Submarine oil well production apparatus

Claim 2

A submergible apparatus for producing a well beneath the surface of a body of water which comprises: an oil and gas separator having a well stream inlet, a gas outlet, an oil outlet and a liquid level controller connection disposed therein; a pair of elongated horizontal ballast tanks attached to said separator; means attached to the ballast tanks for selectively filling the tanks with water or air thereby providing ballast or buoyancy to said apparatus; a pair of movable buoyancy vessels attached to the separator and positioned so that the center of buoyancy of said apparatus is above the center of gravity thereof; means attached to the buoyancy vessels for selectively moving the vessels to alternate positions whereby the distance between the centers of buoyancy and gravity of said apparatus may be changed to provide maximum stability to said apparatus while being towed on the surface of said body of water or submerged therein; a removable instrument capsule attached to the separator, said instrument capsule including a liquid level controller connection and oil inlet and outlet connections; liquid level control means disposed within the capsule for genErating a control signal proportional to the variance between the actual liquid level within the separator and the desired liquid level, said liquid level control means being connected to the liquid level controller connection of the capsule; a conduit removably connecting the liquid level controller connections of the separator and the instrument capsule; a conduit removably connected between the oil outlet of the separator and the oil inlet of the instrument capsule; valve means responsive to the control signal generated by the liquid level control means for controlling the flow rate of oil removed from the separator and the liquid level maintained therein, said valve means being disposed within the instrument capsule and connected between the oil inlet and outlet connections thereof; and means for adjusting the liquid level control means with the respect to the desired liquid level to be maintained within the separator from outside the instrument capsule attached to the liquid level control means and to the instrument capsule.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 which is further characterized to include: said instrument capsule including a gas inlet connection and a gas outlet connection; a conduit removably connected between the gas inlet connection of the instrument capsule and the gas outlet connection of the separator; back pressure control means for controlling the gas pressure within the separator at a desired level disposed within the instrument capsule and connected between the gas inlet and outlet connections thereof; and means for adjusting the back pressure control means with respect to the desired separator pressure level from outside the instrument capsule attached to the instrument capsule and to the back pressure control means.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 which is further characterized to include means attached to said instrument capsule for injecting gas therein and maintaining the pressure thereof at a level above the water pressure level exerted on the capsule thereby preventing water from entering the capsule.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 which is further characterized to include means for dehydrating the gas injected into said instrument capsule disposed within the capsule.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 which is further characterized to include: said instrument capsule including a well stream inlet connection and a well stream outlet connection; a conduit removably connecting the well stream outlet connection of the capsule to the well stream inlet connection of the separator; safety shut down control valve means disposed within the capsule and connected between the well stream inlet and outlet connections thereof; and high level control means for operating said safety shut down control valve means when the liquid level within the separator reaches a preselected high level, said high level control means being responsive to the pneumatic signal generated by the liquid level control means and being disposed within the instrument capsule and operably connected to the safety shut down control valve means.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 which is further characterized to include means for adjusting the high level control means from outside said capsule attached to said capsule and to said high level control means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the instrument capsule includes at least one observation port attached thereto so that the instruments contained therein may be observed from outside the capsule.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the elongated horizontal ballast tanks are positioned parallel to each other below the oil and gas separator.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the movable buoyancy vessels are elongated and are positioned on opposite sides of the separator parallel to the ballast tanks, said buoyancy vessels being movable from positions adjacent the ballast tanks to positions above the separator.

