Open Top Tank With Tandem Diffusers For Flowback Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for managing flowback from hydraulic fracturing, such as using baffles in tanks or pipes, fail to effectively reduce velocity and pressure, remove proppant, and separate oil and gas from the flowback, leading to equipment wear and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
An open-top tank with tandem diffusers, comprising an inner and outer diffuser tube with slots and outlet ports, where the inner diffuser tube is seated inside the outer tube to create an annular space, directing flowback through slots and outlet ports to reduce pressure and velocity, and separate compartments for proppant, clean water, and oil recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If baffles or plates are used to reduce velocity and pressure of flowback, then velocity and pressure are reduced, but the baffles or plates suffer targeted and repeated wear leading to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using a diffuser structure that expands the flow cross-sectional area, converting kinetic energy of high-velocity flowback into pressure energy. The diffuser gradually increases the flow area, reducing velocity through hydraulic expansion rather than mechanical obstruction, thereby avoiding wear on solid baffles while achieving velocity reduction.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional tank storage is used for flowback, then temporary storage is provided, but proppant cannot be removed and oil and gas cannot be separated from the flowback
Solution Approach 1:
The tank is divided into multiple functional compartments: a diffuser section for velocity reduction, a proppant settlement compartment for solid separation, an oil-gas separation compartment for hydrocarbon recovery, and a clean water storage compartment. This segmentation allows simultaneous processing of different components of flowback, enabling proppant removal and oil-gas separation while providing temporary storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes proppant from the flowback through gravitational settlement in the dedicated compartment, separates oil and gas phases through density differences, and extracts clean water for reuse. This extraction process eliminates harmful proppant abrasion and recovers valuable resources.
3Productivity
If high-pressure flowback is directly transported through pipes, then transport is efficient, but the abrasive qualities of solids wear away the pipe causing complete erosion over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary velocity reduction and proppant settlement before the flowback enters the transport pipeline. By reducing velocity and removing abrasive solids upstream, the remaining flowback can be transported efficiently through pipes without causing erosion, thus protecting pipeline integrity while maintaining transport productivity.
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 tank effectively decreases flowback velocity and pressure, allows proppant separation and removal, and separates oil from water, enhancing safety and reducing environmental damage by preventing pipe erosion and enabling clean water recovery.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of diffusers situated on top of the first internal compartment, each diffuser comprising an inner diffuser tube coupled to an outer diffuser tube; wherein the inner diffuser tube comprises a plurality of slots, and the outer diffuser tube comprises at least one outlet port
Implementation Method 2
the inner diffuser tube is situated inside of the outer diffuser tube to create an annular space between an outer surface of the inner diffuser tube and an inner surface of the outer diffuser tube
Implementation Method 3
a tank with an open top and a first internal compartment, a second internal compartment, and a third internal compartment, the three internal compartments being longitudinally aligned
Implementation Method 4
separates the oil from the flowback and allows the clean water to be recovered
Data Source
AI summary
An open top tank comprising a first internal compartment, second internal compartment, and third internal compartment, all longitudinally aligned, and a pair of diffusers situated on top of the first internal compartment. Each diffuser comprises an inner diffuser tube coupled to an outer diffuser tube. The inner diffuser tube comprises a plurality of slots, and the outer diffuser tube comprises at least one outlet port. The inner diffuser tube is situated inside of the outer diffuser tube to create an annular space between an outer surface of the inner diffuser tube and an inner surface of the outer diffuser tube.