# US 2020/0324323 A1 · Solids washing in oil and/or gas production

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2020/0324323 A1
- Document ID: US20200324323A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/097,659
- Filed: 2017-05-05
- Published: 2020-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-05
- Assignees: Fourphase AS
- Applicants: Fourphase AS
- Inventors: Jorgen Bruntveit; Karl Ole Lyngbo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200324323A1

## CPC

- E21B 43/35: {specially adapted for separating solids (down-hole drilling fluid separation systems E21B21/002; separating solids from drilling fluids E21B21/065)}
- B01D 21/0024: {Inlets or outlets provided with regulating devices, e.g. valves, flaps (B01D21/24 takes precedence)}
- B03B 9/02: specially adapted for oil-sand, oil-chalk, oil-shales, ozokerite, bitumen, or the like
- B08B 3/04: Cleaning involving contact with liquid
- B08B 3/106: {by boiling the liquid}
- B08B 13/00: Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
- C10G 1/047: {Hot water or cold water extraction processes}
- E21B 43/2607: {Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations}
- 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)
- B03B: SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES

## Abstract

An apparatus for washing solid particles removed from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid produced from an oil and gas production facility using a company automated unit. The apparatus comprises an inlet that carries a mixture of solids particles and water flushed from a de-sander.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for washing solid particles collected from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid produced from an oil and/or gas production facility, the apparatus comprising:
a vessel having a lower part defining a volume for collecting a bed of solid particles and an upper part defining an exit for liquid from the vessel,
a pipe assembly located in the volume, the pipe assembly having a plurality of outlet nozzles located thereon,
a pipe network connected to the pipe assembly and arranged to supply pressurised steam or water or a mixture thereof to the pipe assembly to cause the steam or water or a mixture thereof to exit the outlet nozzles into the volume,
a fluidising flushing unit located in the volume, the fluidising flushing unit comprising a fluidisation head, an inlet for supplying fluidising liquid to the fluidisation head and an outlet for conveying a fluidised mixture of solid particles and fluidising liquid from the fluidisation head and out of the vessel,
an oil content sensing system connected to the outlet of the fluidising flushing unit, the oil content sensing system being adapted to determine whether an oil content of the fluidised mixture or any constituent thereof is below a preset oil content threshold, the oil content sensing system having a first exit communicating with a recirculation pump for recirculating the fluidised mixture back to the vessel and a second exit communicating with an outlet conduit for outputting the fluidised mixture; and
a controller for selectively controlling the fluidised mixture into a recirculation flow through the recirculation pump or an output flow through the outlet conduit in response to the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to provide the recirculation flow through the recirculation pump when the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system is not below the preset oil content threshold and to provide the output flow through the outlet conduit when the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system is below the preset oil content threshold.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to open or close the first and second exits in response to the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system, wherein each of the first and second exits has a respective valve and the controller is adapted to open or close the respective valve of the first and second exits in response to the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system.

### Claim 4

(canceled)

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the oil content sensing system comprises a chamber connected to the outlet of the fluidising flushing unit and an oil content sensor for measuring oil content of the fluidised mixture in the chamber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pipe assembly comprises a plurality of tubes each having a plurality of the nozzles thereon, wherein at least one tube is substantially upright and linear or wherein at least one tube is a coil.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the pipe assembly further comprises a common tube connecting the plurality of tubes, the common tube having a plurality of the nozzles thereon.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a weighing device for weighing, directly or indirectly, the amount of solid particles in the vessel, wherein the controller is adapted to control the fluidising flushing unit to supply fluidising liquid to the fluidisation head when the weight of solid particles is above a preset threshold.

### Claim 9

(canceled)

### Claim 10

(canceled)

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a solid particle filter system located at the exit for liquids from the vessel, wherein the solid particle filter system comprises a serial array of particle filters of progressively decreasing mesh size towards the exit.

### Claim 12

(canceled)

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an input conduit connected to the upper part for supplying a fluidised flow of the solid particles to be washed into the vessel, wherein the recirculation pump is in a recirculation conduit which communicates with the input conduit to supply the recirculated fluidised mixture into the input conduit.

