Subsea cooler
AssigneeFMC Kongsberg Subsea AS
InventorsVidar Sten-Halvorsen, Erik Baggerud, Terje Hollingsaeter
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Abstract
The present invention regards a subsea cooling unit having an inlet for a hot fluid and an outlet for cooled fluid, the cooling unit comprising a number of coils exposed to seawater, and means for generating a flow of seawater past the coils, where the means for generating the flow of seawater comprises a propeller and a rotatable actuator and that the cooler is enclosed in a duct.
Claims22
A subsea cooling unit comprising:
- a piping arrangement which includes a fluid inlet for a fluid stream produced from one or more subsea wells, a fluid outlet for the fluid stream, and a number of coils which are connected between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;
- a duct in which the coils are housed, the duct being submerged in the sea and including a duct inlet and a duct outlet which are submerged in the sea such that the coils are also submerged in the sea;
- means for generating a flow of seawater past the coils, said means including a propeller which is located in the duct and is rotated by an actuator;
- wherein as the fluid stream flows through the coils the seawater flows through the duct and over the coils to cool the fluid stream.
A cooling unit for cooling a fluid stream which comprises:
- a piping arrangement which includes a fluid inlet for the fluid stream, a fluid outlet for the fluid stream, and a number of coils which are positioned in a duct and are connected between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;
- and
- a first propeller which is positioned in the duct and which when rotated generates a flow of cooling fluid past the coils;
- and
- means for rotating the first propeller, said rotating means including a second propeller which is positioned in either the fluid inlet or the fluid outlet;
- wherein the fluid stream rotates the second propeller to thereby power the first propeller.
A method for subsea cooling of a fluid stream produced from one or more subsea wells, the method comprising:
- directing the fluid stream into a fluid inlet, through a number of coils housed in a duct, and then through a fluid outlet, said duct being submerged in the sea and comprising a duct inlet and a duct outlet which are submerged in the sea such that the coils are also submerged in the sea;
- and
- driving the seawater through the duct and past the coils with a propeller to thereby enable the seawater to absorb heat from the fluid stream, said propeller being located in the duct.
A subsea cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid stream with seawater, the cooling apparatus comprising:
- a pipe arrangement through which the fluid stream is directed;
- a duct within which at least a portion of the pipe arrangement is housed, said duct being submerged in the sea and comprising a duct inlet and a duct outlet which are submerged in the sea such that said portion of the pipe arrangement is also submerged in the sea;
- a first propeller which when rotated generates a flow of seawater through the duct and over said portion of the pipe arrangement, said first propeller being located within the duct;
- and
- means for rotating the first propeller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.