WO2004033377A1 - Crude oel separator device using ultrasonic waves - Google Patents

Crude oel separator device using ultrasonic waves Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004033377A1
WO2004033377A1 PCT/US2003/032208 US0332208W WO2004033377A1 WO 2004033377 A1 WO2004033377 A1 WO 2004033377A1 US 0332208 W US0332208 W US 0332208W WO 2004033377 A1 WO2004033377 A1 WO 2004033377A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
gas
crude oil
separator
ultrasonic waves
generating device
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2003/032208
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Brian F. Towler
Siddhartha Seth
Original Assignee
University Of Wyoming
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by University Of Wyoming filed Critical University Of Wyoming
Priority to AU2003284057A priority Critical patent/AU2003284057A1/en
Publication of WO2004033377A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004033377A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D19/00—Degasification of liquids
    • B01D19/0073—Degasification of liquids by a method not covered by groups B01D19/0005 - B01D19/0042
    • B01D19/0078—Degasification of liquids by a method not covered by groups B01D19/0005 - B01D19/0042 by vibration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
    • B01D17/02—Separation of non-miscible liquids
    • B01D17/0208—Separation of non-miscible liquids by sedimentation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
    • B01D17/02—Separation of non-miscible liquids
    • B01D17/0208—Separation of non-miscible liquids by sedimentation
    • B01D17/0211—Separation of non-miscible liquids by sedimentation with baffles
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/20—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by degassing, i.e. liberation of dissolved gases
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/34—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage with mechanical oscillations
    • C02F1/36—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage with mechanical oscillations ultrasonic vibrations
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/40—Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
    • C02F2101/30—Organic compounds
    • C02F2101/32—Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10G—CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
    • C10G2300/00—Aspects relating to hydrocarbon processing covered by groups C10G1/00 - C10G99/00
    • C10G2300/10—Feedstock materials
    • C10G2300/107—Atmospheric residues having a boiling point of at least about 538 °C

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a crude oil separator device and, more particularly, the invention relates to using ultrasonic waves in conjunction with a crude oil separator device for separating gas, oil, and water.
  • the present invention is a crude oil separator system for receiving liquids and separating gas, oil, and water.
  • the crude oil separator system has a separator with an inner surface.
  • the crude oil separator system comprises an ultrasonic generating device for generating ultrasonic waves.
  • the present invention further includes a method for separating gas, oil, and water from liquids. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic generating device and generating ultrasonic waves.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating experimental setup devised to quantify the increase in gas/water/oil separation using ultrasonic waves
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a crude oil separator device using ultrasonic waves, constructed in accordance with the present invention.
  • the present invention is an ultrasonic wave generating device, indicated generally at 10, for use with a gas/oil/water separator device 12.
  • the separation of the gas/oil/water mixture within the separator device 12 is enhanced by using ultrasonic waves.
  • the ultrasonic waves are generated by the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 attached to the inner surface of the conventional separator or operated as a separate unit.
  • Each oil/gas/water system is analyzed separately to determine the exact frequency of the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 at which the separation efficiency is at a maximum.
  • the separator 12 of the present invention uses ultrasonic waves and can be used as an individual unit or the ultrasonic wave-generating device 10 can be attached inside an existing separator devices 12 to increase their efficiency.
  • the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 of the present invention can be specifically designed taking into account the design of the separator device and the operating conditions in mind.
  • the inventors of the present application observed that the effect of application of ultrasonic was two folds. Firstly, the ultrasonic waves create a wave-like pattern that was decreased the amount of wax deposited during the experiment.
  • the inlet tank 14 containing the crude oil has a Jknown gas to oil ratio (GOR 1). This ratio is obtained by dissolving a Jknown quantity of gas in the inlet tank 14.
  • GOR 1 gas to oil ratio
  • the crude oil, after being processed in the separator device 12 is stored in a separate storage or outlet tank 16.
  • the gas to oil ratio of the storage 16 tank is measured at the end of the experiment.
  • the rates of oil and gas coming from the storage tank 16 are used to determine the gas oil ratio of the oil at the inlet 18 and the outlet 20 of the separator device 12 and, hence, the efficiency of separation can be determined.

Abstract

A crude oil separator system (12) for receiving liquids and separating gas, oil, and water is provided. The crude oil separator system has a separator with an inner surface. The crude oil separator system comprises an ultrasonic generating device (10) for generating ultrasonic waves. A method for separating gas, oil, and water from liquids is also provided.

