Containment cellar
AssigneeC & C Rentals, LLC
InventorChristopher L. Dunlavy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A containment cellar collects petroleum products leaked in a vicinity of a conductor pipe at an oil drilling site. The containment cellar has a body, a pipe, and a pumping orifice. The body has bottom and side surfaces to define an interior chamber to surround a length of the conductor pipe. The bottom surface includes an aperture to receive the conductor pipe. The surfaces are composed of materials substantially impermeable to the petroleum products. The side surface has sufficient strength to maintain integrity of the interior chamber when the containment cellar is disposed at least partially beneath a surface of the earth. The pipe extends through the interior chamber. The pumping orifice is coupled with the pipe and adapted for coupling with a pump to extract the leaked petroleum products from the interior chamber.
Claims13
A system, comprising:
- a conductor pipe installed near a surface of the earth at an oil drilling site for use in extracting petroleum products from beneath the surface of the earth;
- and a containment cellar for collecting petroleum products leaked in a vicinity of the conductor pipe, the containment cellar comprising:
- a body comprising a bottom surface, a plurality of wells formed within the bottom surface, an aperture through the bottom surface to receive the conductor pipe, and a side surface to define an interior chamber to surround the conductor pipe, wherein:
- each well is defined by a lower wall disposed below the bottom surface and at least one side wall connecting the lower wall to the bottom surface;
- the bottom and side surfaces are composed of materials substantially impermeable to the petroleum products;
- and
- the side surface is composed of a material having sufficient strength to maintain integrity of the interior chamber when the containment cellar is disposed at least partially beneath the surface of the earth;
- a plurality of petroleum product removal pipes, wherein each pipe extends from a respective one of the plurality of wells through the interior chamber to a top of the interior chamber and is adapted for coupling with a pump to extract the leaked petroleum products from the respective well and out of the interior chamber;
- and
- a plurality of mounting brackets, wherein each mounting bracket secures a respective one of the plurality of petroleum product removal pipes to the body.
A method for collecting petroleum products leaked in a vicinity of a conductor pipe at an oil drilling site, the method comprising:
- receiving a conductor pipe through an aperture in a bottom surface of a containment cellar so that an interior chamber of the containment cellar surrounds the conductor pipe, wherein the interior chamber of the containment cellar is defined by the bottom surface and a side surface, wherein the bottom and side surface are composed of materials that are substantially impermeable to petroleum products, and wherein the conductor pipe is installed near a surface of the earth at an oil drilling site for use in extracting petroleum products from beneath the surface of the earth;
- disposing the containment cellar at least partially beneath a surface of the earth, wherein the side surface is composed of a material having sufficient strength to provide structural support to resist collapse of the earth into the interior chamber;
- collecting petroleum products from the conductor pipe in the interior chamber within a plurality of wells formed within the bottom surface, wherein each well is defined by a lower wall disposed below the bottom surface and at least one side wall connecting the lower wall to the bottom surface;
- and
- pumping the collected petroleum products from the interior chamber, wherein the pumping step includes:
- coupling a pump to a pipe that extends from one of the plurality of wells through the interior chamber to a top of the interior chamber;
- and
- operating the pump to pump the collected petroleum products from the one of the plurality of wells through the pipe and remove the collected petroleum products from the interior chamber of the containment cellar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.