SLUG SUPPRESSOR APPARATUS AND CRUDE OIL STABILIZATION ASSEMBLY AND PROCESS THEREFOR

摘要

A SLUG SUPPRESSOR APPARATUS COMPRISING AN INLET SEPARATOR (40) CAPABLE OF GAS-LIQUID SEPARATION OF FULL WELL STREAM (FWS) FLUID AND EXPANDED INCLINED LIQUID PIPE (42) FOR DAMPENING SLUGS. THE INLET SEPARATOR (40) HAS AN INLET FOR RECEIVING THE FWS FLUID, A SEPARATED GAS OUTLET IN ITS UPPER SECTION, AND A SEPARATED LIQUID OUTLET IN ITS LOWER SECTION. THE SEPARATED GAS OUTLET AND THE SEPARATED LIQUID OUTLET ARE OPERATIONALLY CONNECTED TO A GAS BYPASS LINE (41) AND THE EXPANDED INCLINED LIQUID PIPE (42) RESPECTIVELY. THE EXPANDED INCLINED LIQUID PIPE (42) HAS MEANS FOR DAMPENING LIQUID SLUGS AND IS CONNECTABLE TO A 3-PHASE SEPARATOR (44). THE EXPANDED INCLINED LIQUID PIPE (42) HAS A FIRST LIQUID RESERVOIR PIPE (42A) SECTION OF LOW INCLINATION, A SECOND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL HEAD PIPE (42B) SECTION TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT LIQUID HEAD TO OVERCOME PRESSURE DROP OF THE DOWNSTREAM SYSTEM, AND A THIRD RESTRICTOR PIPE (42C) SECTION OF LOW INCLINATION WITH AN INTERNAL SEGMENTED ORIFICE (43) DIMENSIONED TO RESTRICT MAXIMUM LIQUID FLOW AT MAXIMUM UPSTREAM STATIC HEAD TO NO MORE THAN THE MAXIMUM LIQUID HANDLING CAPACITY OF THE DOWNSTREAM SYSTEM. A CRUDE OIL STABILIZATION ASSEMBLY IS ALSO PROVIDED SEPARATELY AND COMPRISES A STABILIZER COLUMN (60), A SEPARATOR (61) FOR VAPOR-LIQUID DISENGAGEMENT PROVIDED UPSTREAM OF THE STABILIZER COLUMN (60), AN EXPANDED DOWN-CORNER PIPE (62) AT THE BASE OF THE STABILIZER COLUMN (60), A CRUDE EXCHANGER (63) IN OPERATIONAL CONNECTION WITH THE DOWN-CORNER PIPE (62), AND A SURGE/REBOILER VESSEL (64) IN OPERATIONAL CONNECTION WITH THE CRUDE EXCHANGER (63) VIA A RISER PIPE (65). FIG. 10