Separating constituents of a fluid mixture
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsJim B. Surjaatmadja, Timothy H. Hunter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for separating constituents of a fluid mixture includes an elongate vessel oriented at an acute angle to horizontal. The vessel is operable to receive the fluid mixture and direct the fluid mixture to flow in a convection cell spanning substantially a length of the vessel. The convection cell is formed by gravitational forces acting on the fluid mixture and is operable to deposit a heavy constituent of the fluid mixture about a lower end of the vessel and a light constituent of the fluid mixture about an upper end of the vessel.
Claims26
A device for separating constituents of a fluid mixture, comprising an elongate vessel oriented at an acute angle to horizontal, wherein:
- the vessel is operable to receive the fluid mixture through an inlet port and direct the fluid mixture to convectively flow in a convection cell spanning substantially a length of the vessel;
- the convection cell is formed by gravitational forces acting on the fluid mixture;
- and
- the convection cell is operable to deposit a heavy constituent of the fluid mixture about a lower end of the vessel and a light constituent of the fluid mixture about an upper end of the vessel,
- wherein the acute angle to horizontal is between about 30° and about 70°;
- and
- wherein the disposition of the inlet port is selected from the group consisting of at an acute angle to the vessel and in a plane coaxial the axis of rotation of the convective flow.
A fluid separator, comprising an elongate receptacle having an inlet operable to receive a fluid mixture, wherein:
- the receptacle is oriented at an angle to horizontal such that gravitational force causes a portion of the fluid mixture to settle to a lower sidewall of the receptacle, flow along the lower sidewall to a lower end wall of the receptacle, and turn at the lower end wall to flow along an upper sidewall of the receptacle toward an upper end of the receptacle;
- and
- the flow along the lower sidewall has a larger amount of a heavy constituent of the fluid mixture than the flow along the upper sidewall,
- wherein the angle to horizontal is between about 30° and about 70°;
- and
- wherein the inlet is disposed one of at an acute angle to the elongate receptacle or in a plane coaxial with axis of rotation of the fluid mixture.
A method of separating constituents of a fluid mixture, comprising receiving the fluid mixture through an inlet port in an elongate receptacle oriented at an acute angle to horizontal such that gravitational force causes a portion of the fluid mixture to settle to a lower sidewall of the receptacle, flow along the lower sidewall to a lower end wall of the receptacle, and turn at the lower end wall to flow along an upper sidewall of the receptacle toward an upper end of the receptacle, wherein the flow along the lower sidewall has a larger amount of a heavy constituent of the fluid mixture than the flow along the upper sidewall,
- wherein the acute angle to horizontal is between about 30° and about 70°;
- and
- wherein the inlet port is disposed one of at an acute angle to the elongate receptacle or in a plane coaxial with axis of rotation of the fluid mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.