Subsea pressure delivery system

• US 9,222,326 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cameron International Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Cameron International Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Whitby, Melvyn F., Kroesen, Gerrit, Boisjolie, Roger, Coonrod, Donald S., Fisher, Edmund A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buck, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEMBO, AARON LLOYD
• Application Number:
  US12/935,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20120279720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,440 Days
• Field of Search: 166/363, 166/368, 251 11- 13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/0355 Control systems, e.g. hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, acoustic, for submerged well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/064 specially adapted for underwater well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0085 Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 21/006 Compensation or avoidance of ambient pressure variation
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 3/00 Intensifiers or fluid-pressure converters, e.g. pressure exchangers; Conveying pressure from one fluid system to another, without contact between the fluids fluid-driven pumps F04B9/08

Abstract

A subsea system including a frame including an intensifier, the intensifier providing structural support to the frame and capable of providing pressurized delivery fluid. The intensifier includes an intensifier chamber and a delivery fluid chamber separated by a piston, the intensifier chamber capable of receiving ambient pressure to provide a pressure on the delivery fluid through the piston. Also, a regulation system regulates the amount of ambient pressure communicated to the intensifier chamber to maintain the delivery fluid pressure substantially constant as the delivery fluid is depleted.

Claims

1. A subsea system including:

a frame of a subsea assembly including an intensifier, the intensifier configured to provide additional structural support to the frame and pressurized delivery fluid;

the intensifier including an intensifier chamber and a delivery fluid chamber separated by a piston, the intensifier chamber configured to receive ambient pressure to provide a pressure on the delivery fluid through the piston; and

a regulation system configured to regulate the amount of ambient pressure communicated to the intensifier chamber to maintain the delivery fluid pressure substantially constant as the delivery fluid is depleted.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intensifier is rechargeable by resetting the piston using at least one of hydrostatic pressure, a recharge pump powered by a power pack, and an external fluid recovery tank.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power pack is configured to store power from a regenerator powered using fluid discharged from the intensifier.

4. The system of claim 1, further including an external delivery fluid recovery system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the regulation system includes a regulator, a reference pilot accumulator, and a reference reservoir, the regulation system being controllable using a closed-loop control system based in part on the delivery fluid pressure of the intensifier.

6. The system of claim 5, further including a reference pump to adjust the pressure of the reference pilot accumulator to change the delivery fluid pressure of the intensifier.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the intensifier piston is operable as a pressure intensifying pump, wherein seawater pressure regulated by the regulation system is multiplied to the delivery fluid pressure by an intensification factor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame is configured to support a blowout preventer (BOP), the blowout preventer being operable using the delivery fluid.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a screen configured to filter seawater used by the intensifier and the regulation system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame is a mudmat, the system being configured to use the delivery fluid to operate at least one of a BOP stack, a subsea production tree, a subsea distribution unit, and a subsea production manifold.

11. The system of claim 1, the system being remotely controllable from the sea surface.

12. A subsea well system including:

a wellhead;

a blow-out preventer (BOP) frame configured to support at least one BOP and be connectable with the wellhead;

the BOP frame including an intensifier, the intensifier configured to provide structural support to the frame and pressurized delivery fluid;

the intensifier including an intensifier chamber and a delivery fluid chamber separated by a piston, the intensifier chamber being configured to receive ambient pressure to provide a pressure on the delivery fluid through the piston; and

a regulation system configured to regulate the amount of ambient pressure communicated to the intensifier chamber to maintain the delivery fluid pressure substantially constant as the delivery fluid is depleted.

13. The subsea well system of claim 12, wherein the intensifier is rechargeable by resetting the piston using at least one of hydrostatic pressure, a recharge pump powered by a power pack, and an external fluid recovery tank.

14. The subsea well system of claim 13, wherein the power pack is configured to store power from a regenerator powered using fluid discharged from the intensifier.

15. The subsea well system of claim 12, further including an external delivery fluid recovery system.

16. The subsea well system of claim 12, wherein the regulation system includes a regulator, a reference pilot accumulator, and a reference reservoir, the regulation system being controllable using a closed-loop control system based in part on the delivery fluid pressure of the intensifier.

17. The subsea well system of claim 16, further including a reference pump to adjust the pressure of the reference pilot accumulator to change the delivery fluid pressure of the intensifier.

18. The subsea well system of claim 12, wherein the intensifier piston is operable an a pressure intensifying pump, wherein seawater pressure regulated by the regulation system is multiplied to the delivery fluid pressure by an intensification factor.

19. The subsea well system of claim 12, wherein the BOP is operable using the delivery fluid.

20. The subsea well system of claim 12, further including a screen configured to filter seawater used by the intensifier and the regulation system.

21. The subsea well system of claim 12, wherein the frame is a mudmat, the system being configured to use the delivery fluid to operate at least one of a BOP stack, a subsea production tree, a subsea distribution unit, and a subsea production manifold.

22. The subsea well system of claim 12, the system being remotely controllable from the sea surface.