Mobile ORC Heat Exchanger Skid for Fouling-Safe Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ORC systems for oilfield energy recovery face challenges due to heat exchanger fouling from oilfield streams containing chlorides, scales, and emulsions, leading to inefficiencies, high maintenance costs, and safety hazards from high pressures, and are not mobile, limiting their widespread commercial adoption.
Innovation Solution
A modular, low-pressure heat exchanger skid with a buffer function that operates at atmospheric pressure, using an aqueous solution as a working fluid, allowing easy cleaning and mobility, and includes a frame design for in situ cleaning without disassembly, connected to a geothermal heat engine for thermal energy conversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If an ORC system uses a heat exchanger to extract thermal energy from oilfield streams, then thermal energy recovery efficiency is improved, but heat exchanger fouling from chlorides, scales, and emulsions reduces system reliability and increases maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buffer tank as an intermediary component between the heat exchanger and the ORC system. This buffer tank receives the contaminated oilfield stream and allows for separation of contaminants before the fluid enters the heat exchanger, thereby protecting the heat exchanger from fouling while maintaining thermal energy recovery efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies operational parameters by controlling the temperature and pressure conditions in the buffer tank to optimize contaminant separation. By adjusting these parameters, the system maintains efficient heat transfer in the heat exchanger while preventing fouling through parameter-optimized fluid preparation
2Power
If an ORC system operates at high pressure to improve power generation, then electrical energy output is improved, but safety hazards increase due to high pressure operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from high pressure to low pressure operation by using a low-pressure heat exchanger and operating the ORC system at reduced pressures. This parameter change maintains sufficient electrical energy output while eliminating the safety hazards associated with high-pressure operation in oilfield environments
3Stability of the object's composition
If an ORC system is installed as a fixed installation to ensure stable operation, then operational stability is improved, but mobility and deployment flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ORC system into modular, portable components that can be easily assembled and disassembled. The buffer tank, heat exchanger, and ORC generator are designed as separate modules that maintain operational stability when assembled but can be easily moved and reconfigured for different deployment locations, thus achieving both stability and mobility
4Use of energy by moving object
If a traditional heat exchanger is used in an ORC system, then thermal energy transfer efficiency is improved, but cleaning and maintenance become difficult due to inaccessibility of internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the buffer tank as an intermediary that provides access to the heat exchanger for cleaning and maintenance. The buffer tank design allows operators to access and clean the heat exchanger internal components without dismantling the entire ORC system, thus maintaining thermal efficiency while enabling easy maintenance
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 solution reduces downtime, enhances safety, and lowers deployment costs by enabling easy cleaning and mobility, making it suitable for remote energy generation from hydrocarbon production streams.
Implementation Method 1
transfer thermal energy from a high-temperature fluid to a working fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile heat exchanger may include an Organic Rankine Cycle assembly configured to generate the power. A mobile heat exchanger may include a mobile heat exchanger skid in fluid communication with the Organic Rankine Cycle assembly and configured to transfer thermal energy from a high-temperature fluid to a working fluid. The mobile heat exchanger may include a frame having a plurality of extending supports, none of which are arranged in a cleaning volume. The mobile heat exchanger may include a low-pressure heat exchanger arranged adjacent to the cleaning volume facilitating in situ plate cleaning of the low-pressure heat exchanger. The mobile heat exchanger may include at least a first pipe loop and a second pipe loop, both selectively coupled to the low-pressure heat exchanger. The mobile heat exchanger may be arranged on a transportable skid.