Patent ID: 9032987
Filing Date: 2015-05-19
Classification: E21B,F04D,F04F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A gas compression system for handling large volumes of hydrocarbon gas in a sub sea well flow and accompanying smaller volumes of a hydrocarbon liquid, the gas compression system comprising: a compact flow conditioner in form of a tank, intended to be placed below sea level in close vicinity to a well head or on a dry installation, said flow conditioner being configured to receive a multi-phase flow of hydrocarbons through a supply pipe from a sub sea well for further transport of such hydrocarbons to a multi-phase receiving plant; and a combined multiphase pump and compressor unit; wherein the gas compression system is configured such that the gas and the liquid are separated in the flow conditioner and the separated gas and liquid are re-assembled and enter a multi-phase meter prior to boosting by the combined multiphase pump and compressor unit, wherein the combined multiphase pump and compressor unit comprises an impeller for compressing a mixture of gas and liquid, functioning on the centrifugal principle, such that the gas and liquid is given an increased pressure in the same unit, wherein a regulating valve is opened to recirculate gas from downstream of the unit to upstream of the unit responsive to detection by the multi-phase flow meter of liquid flow rates above a predetermined threshold or a pulsating supply of fluid, and wherein said flow conditioner receives the multi-phase flow from the supply pipe via a generally horizontal pipe, and wherein a generally vertical pipe including a constriction or valve extends from the top of the generally horizontal pipe to downstream of the flow conditioner, such that a portion of the gas of the multi-phase flow in the generally horizontal pipe flows into the generally vertical pipe and is mixed with the flow downstream of the flow conditioner.