Annular Tank Drain and Snorkel Layout for Vortex-Free Oil Skimming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Petroleum production often results in off-spec oil due to impurities, making it unsalable or requiring costly further processing, and existing separation methods struggle to efficiently drain oil from tanks without mixing with water or sediments, leading to equipment damage and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A snorkel system is introduced that traverses through a port near the tank bottom, using a sub-sized line and flange connections to separate oil from water and sediments, with a buoy system and flow field controller to prevent vortex formation and ensure high-quality oil extraction, allowing for efficient and clean separation of oil from the top layer while draining sediments through a separate path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional drain ports are used to extract oil from the tank, then oil can be removed, but the oil mixes with water and sediments resulting in off-spec oil
Solution Approach 1:
The drain port system is segmented into multiple separate outlets: an upper drain port for extracting oil, a lower drain port for removing water, and a bottom drain port for eliminating sediments. This segmentation allows each layer to be drained through its dedicated port, preventing mixing between layers and ensuring high-purity oil extraction while maintaining efficient removal of all constituents.
2Manufacturing precision
If the drain port is positioned at the tank bottom, then all fluids can be drained, but oil entrains water and sediments due to viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The drain ports are positioned at different vertical locations within the tank to match the density stratification of the fluids. The upper drain port is positioned in the oil layer to extract pure oil, the lower drain port is positioned in the water layer, and the bottom drain port is positioned at the tank bottom for sediments. This local positioning ensures that each port extracts only the intended fluid layer, preventing entrainment while maximizing recovery.
3Productivity
If conventional valving and flange connections are used, then the tank can be drained, but the separation process is problematic and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-port drainage system serves multiple functions through a single integrated structure: oil extraction, water removal, and sediment elimination are all achieved through the coordinated operation of the three drain ports. This universal system replaces the need for separate processing steps and equipment, simplifying the overall separation process while improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The snorkel system effectively extracts high-quality oil from the top layer of the tank, reducing the risk of mixing with impurities and equipment damage, improving compliance with market specifications and extending separation times, while allowing sediments to be drained separately, thus enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the oil extraction process.
Implementation Method 1
a buoy system and flow field controller to prevent vortex formation
Implementation Method 2
separate oil from water and sediments, with a buoy system and flow field controller to prevent vortex formation and ensure high-quality oil extraction
Implementation Method 3
flow field controller to prevent vortex formation
Data Source
AI summary
A tank system may be conventional and fixed, or mobile, such as a fracking fluid or other tank trailer. A drain port thereof is fitted with an adapter connecting a snorkel system to drain liquids from near the top of the liquid level in the tank. A snorkel head at the extreme distal end of a tube near the longitudinal center of the tank is suspended by a system of buoys. A flow field controller plate resists formation of vortices near the snorkel head, so it can operate as near the surface as possible, withdrawing the highest grade oil efficiently. At its exit, the proximal end of the tube drains oil through an inner conduit of an adapter at a penetration in the wall of the tank. The adapter forms an annulus around the inner conduit draining tank bottoms directly from the tank.