Vapor Recovery Process System

Abstract

The present invention provides for a natural gas well vapor recovery processing system and method comprising recovering gaseous hydrocarbons to prevent their release into the atmosphere including providing a method for preventing the gaseous hydrocarbons from returning to a liquid state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 234,574, titled “Vapor Process System” filed Sep. 22, 2005, which claims the benefit of the filing of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 612,278, entitled “Vapor Process System”, filed on Sep. 22, 2004, and the specifications and claims of those applications are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field) [0003] The present invention relates to vapor recovery processing systems for use with natural gas wells. The invention comprises a pumping system used with an engine instead of plunger lifts and can be used to remove evolved gases from hydrocarbon liquids to storage at or near atmospheric pressure. [0004] 2. Background Art [0005] In addition to producing natural gas, many natural gas wells produce hydrocarbon liquids and water. The liquids, hydrocarbons, and water are separa...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention provides for a natural gas well vapor recovery processing system (referred to herein as “VRSA”) and method comprising recovering gaseous hydrocarbons to prevent their release into the atmosphere including providing a method for preventing the gaseous hydrocarbons from returning to a liquid state.

Problems solved by technology

Without a means to recover the entrained natural gas or a means designed to collect and burn the entrained natural gas, the entrained natural gas released in the intermediate pressure separator will be vented to the atmosphere and wasted.

In most systems designed to collect and burn the entrained natural gas, the heat energy released by burning the natural gas is wasted to the atmosphere.

Again, without a system to either recover or burn the gases released from the hydrocarbon liquids dumped to the storage tank, the gases will vent to the atmosphere and be wasted.

In addition to operating problems that can occur with the currently available recovery systems, the biggest problem that has limited their application has been capital cost, and the systems have generally been applied to gas wells that have operated at pressures of 250 psig or less and that have produced volumes of hydrocarbon liquids in the range of 100 barrels per day or more.

Some of the problems with pumping gas wells have been gas locking (a condition where the pumping barrel fills with gas and no fluid can be pumped), gas interference (a condition where the pumping barrel only partially fills with fluid each stroke of the pump), and fluid pounding (a condition where the downward stroke of the pump contacts the fluid in a less than fluid filled barrel).

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