SLURRY GENERATION

• US 20130025632A1
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Hatton, Gregory John
• Application Number:
  US13/640,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20130025632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/8
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/001 Cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/01 specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/46 Launching or retrieval of pigs or moles

Abstract

A system for maintaining production flow in a subsea pipeline having a proximate and a distal end, the pipeline being in fluid communication with a production facility on a distal end, the system comprising a flow loop comprising an inlet in fluid communication with at least one subsea well adapted to receive a hydrocarbon production flow, and an outlet in fluid communication with the proximate end of the pipeline; a pig launching system, adapted so that a pig may be selectively placed into the flow loop inlet; and a pig receiving system, adapted so that a pig may be removed from the hydrocarbon production flow from the flow loop outlet; wherein the flow loop has an inner surface roughness less than about 1000 micro-inches.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining production flow in a subsea pipeline having a proximate and a distal end, the pipeline being in fluid communication with a production facility on a distal end, the system comprising:

a flow loop comprising an inlet in fluid communication with at least one subsea well adapted to receive a hydrocarbon production flow, and an outlet in fluid communication with the proximate end of the pipeline;

a pig launching system, adapted so that a pig may be selectively placed into the flow loop inlet; and

a pig receiving system, adapted so that a pig may be removed from the hydrocarbon production flow from the flow loop outlet;

wherein the flow loop has an inner surface roughness less than about 1000 micro-inches.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bypass pig within the flow loop.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow loop is exposed to a subsea environment to provide for cooling of the hydrocarbon production flow approaching a temperature of the subsea environment.

4. The system of claim 1, further including a bypass fluid conduit between the flow loop inlet and the proximate end of the pipeline.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow loop comprises a forced coolant pipe-in-pipe system, having inner and outer pipes, adapted so that production flows through the inner pipe and coolant flows through the annulus formed between the inner and outer pipes in a direction counter to the production flow direction.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the coolant is seawater.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pipeline has an inner surface roughness less than about 1000 micro-inches.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the pipeline further comprises one or more bypass pigs.

9. A method for maintaining production flow in a subsea pipeline, comprising:

producing a hydrocarbon from at least one subsea well;

transporting the hydrocarbon from the at least one subsea well to a heat exchanger;

passing the hydrocarbon through the heat exchanger, in order to cool the hydrocarbon and precipitate at least one solid selected from waxes, paraffins, asphaltenes, and/or hydrates;

passing the hydrocarbon through a pipeline from the heat exchanger to a host; and

pigging the heat exchanger with a pig to produce a slurry of the solids in the hydrocarbon;

wherein the heat exchanger comprises a pipe having an inner surface roughness less than about 1000 micro-inches.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pig comprises a bypass pig.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the pig is recovered from an outlet of the heat exchanger and recycled to an inlet of the heat exchanger.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the pipeline has an inner surface roughness less than about 1000 micro-inches.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising pigging the pipeline with one or more bypass pigs.

14. A method for maintaining production flow in a subsea pipeline, comprising:

producing a hydrocarbon from at least one subsea well;

transporting the hydrocarbon from the at least one subsea well to a heat exchanger;

passing the hydrocarbon through the heat exchanger, in order to cool the hydrocarbon and precipitate at least one solid selected from waxes, paraffins, asphaltenes, and/or hydrates;

passing the hydrocarbon through a pipeline from the heat exchanger to a host; and

pigging the heat exchanger with a pig to produce a slurry of the solids in the hydrocarbon;

wherein the pig comprises a bypass pig.