Modified Horizontal Christmas Tree for Subsea Fluid Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore oil well blowouts pose significant challenges due to the difficulty in effectively diverting and containing high-pressure hydrocarbons, leading to environmental damage and production losses, as existing diversion systems are complex, time-consuming, and costly to implement, especially when dealing with damaged blowout preventers.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a capping stack with a diverter line connected to a modified horizontal Christmas tree, which serves as a flow base, allowing for the diversion of fluids from a damaged blowout preventer to a surface location using a conduit and a blowout preventer, with the flow base being easily installed on a subsea structure or anchor pile, enabling quick containment and recovery of hydrocarbons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional diversion system is used to contain blowout preventer failures, then the system can divert fluids, but the system becomes complex, time-consuming, and costly to implement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary components from the Christmas tree assembly, retaining only the essential inlet and outlet passages. This simplification reduces system complexity while maintaining the core fluid diversion function, allowing rapid deployment during emergency blowout preventer failures
Solution Approach 2:
The diversion system is segmented into modular components including a separate capping stack, simplified Christmas tree, and conduit assembly. This modular segmentation enables independent installation and rapid assembly without requiring complex integrated systems, reducing overall implementation time and cost
2Reliability
If a traditional diversion system is used to contain blowout preventer failures, then the system can divert fluids, but the implementation becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The Christmas tree assembly is pre-configured with inlet and outlet passages during manufacturing, eliminating the need for complex on-site assembly. This preliminary preparation allows rapid deployment during emergency situations by simply connecting the pre-assembled components to the blowout preventer and surface location
Solution Approach 2:
By removing unnecessary components and retaining only essential passages, the system reduces the number of assembly steps required during installation. This extraction of non-essential elements directly decreases installation time while preserving the critical fluid diversion function
3Reliability
If a traditional diversion system is used to contain blowout preventer failures, then the system can divert fluids, but the cost becomes prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes expensive unnecessary components from the traditional Christmas tree assembly, retaining only the essential inlet and outlet passages. This extraction significantly reduces material costs and manufacturing expenses while maintaining the core fluid diversion function needed for emergency response
Solution Approach 2:
The simplified Christmas tree assembly uses basic, readily available materials rather than expensive specialized components. This approach prioritizes cost-effectiveness and rapid deployment over long-term durability, accepting that the system may need replacement after single-use emergency response
4Ease of operation
If a modified horizontal Christmas tree is used as flow base, then the system becomes easier to install in emergency conditions, but the device must be adapted from standard configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The modification process extracts and removes unnecessary components from the standard horizontal Christmas tree, retaining only essential inlet and outlet passages. This selective extraction simplifies the device for emergency installation while requiring minimal modification effort compared to building a custom system from scratch
Data Source
AI summary
A system for diverting fluids from a wellhead in a subsea environment has a capping stack with a connector suitable for connection or interconnection to the wellhead, a flow base fixedly positioned in the subsea environment, and a conduit connected to the outlet of a diverter line of the capping stack and connected to the inlet of an interior passageway of the flow base. The conduit is suitable for passing fluids from the capping stack toward the flow base. The flow base is a modified horizontal Christmas tree. The interior passageway within the horizontal Christmas tree has a plug therein located a level below the level of the inlet to the flow base. The flow base can be attached to a wellhead or to an anchor pile in the subsea environment.