Patent ID: 6413299
Filing Date: 2002-07-02
Classification: B01D,E21B

Abstract:
A method for facilitating the dissipation of liquid slugs within a primary gas pipeline that contains liquid slugs, and wherein the gas is flowing, downstream in the primary gas pipeline, and wherein between its starting point and its ending point, all locations alone the primary gas pipeline can be referred to as being either upstream or downstream of any other location along the primary gas pipeline, comprised of the steps of;a.) providing a secondary gas pipeline that has an input end and an output end, wherein the input end is referred to as being upstream and the output end is referred to as being downstream, and wherein the input end and the output end of the secondary gas pipeline can each be communicatively connected to the primary gas pipeline, and wherein the secondary gas pipeline is of a configuration and of a length such that any of the anticipated liquid slugs that travel through it, from its input end to its output end, will tend to become a two phase flow of liquid and gas in which the liquid and the gas each has its own separate flow rate; and b.) communicatively connecting the input end of the secondary gas pipeline to the primary gas pipeline and communicatively connecting the output end of the secondary gas pipeline to the primary gas pipeline such that the secondary gas pipeline and the primary gas pipeline are running in parallel, and wherein the secondary gas pipeline's output end is connected to the primary gas pipeline at a location such that any liquid slug and gas traveling in a unified manner, and collectively referred to as â€œLSGâ€  which arrives at the upstream point of connection of the primary gas pipeline with the secondary gas pipeline will divide into LSG1 that continues traveling down the primary gas pipeline and LSG2 that enters the secondary gas pipeline, wherein LSG1 is a portion of LSG and LSG2 is the remaining portion of LSG, such that LSG1+LSG2=LSG, and such that LSG21, and such that when LSG2, which as explained in paragraph a.) above, during its travel through the secondary gas pipeline from its input end to its output end became a two phase flow of liquid and gas in which the liquid and the gas each has its own separate flow rate, leaves the secondary gas pipeline and re-enters the primary gas pipeline, the now two phase flow of liquid and gas will re-enter the primary gas pipeline at the time of the arrival, at the location at which LSG2 re-enters the primary gas pipeline, of the front portion of the largest LSG1 that is anticipated to be traveling through the primary gas pipeline.