Apparatus and method for producing oil and gas using buoyancy effect
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMari Hussain ALQAHTANI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of producing oil and gas from a gathering manifold or a well. The method includes the steps of channeling field production into a sealed vessel through an inlet pipe, and permitting oil and gas components of the field production to separate naturally from water and other fluids within the vessel. The method further includes the steps of evacuating the separated oil and gas from the vessel via pipelines attached to the vessel at locations corresponding to the separated oil and gas, and pumping seawater into the vessel to pressurize the vessel and thereby aid in the production of oil and gas from the vessel.
Claims16
A method of producing oil and gas from a well, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) channeling field production into a sealed vessel through an inlet pipe;
- b) permitting oil and gas components of the field production to separate from water and other fluids within the vessel;
- c) evacuating the separated oil and gas from the vessel via pipelines attached to the vessel at locations corresponding to the separated oil and gas;
- d) pumping seawater into the vessel to pressurize the vessel and thereby aid in the production of oil and gas from the vessel.
A method of installing a gas and oil production vessel an offshore well site, the method comprising:
- a) towing the vessel to a well site with a ship;
- b) tilting the vessel into an upright position, with the top of the vessel oriented above the bottom of the vessel;
- c) partially filling the vessel with seawater until the vessel is partially submerged;
- d) fixing the vessel to the seabed using pillars or cables, or a combination of pillars and cables;
- e) connecting a pipe from the well to the bottom of the vessel to deliver field production to the vessel;
- f) connecting production pipes at predetermined locations on the vessel for flowing oil and gas away from the vessel;
- g) connecting pumps to the vessel to pump seawater into the vessel for purposes of pressurizing the vessel.
A system for bringing produced oil and gas from a subsea gathering production manifold or wellhead to a sea surface, the system comprising:
- a vessel containing seawater, and extending from a subsea position to the sea surface;
- an inlet pipe attached to the bottom of the vessel to deliver produced oil and gas from the subsea gathering production manifold or wellhead to the bottom of the vessel, so that the oil, gas, and water is combined inside the vessel and allowed to naturally separate inside the vessel;
- a pump attached to the vessel to pump water into the vessel to pressurize the vessel;
- and
- at least first, second, and third pipes attached to the vessel at predetermined locations to pull fluids from the vessel, the first pipe attached to an upper portion of the vessel to collect gas that has separated to the upper portion of the vessel, the second pipe attached to a central portion of the vessel to collect oil that has separated to the central portion, between the gas and the seawater;
- and the third pipe attached to a lower portion of the vessel to collect seawater that has separated to the lower portion of the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.