orifice of said liquid/liquid separation cyclone.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The installation according to claim 10, wherein the main enclosure is in the form of a cylinder with rounded end walls.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The installation according to claim 12, wherein the plurality comprises at least four main enclosures.

### Claim 16 (depends on 7)

A method of separating at least the oil and the water of a crude oil that also contains gas, and possibly particles of sand, with the help of an installation according to claim 7 wherein the following successive steps are performed:
1) at least partially degassing said crude oil with the help of a said liquid/gas separator, preferably of the cyclone type in at least a first enclosure;
2) separating the water contained in said degassed crude oil obtained in step 1) so as to obtain an oil phase and an aqueous phase containing said solid particles, with the help of at least one cyclone type liquid/liquid separator; and
3) performing an additional step of stabilizing and regulating the operation of said liquid/liquid separator(s) of step 2) by delivering the gas, oil phase, and aqueous phase streams coming from said separators of steps 1) and 2) into a common said main enclosure at substantially the same pressure in order to obtain controlled levels of oil and water in said main enclosure:
said gas flow being recovered from the high portion of said first enclosure and sent under pressure controlled by a valve into the high portion of said main enclosure; and
the pressure of said aqueous phase recovered at the outlet of said liquid/liquid separator being reduced by said head-loss means to obtain a pressure that is substantially identical to the pressure of said oil phase at the outlet from said cyclone type liquid/liquid separator step 2).

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method according to claim 16, wherein the levels of the oil and water liquid phases in said two distinct zones of said main enclosure are regulated by said device for controlling the discharge of oil and/or said gas into a common pipe, and by said device for controlling the discharge of water.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method according to claim 16, wherein the control of said valve for controlling the pressure of gas at the outlet from said first enclosure is performed as a function of the level of oil in said first enclosure, which level is preferably maintained substantially constant.