Patent ID: 8453747
Filing Date: 2013-06-04
Classification: E21B,F17D

Abstract:
1. A method for the control of unstable liquid flow or liquid slugs in a multi phase fluid pipeline, comprising transporting a fluid consisting of mainly gas and some liquid including one or more of water and gas condensate to a gas separation unit including one or more vertical pipes connected at a distance from one another along the top of the multi phase fluid pipeline directly without any additional intermediate separation chamber to a second pipe for transporting the gas to a selected downstream processing site, evacuating the gas via the gas separation unit, allowing the liquid to proceed to a dedicated pipeline section which is a continued part of the multi phase fluid pipeline and acts as a buffer to entrap a quantity of liquid which is in excess of the quantity of liquid being present in the expected slug or liquid arriving with the gas in the multi phase liquid pipeline, and allowing the liquid to proceed from the dedicated pipeline section at a controlled flow rate to a desired destination and after receiving a slug the dedicated pipeline section is evacuated to restore buffer capacity.