CURRENT TANK SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100139384A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: McMillian, Janet Kay, McMillian, David Wayne, Uehara-Nagamine, Ernesto, Menon, Raghunath Gopal, West, Christopher Steven, Allen, Donald Wayne, Henning, Dean Leroy
• Application Number:
  US12/278,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20100139384A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/147
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 10/00 Hydrodynamic testing; Arrangements in or on ship-testing tanks or water tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 9/04 Details

Abstract

There is disclosed a current tank system comprising a first current tank adapted to produce a first current in a first direction, and a second current tank adapted to produce a second current in a second direction. There is also disclosed a method of testing a sample, comprising exposing the sample to a first current in a first current tank, and exposing the sample to a second current in a second current tank.

Claims

1. A current tank system comprising:

a first current tank adapted to produce a first current in a first direction;

a second current tank adapted to produce a second current in a second direction;

a sample adapted to be exposed to the first current and the second current.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second current tank is mounted above the first current tank.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first and second current tanks are provided with a sealed cover to prevent a fluid from flowing from one of the current tanks to the other.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are separated by an angle from 30 to 180 degrees.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are separated by an angle from 60 to 120 degrees.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a test sample exposed to the first current and the second current.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first current tank further comprises one or more propellers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second current tank further comprises one or more thrusters.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more shear screens, straighteners, and/or turbulence reduction screens.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second current tank is adapted to be rotated relative to the first current tank.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid selected from the group consisting of water, air, brine, and other water based mixtures.

12. A method of testing a sample, comprising:

exposing the sample to a first current in a first current tank; and

exposing the sample to a second current in a second current tank.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first current and the second current are separated by an angle from 30 to 180 degrees.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first current and the second current are separated by an angle from 60 to 120 degrees.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising producing the first current with one or more propellers.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising producing the second current with one or more thrusters.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising rotating the second current tank relative to the first current tank, in order to change the direction of the second current relative to the first current.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the second current comprises a current profile of increasing velocity from top to bottom.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the second current comprises a current profile resembling a sine wave from top to bottom.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising exposing the sample to a third current in a third current tank.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising measuring a response of the sample to the currents.