Method for separating material leaving a well

Claim 1

A METHOD OF RECOVERING OIL FROM AN OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE AT AN OIL-HANDLING FACILITY LOCATED ADJACENT A BODY OF WATER AND DISPOSING OF THE RELATIVELY OIL-FREE FLUID INTO THE BODY OF WATER, THE METHOD UTILIZING AN ELONGATE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS, THE METHOD COMPRISING: DISPOSING THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS IN A GENERALLY UPWARDLY EXTENDING POSTURE WITH AN EXIT ZONE THEREOF IN CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH THE BODY OF WATER BENEATH THE SURFACE THEREOF TO ESTABLISH WITHIN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS A FLUID COLUMN TO A HEIGHT RESPONSIVE TO THE MEAN WATER LEVEL OF THE BODY OF WATER, SUPPLYING AN OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE INTO THE FLUID COLUMN WITHIN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS TO CAUSE THE FLUID IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A FLOWING ZONE ESTABLISHED ALONG THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS AND OVER A PLURALITY OF BAFFLE MEANS SPACED ALONG THE FLOWING ZONE TO INDUCE COALESCENT SEPARATION OF OIL FROM THE FLUID, INTERMITTENTLY INTERRUPTING THE SUPPLY INTO THE FLUID COLUMN TO IMPEDE THE DOWNWARD VELOCITY OF FLUID IN THE FLOWING ZONE FOR A WAITING TIME PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT OIL TO RISE FROM THE FLOWING ZONE INTO QUIESCENT ZONES DEFINED BY THE BAFFLE MEANS ADJACENT THE UNDERSIDES THEREOF, FLOWING OIL ACCUMULATED IN THE QUIESCENT ZONES UPWARDLY IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS ALONG A FLOW PATH ESSENTIALLY ISOLATED FROM THE DOWNWARD FLOWING ZONE TO THE UPPER REGION OF THE FLUID COLUMN THEREWITHIN SO AS TO ESTABLISH AN UPPER OIL LAYER OF THE FLUID COLUMN, SAID OIL FLOWING STEP INCLUDING THE STEP OF FLOWING OIL ACCUMULATED IN LOWER ONES OF THE QUIESCENT ZONES THROUGH UPPER ONES OF THE QUIESCENT ZONES, SENSING, AT A LOCATION BELOW THE MEAN WATER LEVEL OF THE BODY OF WATER, THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE UPPER OIL LAYER AND FLUID OF THE FLUID COLUMN THEREBELOW, CONTROLLABLY WITHDRAWING OIL FROM THAT UPPER OIL LAYER IN RESPONSE TO SENSING OF THAT INTERFACE, FLOWING RELATIVELY OIL-FREE FLUID FROM THE EXIT ZONE OF THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS INTO THE BODY OF WATER BENEATH THE SURFACE THEREOF, AND THE SUPPLY OF THE OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE INTO THE FLUID COLUMN BEING AT A LEVEL IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS BELOW A PREDETERMINED LOW INTERFACE LEVEL.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF RECOVERING OIL FROM AN OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE AT AN OIL-HANDLING FACILITY LOCATED ADJACENT A BODY OF WATER AND DISPOSING OF THE RELATIVELY OIL-FREE FLUID INTO THE BODY OF WATER, THE METHOD UTILIZING AN ELONGATE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS, THE METHOD COMPRISING: DISPOSING THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS IN A GENERALLY UPWARDLY EXTENDING POSTURE WITH AN EXIT ZONE THEREOF IN CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH THE BODY OF WATER BENEATH THE SURFACE THEREOF TO ESTABLISH WITHIN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS A FLUID COLUMN TO A HEIGHT RESPONSIVE TO THE MEAN WATER LEVEL OF THE BODY OF WATER, SUPPLYING AN OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE INTO THE FLUID COLUMN WITHIN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS TO CAUSE THE FLUID IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A FLOWING ZONE ESTABLISHED ALONG THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS AND OVER A PLURALITY OF BAFFLE MEANS SPACED ALONG THE FLOWING ZONE TO INDUCE COALESCENT SEPARATION OF OIL FROM THE FLUID, INTERMITTENTLY INTERRUPTING THE SUPPLY INTO THE FLUID COLUMN TO IMPEDE THE DOWNWARD VELOCITY OF FLUID IN THE FLOWING ZONE FOR A WAITING TIME PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT OIL TO RISE FROM THE FLOWING ZONE INTO QUIESCENT ZONES DEFINED BY THE BAFFLE MEANS ADJACENT THE UNDERSIDES THEREOF, FLOWING OIL ACCUMULATED IN THE QUIESCENT ZONES UPWARDLY IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS ALONG A FLOW PATH ESSENTIALLY ISOLATED FROM THE DOWNWARD FLOWING ZONE TO THE UPPER REGION OF THE FLUID COLUMN THEREWITHIN SO AS TO ESTABLISH AN UPPER OIL LAYER OF THE FLUID COLUMN, SAID OIL FLOWING STEP INCLUDING THE STEP OF FLOWING OIL ACCUMULATED IN LOWER ONES OF THE QUIESCENT ZONES THROUGH UPPER ONES OF THE QUIESCENT ZONES, SENSING, AT A LOCATION BELOW THE MEAN WATER LEVEL OF THE BODY OF WATER, THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE UPPER OIL LAYER AND FLUID OF THE FLUID COLUMN THEREBELOW, CONTROLLABLY WITHDRAWING OIL FROM THAT UPPER OIL LAYER IN RESPONSE TO SENSING OF THAT INTERFACE, FLOWING RELATIVELY OIL-FREE FLUID FROM THE EXIT ZONE OF THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS INTO THE BODY OF WATER BENEATH THE SURFACE THEREOF, AND THE SUPPLY OF THE OIL-CONTAINING FLUID MIXTURE INTO THE FLUID COLUMN BEING AT A LEVEL IN THE SEPARATOR CONDUIT MEANS BELOW A PREDETERMINED LOW INTERFACE LEVEL.