Claim 11

A submergible apparatus for producing aN oil well beneath the surface of a body of water which comprises: a horizontal oil and gas separator having a well stream inlet, a gas outlet, an oil outlet and a liquid level controller connection disposed therein; a pair of elongated horizontal ballast tanks attached to the separator and positioned symmetrically below the separator parallel to the axis thereof; means attached to the ballast tanks for selectively filling the tanks with water or air thereby providing ballast or buoyancy to said apparatus; a pair of elongated movable buoyancy vessels attached to opposite sides of the separator positioned parallel to the axis of said separator; means attached to the buoyancy vessels for selectively moving the vessels from positions adjacent the ballast tanks to positions above the separator so that the distance between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the apparatus may be changed to provide maximum stability to the apparatus when being towed on the surface of said body of water or submerged therein; a closed instrument capsule attached to the separator, said instrument capsule including a liquid level controller connection and oil inlet and outlet connections; liquid level control means disposed within the capsule for generating a control signal proportional to the variance between the actual liquid level within the separator and the desired liquid level, said liquid level control means being connected to the liquid level controller connection of the capsule; a conduit removably connecting the liquid level controller connections of the separator and the instrument capsule; a conduit removably connected between the oil outlet of the separator and the oil inlet of the instrument capsule; valve means responsive to the control signal generated by the liquid level control means for controlling the flow rate of oil removed from the separator and the liquid level maintained therein, said valve means being disposed within the instrument capsule and connected between the oil inlet and outlet connections thereof; and means for adjusting the liquid level control means with respect to the desired liquid level to be maintained within the separator from outside the instrument capsule attached to the liquid level control means and to the instrument capsule.

Claim 12

A submergible apparatus for producing aN oil well beneath the surface of a body of water which comprises: a horizontal oil and gas separator having a well stream inlet, a gas outlet, an oil outlet and a liquid level controller connection disposed therein; a pair of elongated horizontal ballast tanks attached to the separator and positioned symmetrically below the separator parallel to the axis thereof; means attached to the ballast tanks for selectively filling the tanks with water or air thereby providing ballast or buoyancy to said apparatus; a pair of elongated movable buoyancy vessels attached to opposite sides of the separator positioned parallel to the axis of said separator; means attached to the buoyancy vessels for selectively moving the vessels from positions adjacent the ballast tanks to positions above the separator so that the distance between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the apparatus may be changed to provide maximum stability to the apparatus when being towed on the surface of said body of water or submerged therein; a closed instrument capsule attached to the separator, said instrument capsule including a liquid level controller connection and oil inlet and outlet connections; liquid level control means disposed within the capsule for generating a control signal proportional to the variance between the actual liquid level within the separator and the desired liquid level, said liquid level control means being connected to the liquid level controller connection of the capsule; a conduit removably connecting the liquid level controller connections of the separator and the instrument capsule; a conduit removably connected between the oil outlet of the separator and the oil inlet of the instrument capsule; valve means responsive to the control signal generated by the liquid level control means for controlling the flow rate of oil removed from the separator and the liquid level maintained therein, said valve means being disposed within the instrument capsule and connected between the oil inlet and outlet connections thereof; and means for adjusting the liquid level control means with respect to the desired liquid level to be maintained within the separator from outside the instrument capsule attached to the liquid level control means and to the instrument capsule.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 which is further characterized to include: said instrument capsule including a gas inlet connection and a gas outlet connection; a conduit removably connected between the gas inlet connection of the instrument capsule and the gas outlet connection of the separator; back pressure control means for controlling the gas pressure within the separator at a desired level disposed within the instrument capsule and connected between the gas inlet and outlet connections thereof; and means for adjusting the back pressure control means with respect to the desired separator pressure level from outside the instrument capsule and to the back pressure control means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 which is further characterized to include means attached to said instrument capsule for injecting gas therein and maintaining the pressure thereof at a level above the water pressure level exerted on the capsule thereby preventing water from entering the capsule.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12 which is further characterized to include means for dehydrating the gas injected into said instrument capsule disposed within the capsule.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 which is further characterized to include: said instrument capsule including a well stream inlet connection and a well stream outlet connection; a conduit removably connecting the well stream outlet connection of the capsule to the well stream inlet connection of the separator; safety shut down control valve means disposed within the capsule and connected between the well stream inlet and outlet connections thereof; and high level control meAns for operating said safety shut down control valve means when the liquid level within the separator reaches a preselected high level, said high level control means being responsive to the pneumatic signal generated by the liquid level control means and being disposed within the instrument capsule and operably connected to the safety shut down control valve means.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 which is further characterized to include means for adjusting the high level control means from outside said capsule attached to said capsule and to said high level control means.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15 which is further characterized to include shutoff valves disposed in the conduits connecting the instrument capsule to the separator.