Inline Hydrocarbon Blending With Gravity-Fed Ratio Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for mixing hydrocarbon liquids, such as tank mixing and parallel mixing, face challenges including imprecision, high capital investment, and inefficiency, particularly in achieving accurate and cost-effective blending of crude and renewable hydrocarbon liquids.
Innovation Solution
The development of in-line fluid mixing systems that position pumps and flow control valves to blend hydrocarbon liquids directly within a pipeline, utilizing gravity-fed streams and controlled pressure to achieve precise ratios, reducing the need for high-horsepower pumps and static mixers, and allowing for on-demand blending without stratification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If tank mixing is used to blend crude oils, then capital investment is reduced, but mixing precision deteriorates with error rates of +/- 10%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical tank mixing systems with an in-line mixing system that uses fluid dynamics and controlled pressure differentials to achieve precise mixing. The system substitutes mechanical agitation with a controlled flow environment where mixing occurs through the interaction of fluid streams in a pipe, eliminating the need for large mixing tanks and mechanical mixers while achieving +/- 1% precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using controlled pressure differentials and flow rate management to achieve precise mixing ratios. The system uses flow control valves and pressure regulation to maintain accurate blend ratios without requiring mechanical mixing equipment, leveraging fluid mechanics to accomplish both precision and cost-effectiveness.
2Manufacturing precision
If parallel mixing with two pumps is used, then mixing precision improves, but device complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple pumps and flow control systems into a single pump with integrated flow control. By combining the fluid delivery functions into one controlled stream that mixes with a gravity-fed stream, the system achieves precise mixing ratios while eliminating the complexity of coordinating multiple independent pump systems and their respective control valves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a gravity-fed stream that automatically provides one component of the mixture without requiring active pumping or control. This self-regulating gravitational flow simplifies the overall control system by reducing the number of actively controlled variables, as only the pumped stream requires flow control while the gravity-fed stream naturally maintains its flow characteristics.
3Productivity
If dedicated blending tanks are used, then mixing capacity is sufficient, but loss of time occurs due to stratification and redistribution requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mixing function from large storage tanks and relocates it to a compact in-line mixing section within the pipeline. This eliminates the need for dedicated blending tanks and the time-consuming processes of filling, mixing, and redistributing from stratified tanks, while maintaining sufficient mixing capacity through the continuous flow environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes continuous mixing action through the in-line system where fluids are constantly mixed as they flow through the mixing section. This continuous process eliminates the intermittent nature of tank mixing where mixing must pause while tanks are being filled or emptied, and prevents stratification by maintaining constant fluid motion and mixing at the pipeline level.
4Stress or pressure
If high-horsepower pumps are used for parallel mixing, then adequate suction pressure is achieved, but use of energy increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a pressure equilibrium by using a gravity-fed stream that naturally provides adequate pressure without requiring high-horsepower pumping. The system balances the pressure characteristics of the pumped stream with the gravitational potential energy of the gravity-fed stream, achieving adequate suction pressure at the mixing point while minimizing energy consumption through proper elevation and pressure design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial pumping action by using a single pump to deliver only one component of the mixture at controlled flow rates, rather than using high-horsepower pumps to force both streams. The gravity-fed stream supplements the pumped stream, reducing the energy burden on the pump while still achieving adequate pressure and flow for precise mixing.
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 in-line mixing systems provide accurate control of hydrocarbon liquid blends within 1% of the set point, reducing capital investment and operational costs while eliminating stratification and the need for dedicated blending tanks, enabling efficient and precise blending of multiple hydrocarbon liquids.
Implementation Method 1
a first hydrocarbon liquid to flow from a first tank through a first output pipe
Implementation Method 2
a second pump to increase pressure of a second hydrocarbon liquid from the second tank
Implementation Method 3
the first hydrocarbon liquid stream and the second hydrocarbon liquid stream to mix within the pipeline to form a blended mixture
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments include systems and methods of in-line mixing of hydrocarbon liquids from a plurality of tanks into a single pipeline. According to an embodiment, a method of admixing hydrocarbon liquids from a plurality of tanks into a single pipeline to provide in-line mixing thereof includes determining a ratio of a second fluid flow to a first fluid flow based on signals received from a tank flow meter in fluid communication with the second fluid flow and a booster flow meter in fluid communication with a blended fluid flow. The blended fluid flow includes a blended flow of the first fluid flow and the second fluid flow. The method further includes comparing the determined ratio to a pre-selected set point ratio thereby to determine a modified flow of the second fluid flow to drive the ratio toward the pre-selected set point ratio. The method further includes controlling a variable speed drive connected to a pump thereby to control the second fluid flow through the pump based on the determined modified flow, the pump being in fluid communication with the second fluid flow.