Slug catcher skid

• US 10,641,076 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TK Skids LLC
• Original Assignee: Thomas Kunkel
• Inventors: Kunkel, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sayre, James G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lembo, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US16/351,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20190211663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/00 Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 19/0063 Regulation, control including valves and floats for construction and details of valves F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/34 Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0022 Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas

Abstract

Disclosed is a slug catcher skid that is comprised of an integral inlet separator sized for a single compressor flow and each slug catcher skid is only used with a single compressor. The flow through the integral inlet separator is determined by the flow rate through the single compressor to which it is attached. Additionally, the other piping on an individual slug catcher skid such as the common gas inlet pipe headers, the common liquid drain pipe headers, and the common gas discharge pipe headers are sized for the flow of multiple compressors in a single facility. Some embodiments of the slug catcher skid are further comprised of an inlet filter separator, a Positive Shut Off (PSO) system, and/or an equalizing system in various combinations. The slug skids of the claimed invention may be further comprised of post compressor functional equipment including but not limited to a discharge gas oil separation vessel and a glycol separation vessel.

Claims

1. A slug catcher skid comprising:

a common gas inlet pipe header, a gas inlet pipe, integral inlet separator, a gas flow pipe, an inlet filter separator, a compressor inlet pipe, a compressor discharge pipe, a common gas discharge pipe header, and a common liquid drain pipe header;

wherein the common gas inlet pipe header is comprised of flanged connections;

wherein the gas flow pipe includes a generic isolation valve and a generic bypass valve;

wherein the gas inlet pipe includes an inlet isolation valve;

wherein the integral inlet separator is sized for gas flow requirements to an individual compressor and is further comprised of an integral inlet separator drain pipe connecting to the integral inlet separator via a primary liquid drain connection, the integral inlet separator drain pipe connecting the integral inlet separator to the common liquid drain pipe header;

wherein the integral inlet separator is also comprised of a gravity drain inlet connection,

wherein the inlet filter separator is comprised of two stages, a first stage of the inlet filter separator and a second stage of the inlet filter separator; and

wherein inlet filter separator is further comprised of a gravity drain pipe connected to the first stage of the inlet filter separator via a gravity drain outlet connection;

whereby the gravity drain pipe further includes a check valve;

whereby condensate from the first stage of the inlet filter separator gravity drains out of the gravity drain inlet connection back to the integral inlet separator via the gravity drain pipe; and

wherein the second stage of the inlet filter separator has a second stage drain pipe that is routed to an external sump; and

wherein the external sump has a level controller that controls an external sump automated drain valve located on an external sump drain which connects the external sump to the common liquid drain pipe header

wherein the common gas discharge pipe header is comprised of flanged connections;

wherein the common liquid drain pipe header is comprised of flanged connections;

whereby a fluid comprised of gas and condensate coming from a well enters the skid through the common gas inlet pipe header and then travels sequentially through the gas inlet pipe into the integral inlet separator whereby the gas is separated from the condensate, the gas then travels up through the gas flow pipe into the inlet filter separator, gas exits the inlet filter separator via the compressor inlet pipe entering the individual compressor and compressed gas is formed, the compressed gas then travels through the compressor discharge pipe to the common gas discharge pipe header and eventually exiting the skid.

2. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, wherein a level gauge measures the condensate level within the integral inlet separator, wherein the integral inlet separator is connected to the level gauge via an upper level gauge connection and a lower level gauge connection;

wherein the level gauge is further comprised of an integral inlet separator level controller, wherein the integral inlet separator drain pipe is further comprised of an automated drain valve, whereby when the condensate level rises up to a maximum liquid level setpoint between the upper gauge connection and lower gauge connection, the integral inlet separator level controller opens the automated drain valve allowing the condensate to drain and when the condensate level inside drains down to a minimum liquid level setpoint between the upper gauge connection and lower gauge connections, the integral inlet separator level controller closes the automated drain valve.

3. The slug catcher skid claim 1, whereby the slug catcher skid is capable of connecting to other identical slug catcher skids in series via the flanged connections of the common gas inlet pipe header, the flanged connections of the common gas discharge pipe header, and the flanged connections of common liquid drain pipe header;

each connecting to the flanged connections of their corresponding part on the other slug catcher skids respectively.

4. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, further comprised of a PSO System, whereby the PSO system is located between the compressor inlet pipe and the compressor;

whereby the PSO system is comprised of an interior mechanical float, a PSO system drain pipe, a PSO drain valve, and a PSO discharge connection that connects the PSO system to the compressor, and whereby condensate enters the PSO system via the compressor inlet pipe causing the interior mechanical float to rise, at a maximum rise point the mechanical float plugs the PSO discharge connection thereby isolating the compressor from the condensate, and whereby the condensate drains through the PSO system drain pipe via the PSO drain valve into the common liquid drain pipe header.

5. The slug catcher skid of claim 1 whereby an inlet ESD automated valve is installed on the common gas inlet pipe header.

6. The slug catcher skid of claim 5 whereby a blowdown automated valve is installed downstream of the inlet ESD automated valve to vent gas from the common gas inlet pipe header.

7. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, whereby a discharge ESD automated valve is installed on the common gas discharge pipe header.

8. The slug catcher skid of claim 7, whereby a blowdown automated valve is installed upstream of the discharge ESD automated valve to vent gas from the common gas discharge pipe header.

9. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, further comprising a pressurizing pipe with a small diameter valve located at the inlet isolation valve on the gas inlet pipe.

10. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, further comprising a compressor inlet suction control valve, a pressure equalizing pipe, and an equalizing check valve, whereby the equalizing check valve in the pressure equalizing pipe prevents flow from the compressor inlet pipe downstream of the compressor inlet suction control valve until pressure is “

equalized”

on the compressor.

11. The slug catcher skid of claim 1, whereby the integral inlet separator drain pipe is further comprised of a secondary liquid connection that connects to the integral inlet separator.