Claim 4

A method of recovering oil from an oil-containing fluid mixture at an oil-handling facility located adjacent a body of water and disposing of the relatively oil-free fluid into the body of water, the method utilizing an elongate separator conduit means, the method comprising: disposing the separator conduit means in a generally upwardly extending posture to establish a flowing zone downwardly along the conduit means, the disposition of the conduit means being such that the conduit means projects into the body of water and an exit zone thereof is located in a position operable to dispose of fluid into the body of water beneath the surface thereof; establishing and maintaining a fluid column within the separator conduit means to a height above the mean water level of the body of water; supplying an oil-containing fluid mixture to a fluid entrance zone of the separator conduit means; causing the fluid in the separator conduit means to flow downwardly through the flowing zone established along the separator conduit means and over a plurality of baffle means spaced along the conduit means to induce coalescent separation of oil from the fluid; intermittently impeding the downward velocity of fluid in the flowing zone for a waiting time period sufficient to permit oil to rise from the flowing zone into quiescent zones defined by the baffle means adjacent the undersides thereof; flowing oil accumulated in the quiescent zones upwardly in the separator conduit means along a flow path essentially isolated from the downward flowing zone and into an oil accumulation chamber communicating with the separator conduit means at a location above said mean water level of the body of water and isolated from the downward flowing zone; said oil flowing step including the step of flowing oil accumulated in lower ones of the quiescent zones through upper ones of the quiescent zones; and flowing relatively oil-free fluid from the exit zone of the separator conduit means into the body of water beneath the surface thereof.

Claim 5

A method of recovering oil from an oil-containing fluid mixture at an oil-handling facility located adjacent a body of water and disposing of the relatively oil-free fluid into the body of water, the method utilizing an elongate separator conduit means, the method comprising: disposing the separator conduit means in a generally upwardly extending posture to establish a flowing zone downwardly along the conduit means, the disposition of the conduit means being such that the conduit means projects into the body of water and an exit zone thereof is located in a position operable to dispose of fluid into the body of water beneath the surface thereof; establishing and maintaining a fluid column within the separator conduit means to a height above the mean water level of the body of water; supplying an oil-containing fluid mixture to a fluid entrance zone of the separator conduit means; causing the fluid in the separator conduit means to flow downwardly through the flowing zone established along the separator conduit means and over a plurality of baffle means spaced along the conduit means to induce coalescent separation of oil from the fluid; intermittently impeding the downward velocity of fluid in the flowing zone for a waiting time period sufficient to permit oil to rise from the flowing zone into quiescent zones defined by the baffle means adjacent the undersides thereof; flowing oil accumulated in the quiescent zones upwardly in the separator conduit means along a flow path essentially isolated from the downward flowing zone and into an oil accumulation chamber communicating with the separator conduit means at a location above said mean water level of the body of water and isolated from the downward flowing zone; said oil flowing step including the step of flowing oil accumulated in lower ones of the quiescent zones through upper ones of the quiescent zones; and flowing relatively oil-free fluid from the exit zone of the separator conduit means into the body of water beneath the surface thereof.