Arrangement for sand collection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9638375-B2
Application number	US-201114238460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2011
Priority date	Sep 2, 2011
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

The present invention regards a subsea sand handling system for limiting abrasion of specific subsea equipment ( 5 ), comprising an inlet ( 10 ) connectable to a sand separation system ( 2 ) upstream of the specific equipment ( 5 ) and an outlet ( 18, 22 ) connectable to a pipeline ( 6 ) downstream of the specific equipment ( 5 ), wherein it comprises at least two collection vessels ( 11,14 ) and means for flushing ( 16,17,19,21 ) the sand out of at least one of the collection vessels ( 11,14 ), and the vessels ( 11,14 ) and the means for flushing ( 16,17,19,21 ) the sand out of said vessels ( 11,14 ) are configured such that sand is flushed from one vessel ( 11,14 ) while sand is collected in the other vessel ( 14,11 ). The present invention also regards a method for limiting abrasion of subsea rotating equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A subsea sand handling system for limiting abrasion of specific subsea equipment, comprising:
an inlet connectable to a sand outlet of a sand separation system located upstream of the specific equipment;
an outlet connectable to a pipeline downstream of the specific equipment;
at least two collection vessels connected between the inlet and the outlet; and
means for flushing sand out of one of the collection vessels and into the outlet while at the same time sand passing through the inlet is collected in the other collection vessel;
wherein at least a part of each vessel is configured to be rotatable about an axis, such that in one position one of the vessels is in connection with the sand separation system and in a second position that vessel is in connection with the flushing means.

2. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 1 , wherein sand is collected in a first collection vessel, the flushing means is connected to a second collection vessel, and the system further comprises a connection between the first and second collection vessels through which sand from the first vessel is emptied into the second vessel.

3. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 2 , wherein the first vessel is arranged relatively above the second vessel such that sand may be transferred through the connection from the first vessel to the second vessel with the aid of gravity.

4. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 3 , wherein the connection comprises a rotating ball valve comprising chambers for collecting sand to be emptied from the first vessel to the second vessel.

5. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 1 , wherein a connection between the vessels and the inlet is so configured that sand is alternately collected in the first and the second vessels; and wherein the flushing means is so configured that sand is flushed from the vessels when the vessel is not collecting sand.

6. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 5 , wherein the flushing means comprises respective connections to both vessels and valves positioned in said connections for regulating the flushing of the separate vessels.

7. The subsea sand handling system according to claim 1 , further comprising means for leading fluid from downstream of the specific equipment into the flushing means to flush the vessels.

8. A subsea sand handling system for use in connection with a subsea system component, the sand handling system comprising:
an inlet which is connected to a sand outlet of a sand separation system located upstream of the component;
an outlet which is connected to a pipeline located downstream of the component; and
at least two collection vessels which are connected between the inlet and the outlet;
wherein in operation of the sand handling system sand from the sand separation system is conveyed through the inlet into one of the collection vessels while at the same time sand in the other of the collection vessels is conveyed through the outlet and into the pipeline;
wherein the inlet is connected to a first of the collection vessel, the outlet is connected to a second of the collection vessels, and the system further comprises a connection member which connects the first vessel to the second vessel and through which sand in the first vessel is transferred into the second vessel.

9. The subsea sand handling system of claim 8 , wherein the first vessel is positioned vertically above the second vessel and the sand is transferred through the connection member with the aid of gravity.

10. The subsea sand handling system of claim 9 , wherein the connection member comprises a rotating ball valve which includes at least one chamber in which sand in the first vessel is collected, and wherein upon rotation of the ball valve the sand in the first chamber is deposited into the second vessel.

11. The subsea sand handling system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a fluid line which is connected between the second collection vessel and the pipeline at a location upstream of the outlet;
wherein in operation of the sand handling system sand from the sand separation system is conveyed through the inlet into the first vessel while at the same time fluid in the pipeline downstream of the component is conveyed through the fluid line and the second vessel to thereby flush sand from the second vessel into the outlet.

12. The subsea sand handling system of claim 11 , further comprising an ejector which is positioned in the outlet and is operated by fluid conveyed through the fluid line.

13. The subsea sand handling system of claim 8 , wherein both a first and second of the vessels are connected to the inlet through a first three-way valve and both the first and second vessels are connected to the outlet through a second three-way valve, and wherein in operation of the sand handling system sand is alternately conveyed through the inlet into one of the first and second vessels while at the same time sand is conveyed through the outlet from the other of the first and second vessels.

14. The subsea sand handling system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a fluid line which is connected on one end to both the first and second vessels through a third three-way valve and on the other end to the pipeline at a location upstream of the outlet;
wherein while sand is conveyed through the inlet into one of the first and second vessels, fluid is conveyed through the fluid line and the other of the first and second vessels to thereby flush sand from said vessel into the outlet.

15. The subsea sand handling system of claim 14 , further comprising an ejector which is positioned in the outlet and is operated by fluid conveyed through the fluid line.

Assignees

• Hollingsaeter Terje
• Fantoft Rune
• Fmc Kongsberg Subsea As

Inventors

• Hollingsaeter Terje
• Fantoft Rune

Classifications

• E21B43/36

  Underwater separating arrangements (E21B43/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B43/35

  specially adapted for separating solids (down-hole drilling fluid separation systems E21B21/002; separating solids from drilling fluids E21B21/065) · CPC title

• E21B21/065 Primary

  Separating solids from drilling fluids · CPC title

• F17D3/01

  for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product · CPC title

• F17D1/088 Primary

  for solids or suspensions of solids in liquids, e.g. slurries (F17D1/086 takes precedence) · CPC title