US 4,778,494 AGranted

Cyclone inlet flow diverter for separator vessels

AssigneeAtlantic Richfield Company

InventorJohn C. Patterson

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Abstract

A gas-liquid separator or slug catcher includes an inlet flow diverter for disposition in a separator vessel wherein the flow diverter includes a generally cylindrical inner wall member and a cylindrical cap having a depending wall spaced from and surrounding the inner wall member. The cap includes a transverse top wall which is spaced from the top edge of the inner wall to provide an overflow path for surges of liquid and/or gas. An inlet conduit extends to a tangential opening formed in the inner wall member for introducing fluid into an interior chamber. The inner wall member includes a transverse bottomplate which is provided with a series of openings around its periphery. Slugs of gas and two-phase liquid flow in a vortical manner in the diverter chamber whereby the gas is separated from the liquid mixture and some de-emulsification of liquid is accomplished through centrifugal forces. Deswirled liquid exits the apparatus through a bottomplate under the gas-liquid interface in the separator vessel. In an alternate embodiment of the apparatus, a series of circumferentially and longitudinally spaced perforations are formed in the inner wall member and the depending wall of the cap member.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A system for separating gas from liquid under relatively widely varying flow rates of gas and liquid such as in the production of crude oil from subterranean wells, said system including in combination, a separator vessel including means for retaining a quantity of separated liquid at a normal liquid level in said separtor vessel above which is formed a gas collection space and means forming outlet conduits for said gas and said liquid, respectively, and inlet flow diverter apparatus disposed in said vessel and comprising:

a generally cylindrical, substantially vertically extending inner wall member defining an interior chamber, said inner wall member depending below said normal liquid level;
a fluid inlet conduit opening through said inner wall member into said chamber for discharging fluid comprising a gas-liquid mixture including slugs of gas and liquid at varying flow rates into said chamber;
a generally cylindrical cap member including a peripheral depending wall spaced from and surrounding said inner wall member and defining with said inner wall member a liquid overflow space for receiving liquid overflow from said chamber, said cap member including means defining a gas outlet opening for discharging gas from said chamber into said gas collection space of said vessel and said depending wall includes a bottom edge delimiting said liquid overflow space and disposed below said normal liquid level for discharging liquid overflow from said chamber to said quantity of liquid in said separator vessel;
means for supporting said cap member relative to said inner wall member;
and
means forming an opening into said chamber disposed below said normal liquid level for discharging liquid separated from said gas in said chamber into said quantity of separated liquid in said separator vessel.

3 more elements

A system for separating gas from liquid under relatively widely varying flow rates of gas and liquid such as in the production of crude oil from subterranean wells, said system including in combination, a separator vessel including means for retaining a quantity of separated liquid at a normal liquid level in said separator vessel above which is formed a gas collection space and means forming outlet conduits for said gas and said liquid, respectively, and inlet flow diverter apparatus disposed in said vessel and comprising:

a generally cylindrical, substantially vertically extending inner wall member defining an interior chamber and depending below said normal liquid level;
a fluid inlet conduit including a transition part forming a generally rectangular inlet opening into said chamber for discharging fluid comprising a gas-liquid mixture including slugs of gas and liquid at varying flow rates into said chamber along an interior wall surface of said inner wall member;
a generally cylindrical cap member including a peripheral depending wall spaced from and surrounding said inner wall member and defining with said inner wall member a liquid overflow space for receiving liquid overflow from said chamber, said cap member including means defining a gas outlet opening for discharging gas from said chamber into said gas collection space of said vessel and said depending wall includes a bottom edge delimiting said liquid overflow space and disposed below said normal liquid level for discharging liquid overflow from said chamber to said quantity of liquid in said separator vessel;
a plurality of radially and longitudinally extending deswirl vanes spaced apart circumferentially around said inner wall member and extending between said inner wall member and said cap member;
and
means forming an opening into said chamber disposed below said normal liquid level for discharging liquid separated from said gas in said chamber into said quantity of separated liquid in said separator vessel comprising a transverse bottom plate and a plurality of openings formed in said bottom plate disposed substantially around the periphery of said bottom plate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.