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US 5,176,838 AGranted
Sand pan
AssigneeShell Western E&P Inc.
InventorsRobert W. Chin, Eugene B. Greene, Timothy A. League, Christaan M. P. De Ridder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved sand pan and flushing jet apparatus is provided along with a process to separate solids from a fluid stream. The sand pan has openings along the side which increase in flow area with increasing distance from a slurry blowdown. Flushing jets are provided within the sand pan to remove slurry drawn into the sand pan by blowdown flow.
Claims13
An apparatus comprising:
- means to remove settled solids from a lower surface of a fluid containment device, further comprising:
- a) a baffle separating the contents of the fluid containment device into an inner volume and an outer volume wherein communication is provided from the outer volume to the inner volume through a plurality of openings in essentially vertical sides of the baffle;
- b) a slurry blowdown centrally located underneath the baffle for removing fluids from the inner volume;
- c) a plurality of flushing jets arranged around the baffle capable of directing a flushing fluid toward the baffle along the lower surface of the fluid containment device;
- and
- d) a plurality of flushing jets positioned beneath the baffle capable of directing flushing fluid toward the blowdown nozzle wherein the flow area through the openings in the essentially vertical sides increases with increasing distance between the opening and the slurry blowdown.
3 more elements
A process comprising:
- removing accumulated solids from a lower surface of a fluid containment device by,
- a) providing a baffle separating the contents of the fluid containment device into an inner volume and an outer volume wherein communication from the outer volume to the inner volume is provided through a plurality of openings in essentially vertical sides of the baffle,
- a slurry blowdown centrally located in the underneath the baffle for removing fluids from the inner volume,
- a plurality of flushing jets arranged around the baffle capable of directing flushing fluid toward the baffle and along the lower surface of the fluid containment device,
- a plurality of jets positioned beneath the baffle capable of directing flushing fluid toward the blowdown nozzle wherein the flow area through the openings in the essentially vertical sides increases with increasing distance between the opening and the slurry blown;
- and
- b) initiating a slurry blowdown flow;
- c) providing a flushing fluid flow through the flushing jets at a rate which is sufficient to fluidize settled solids between the jet and the baffle while the slurry blow flow is continuing;
- and
- d) discontinuing the flushing fluid and slurry blowdown flows after a significant portion of the settled solids between the jets and the baffle have been fluidized by the flushing jets, drawn into the inner volume and removed from the fluid containment device by the slurry blowdown flow.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.