Description

CRUDE OIL SEPARATOR DEVICE USING ULTRASONIC WAVES
The present application is a continuation of pending provisional patent application Serial No. 60/417,712, filed on October 10, 2002, entitled "Crude Oil Separator Device Using Ultrasonic Waves".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to a crude oil separator device and, more particularly, the invention relates to using ultrasonic waves in conjunction with a crude oil separator device for separating gas, oil, and water.
2. Description of the Prior Art The oil industry is continuously moving into deeper offshore sites to look for oil in order to meet the rising demands of the market. The availability of space is one of the major constraints while operating an offshore platform. In addition, the investments involved in constructing and maintaining the equipment are very large as compared to the investments of an onshore facility of the same magnitude. Separators are some of the key pieces of equipment present on a platform. The primary function of a separator is to separate the water and gas from the crude oil (in more cases than not, all three mentioned fractions will be present in the crude oil). Hence, there is a need to have a separator that will handle a specific flow rate of crude oil, at a specific temperature and pressure, and achieve the required separation of the three components (i.e. oil, water and gas). Currently many different kinds of separators are in use in the industry. The inventors of the present application have demonstrated that ultrasonic waves increase the efficiency of operation and hence smaller separators can be used to do the same volume of separation as a larger one that does not use the ultrasonic waves. This saves space on an offshore platform and will reduce the size and therefore the cost for onshore installations. SUMMARY The present invention is a crude oil separator system for receiving liquids and separating gas, oil, and water. The crude oil separator system has a separator with an inner surface. The crude oil separator system comprises an ultrasonic generating device for generating ultrasonic waves. The present invention further includes a method for separating gas, oil, and water from liquids. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic generating device and generating ultrasonic waves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating experimental setup devised to quantify the increase in gas/water/oil separation using ultrasonic waves; and FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a crude oil separator device using ultrasonic waves, constructed in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention is an ultrasonic wave generating device, indicated generally at 10, for use with a gas/oil/water separator device 12. The separation of the gas/oil/water mixture within the separator device 12 is enhanced by using ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves are generated by the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 attached to the inner surface of the conventional separator or operated as a separate unit. Each oil/gas/water system is analyzed separately to determine the exact frequency of the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 at which the separation efficiency is at a maximum. The separator 12 of the present invention uses ultrasonic waves and can be used as an individual unit or the ultrasonic wave-generating device 10 can be attached inside an existing separator devices 12 to increase their efficiency. However, since the actual design of the separator device 12 varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 of the present invention can be specifically designed taking into account the design of the separator device and the operating conditions in mind. During a study on the effect of ultrasonic waves on paraffin wax deposition, the inventors of the present application observed that the effect of application of ultrasonic was two folds. Firstly, the ultrasonic waves create a wave-like pattern that was decreased the amount of wax deposited during the experiment. Secondly, the inventors of the present application also observed (visual observation) that when ultrasonic waves were applied to the oil, a significant quantity of gas bubbles (dissolved gas) evolved from the container containing the oil, whereas no gas had been visible prior to the application of ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic wave generating device 10 have the effect of creating gas filled cavities in liquids which then collapse violently. The collapsed cavities serve as nucleation points for the release of dissolved gas. The setup of the equipment is illustrated in FIG. 1. The details of the working separator device 12 are illustrated in FIG. 2. The following dimensions of the separator device 12 were used, although other dimensions are within the scope of the present invention: Length = 18 cm (0.18 m) Diameter = 10 cm (0.1 m) Total volume = ( I/4) * L * D2 = (π/4) * 18 * (10)2 = 1413 cm3 = 1413 ml = 1.413 L
The separator device 12 is operated at about half its total volume. Representative figures are as follows: Operating volume = 700 ml or 0.7 L Residence time (t) = 15 - 20 min Volumetric flow rate (q) = (0.7/15) L/min = 0.0466 L/min = 46.66 ml/min = (0.7/20) L/min = 0.035 L/min = 35 ml/min
Hence, the Operating Volumetric flow rate = 40 ml/min.
The inlet tank 14 containing the crude oil has a Jknown gas to oil ratio (GOR 1). This ratio is obtained by dissolving a Jknown quantity of gas in the inlet tank 14. The crude oil, after being processed in the separator device 12 is stored in a separate storage or outlet tank 16. The gas to oil ratio of the storage 16 tank is measured at the end of the experiment. The rates of oil and gas coming from the storage tank 16 are used to determine the gas oil ratio of the oil at the inlet 18 and the outlet 20 of the separator device 12 and, hence, the efficiency of separation can be determined.
Total time for the experiment, T Initial Gas to Oil ratio, Gl Final Gas to Oil ratio, G2
Hence, the amount of gas separated in the separator device 12 without the application of Ultrasonic waves = GS 1 = (Gl - G2)*q*T.
During experiments, the process was carried out multiple times first with no ultrasonic treatment being applied to the separator device 12 and secondly with the application of ultrasonic waves. The amount of gas separated in the separator device 12 with the application of ultrasonic waves based on similar calculations as shown above = GS 2
% Increase in efficiency = (GS2 - GS 1) * 100 / GS 1.
The foregoing exemplary descriptions and the illustrative preferred embodiments of the present invention have been explained in the drawings and described in detail, with varying modifications and alternative embodiments being taught. While the invention has been so shown, described and illustrated, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, and that the scope of the present invention is to be limited only to the claims except as precluded by the prior art. Moreover, the invention as disclosed herein, may be suitably practiced in the absence of the specific elements which are disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:
1. A crude oil separator system for receiving liquids and separating gas, oil, and water, the crude oil separator system having a separator with an inner surface, the crude oil separator system comprising: an ultrasonic generating device for generating ultrasonic waves.
2. The crude oil separator system of claim 1 wherein the frequency of the ultrasonic generating device is predetermined.
3. The crude oil separator system of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic generating device is secured to the inner surface of the separator.
4. The crude oil separator system of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic generating device is an individual unit operating in conjunction with the separator.
5. The crude oil separator system of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic waves create gas filled cavities in the liquids which collapse thereby serving as nucleation points for the release of dissolved gas.
6. The crude oil separator system of claim 1 wherein the amount of gas separated in the separator with the application of ultrasonic waves is set forth by the equation:
% Increase in efficiency = (GS2 - GS1) * 100 / GS 1
wherein the rates of oil and gas coming from the tank are used to determine the gas oil ratio of the oil at the inlet and outlet of the separator device and, hence such that
Total time for the experiment, T Initial Gas to Oil ratio, Gl Final Gas to Oil ratio, G2.
7. A method for separating gas, oil, and water from liquids, the method comprising: providing an ultrasonic generating device; and generating ultrasonic waves.
8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising: predetermining the frequency of the ultrasonic generating device.
9. The method of claim 7 and further comprising: securing the ultrasonic generating device to an inner surface of a separator.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the ultrasonic generating device is an individual unit.
11. The method of claim 7 and further comprising: creating gas filled cavities in the liquids with the ultrasonic waves, and collapsing collapse the gas filled cavities thereby serving as nucleation points for the release of dissolved gas.
PCT/US2003/032208 2002-10-10 2003-10-09 Crude oel separator device using ultrasonic waves WO2004033377A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2003284057A AU2003284057A1 (en) 2002-10-10 2003-10-09 Crude oel separator device using ultrasonic waves

