Marginal gas transport in offshore production
AssigneeSingle Buoy Moorings Inc.
InventorsWillem van Wijngaarden, Hein Wille
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An offshore hydrocarbon production system in which gases are economically stored for transport. After the produced hydrocarbons are separated into liquid (crude oil) and gases, the gases are separated into heavy and light gases. The heavy gases, which consist primarily of propane and butane, are stored as LPG (liquid petroleum gas) in a refrigerated LPG tank. The light gases (methane and other light gases) are hydrated and the ice crystals are stored in a refrigerated hydrate tank.
Claims7
A method for treating and transporting produced hydrocarbon gases that are produced from a hydrocarbon reservoir, where said produced hydrocarbons gases include the gases propane, butane and methane, comprising:
- separating said produced hydrocarbon gases into LPG (liquid petroleum gas) that consists primarily of propane and butane, and into lighter gases that include primarily gases that each has a lesser density than propane at the same pressure and temperature, wherein said lighter gases include methane;
- cooling the LPG to below a temperature at which the LPG is liquid at a pressure of one bar, storing and transporting the liquid LPG in a tank that lies in a floating body, and storing and transporting the lighter gasses in a tank that lies in a floating body;
- said step of storing and transporting the lighter gasses comprises combining them with water and cooling them to produce a hydrate that comprises the lighter gasses in ice crystals, and transporting and storing the hydrate.
A system for utilizing gas produced at an offshore production installation that produces hydrocarbons from an undersea reservoir, where the hydrocarbons comprise heavy gases that are of a density at least as great as propane, at the same temperature and pressure, and also comprise light gases that are of lower density than propane at the same pressure and temperature, wherein the light gases include at least methane, comprising
- a separator that separates said heavy gases from said light gases;
- a hydrate-forming apparatus which combines only said light gases and water into a hydrate;
- apparatus that cools said heavy gases to a temperature below that at which said heavy gases are liquid at a pressure of one bar;
- a first tank that stores said liquid heavy gases;
- a second tank that stores said hydrates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.