Subsea processing
AssigneeStatoil Petroleum AS
InventorsWilliam Bakke, Henning Holm, Tor Arne Gunnerød
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is described subsea apparatus and a method for processing fluid from a well. In an embodiment, a pipeline may be arranged to carry the multiphase fluid containing liquid and gas from the well. An outlet extending through a wall of the pipeline may let gas out of the pipeline from said region and through the outlet to separate said gas and liquid. A compressor may be connected to the outlet to compress the separated gas. Separated liquid may be conveyed along a sloping portion of the pipe to a low point in the seabed terrain, and may be conveyed to a pump for boosting the flow of liquid. The pump may be located in an excavated hole or glory hole below the seabed.
Claims26
A subsea apparatus for processing fluid from a well, the apparatus comprising:
- a pipeline arranged to contain a flow of said fluid, said fluid comprising liquid and gas;
- an outlet extending through a wall of said pipeline, said outlet arranged to let gas out of the pipeline through the outlet to separate said gas from said liquid and produce separated gas and separated liquid;
- and
- a compressor arranged to compress the separated gas,
- wherein a portion of the pipeline downstream of said outlet is arranged to receive said separated liquid, and said portion of the pipeline is sloped over at least part of its length, and
- wherein said pipeline is arranged to be located at or on the seabed, and the sloped portion is arranged to slope in a downstream direction between a first point along the pipeline and a second point along the pipeline, and the seabed is lower at the second point than at the first point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.