Shale Gas Separator Discharge Diffuser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shale-gas separator systems face issues with debris being discharged at high velocities, leading to ricocheting, splashing, and uneven distribution in collection bins, causing damage, safety hazards, and inefficient use of bin volume.
Innovation Solution
A discharge diffuser apparatus with multiple pipes and housings featuring circumferentially and axially spaced openings, reducing debris velocity through a series of outlets arranged along the collection bin to ensure even distribution and prevent hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If debris is discharged directly into the collection bin at high velocity, then the debris can be removed from the separator quickly, but the debris ricochets off walls and creates safety hazards and uneven distribution
Solution Approach 1:
A diffuser apparatus is introduced as an intermediary component between the separator discharge and the collection bin. The diffuser includes a diffuser body with a diffuser inlet receiving high-velocity debris, internal diffuser passages that reduce velocity through expansion and direction changes, and multiple discharge outlets that distribute debris uniformly into the collection bin. This intermediary structure eliminates direct high-velocity impact while maintaining efficient debris removal.
2Speed
If debris exits the separator at high velocity, then the discharge process is rapid, but the debris splashes or ejects already disposed debris from the collection bin
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser apparatus provides beforehand cushioning by reducing debris velocity before debris enters the collection bin. The diffuser passages are designed with expanding cross-sections and strategic angles to gradually decelerate high-velocity debris through pressure equalization and flow expansion, ensuring debris enters the collection bin at controlled velocities that prevent splashing and ejection of previously deposited material.
3Productivity
If debris is discharged uniformly along the collection bin length, then the entire bin volume is utilized efficiently, but the discharge system requires complex distribution mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser apparatus segments the single discharge stream into multiple discrete outlets arranged along the collection bin. The diffuser body includes multiple discharge outlets positioned at different locations, each delivering debris to a specific zone within the collection bin. This segmentation achieves uniform distribution across the bin length while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, as the segmentation is integrated into the diffuser body geometry rather than requiring external distribution mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect, a diffuser apparatus includes a first pipe having a first plurality of openings formed therein, the first pipe defining a first passageway that is adapted to receive a first portion of debris that is discharged from a well; a first housing within which the first pipe extends, the first housing comprising a first wall and a first outlet formed therein; and a first region formed between the first pipe and the first housing, the first region in communication with the first passageway via the first plurality of openings; wherein the first plurality of openings are circumferentially and axially spaced along the first pipe to pass the first portion of the debris from the first passageway to the first region; and wherein the first outlet is sized such that the first portion of the debris exits the first region via the first outlet.