Patent ID: 6390114
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: B01D,E21B,F17D,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for suppressing and controlling liquid slugs and gas surges in a stream of multiphase fluid flowing from flowline into a gas/liquid separator having a liquid outlet with a liquid flow control valve and a gas outlet with a gas flow control valve, sensors for measuring control variables, and a control system for monitoring said control variables and adjusting said control valves, which comprises:a) Measuring at least one control variable selected from the group of the liquid level LLIQ in the separator, the liquid flow rate QL in the liquid outlet, the gas flow rate QG in the gas outlet, the sum (QL+QG) of the liquid flow rate in the liquid outlet and the gas flow rate in the gas outlet, and the fluid pressure (P) at or near the separator; b) Inputting said measurements to a control system with a controller for receiving said values as a mathematical number and responding to preset numbers; c) Said control system adjusting said liquid and gas flow control valves to reduce a difference between a selected control variable (QL+QG, QL, QG, P, LLIQ) and a pre-set reference value of the selected control variable; and d) Changing the selected control variable (QL+QG, QL, QG, P, LLIQ) from time to time automatically if one or more control variables reaches a pre-set value.