### Claim 14

(canceled)

### Claim 15

A method of washing oil-coated solid particles collected from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid produced from an oil and/or gas production facility, the method comprising the steps of:
(i) providing a vessel having a lower part defining a volume for collecting a bed of solid particles and an upper part defining an exit for liquid from the vessel,
(ii) supplying a fluidised flow of solid particles into the vessel to provide a bed of solid particles in the volume and liquid above the bed of solid particles, at least some of the solid particles being at least partly coated with oil,
(iii) supplying pressurised steam or water or a mixture thereof into the body of solid particles from a plurality of outlet nozzles located on a pipe assembly located in the volume, the steam or water or a mixture thereof causing at least partial removal of oil from the oil-coated solid particles and mechanical agitation of the particles in the bed, to form a liquid mixture of oil and water above the bed,
(iv) supplying a fluidising liquid to the bed to convey a fluidised mixture of solid particles from the bed and fluidising liquid out of the vessel,
(v) determining whether an oil content of the fluidised mixture or any constituent thereof is below a preset oil content threshold, the oil content being determined by an oil content sensing system coupled to an outlet for the fluidising liquid conveyed out of the vessel, and
(vi) selectively recirculating the fluidised mixture back to the vessel or outputting the fluidised mixture to an outlet conduit in response to the determined oil content.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein the pressurised steam or water or a mixture thereof is supplied at a temperature of from 50 to 350° C., wherein pressurised steam is supplied at a temperature of from 100 to 350° C. and/or water is supplied at a temperature of from 50 to 100° C.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein the pressurised steam or water or a mixture thereof is injected at a pressure of from 50 to 250 bar.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein the pressurised steam or water or a mixture thereof is injected at a flow rate of 10 to 30 l/min.

### Claim 19

(canceled)

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein a recirculation flow is provided when the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system is not below a preset oil content threshold and an output flow through the outlet conduit is provided when the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system is below the preset oil content threshold.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein the oil content sensing system has a first exit communicating with a recirculation pump for recirculating the fluidised mixture back to the vessel and a second exit communicating with the outlet conduit for outputting the fluidised mixture, and a controller opens or closes the first and second exits in response to the oil content determined by the oil content sensing system.

### Claim at position 22

-25. (canceled)

### Claim 26 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of: (vii) weighing, directly or indirectly, the amount of solid particles in the vessel, and (viii) supplying the fluidising liquid to the bed of solid particles when the weight of solid particles is above a preset threshold.

### Claim 27

(canceled)

### Claim 28 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of: (ix) flowing the mixture of oil and water above the bed through the exit of the vessel, and (x) filtering the mixture of oil and water flowing through the exit of the vessel using a solid particle filter system located at the exit of the vessel.

### Claim 29

(canceled)

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

A method according to claim 28 wherein the solid particle filter system comprises a serial array of particle filters of progressively decreasing mesh size towards the exit of the vessel so that progressively smaller particle sizes are filtered by the solid particle filter system.

### Claim 31 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein a fluidised flow of the solid particles to be washed is supplied into the vessel by an input conduit connected to the upper part of the vessel.

### Claim 32

(canceled)

### Claim 33 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein the solid particles comprise sand.

### Claim 34 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein during at least steps (iii) and (iv) the vessel is substantially filled with the solid particles in the bed and the liquid mixture of oil and water above the bed, and the liquid mixture of oil and water above the bed has an uppermost layer of oil floating on water.

### Claim 35

(canceled)

### Claim 36 (depends on 34)

A method according to claim 34 further comprising the step of: (xi) skimming off the uppermost layer of oil floating on the water.

### Claim 37 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out in a continuous process and step (iv) is carried out continuously or carried out intermittently dependent upon a minimum weight of solid particles in the bed.

### Claim 38 (depends on 15)

A method according to claim 15 wherein steps (ii), (iii) and (iv) are carried out intermittently in a batch process dependent upon a minimum weight of solid particles in the bed.