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US41771202P 2002-10-10 2002-10-10
US60/417,712 2002-10-10

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2004033377A1 true WO2004033377A1 (en) 2004-04-22

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7677673B2 (en) 2006-09-26 2010-03-16 Hw Advanced Technologies, Inc. Stimulation and recovery of heavy hydrocarbon fluids
CN112940774A (en) * 2019-11-26 2021-06-11 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 Crude oil dehydration system
WO2022157801A1 (en) 2021-01-19 2022-07-28 Nayara Energy Limited The novel process for reclamation of oil in water emulsion collected from crude oil de-salter brine water

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN113223395A (en) * 2021-05-12 2021-08-06 中国石油大学(华东) Small-size dynamic electric dehydration experiment teaching device

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3594314A (en) * 1969-02-12 1971-07-20 James R Bilhartz Method of separating oil,water and solids by ultrasonic treatment
US5085783A (en) * 1990-08-16 1992-02-04 Case Western Reserve University Acoustically driven particle separation method and apparatus
US5885424A (en) * 1994-06-15 1999-03-23 Mobil Oil Corporation Method and apparatus for breaking hydrocarbon emulsions
US5951456A (en) * 1997-05-16 1999-09-14 Scott; Harold W. Ultrasonic methods and apparatus for separating materials in a fluid mixture
US20020195402A1 (en) * 2001-06-22 2002-12-26 Minter Bruce E. Method and apparatus for treating fluid mixtures with ultrasonic energy

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3594314A (en) * 1969-02-12 1971-07-20 James R Bilhartz Method of separating oil,water and solids by ultrasonic treatment
US5085783A (en) * 1990-08-16 1992-02-04 Case Western Reserve University Acoustically driven particle separation method and apparatus
US5885424A (en) * 1994-06-15 1999-03-23 Mobil Oil Corporation Method and apparatus for breaking hydrocarbon emulsions
US5951456A (en) * 1997-05-16 1999-09-14 Scott; Harold W. Ultrasonic methods and apparatus for separating materials in a fluid mixture
US20020195402A1 (en) * 2001-06-22 2002-12-26 Minter Bruce E. Method and apparatus for treating fluid mixtures with ultrasonic energy

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7677673B2 (en) 2006-09-26 2010-03-16 Hw Advanced Technologies, Inc. Stimulation and recovery of heavy hydrocarbon fluids
CN112940774A (en) * 2019-11-26 2021-06-11 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 Crude oil dehydration system
WO2022157801A1 (en) 2021-01-19 2022-07-28 Nayara Energy Limited The novel process for reclamation of oil in water emulsion collected from crude oil de-salter brine water

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