Apparatus for burning crude oil

The invention proposes apparatus for burning crude oil, particularly crude oil derived from oil wells, and which when burned on site by conventional burners can be hazardous in variable wind conditions. The invention proposes apparatus comprising a burner assembly including a plurality of substantially horizontal burners arranged in pairs, means for supplying oil for combustion and compressed air to the burners, and flame control water nozzles characterized in that the assembly is arranged for pivotal displacement about a substantially vertical axis. Thus, the direction of the flames relative to the surrounding environment can be readily adjusted to variations in wind direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to apparatus for burning crude oil and has 
particular application to an apparatus for burning crude oil derived from 
off-shore oil well installations. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
When oil-well production tests are undertaken at sea, it is necessary to 
dispose of the crude oil collected during such tests, and which oil is 
frequently contaminated with water, sand, mud and various kinds of waste 
from the bottom of the well. 
Given that production trials generally last from a few hours to a few days, 
the volume of oil collected, being at most several thousand cubic meters, 
cannot be dumped into the sea because of the pollution problems caused 
thereby and does not justify special transport for its evacuation. 
Further, given that the collecting system for an off-shore oil-well is 
only installed once the viability of the well has been established, the 
only economically viable solution is to dispose of the first samples of 
crude oil collected by on-site combustion. 
As stated above this crude oil with its contaminants is a product rich in 
heavy particles and is far from being easy to burn. Combustion of the oil 
involves the use of substantial burner means which can handle the 
combustion of up to 2000 m.sup.3 of oil per day and such combustion must 
be undertaken in conditions of absolute security for both the drilling 
installation and the drilling team. 
A serious disadvantage with conventional burners is that whilst such 
burners can initially be installed to direct the burner flames and the 
products of combustion in a safe direction there is always a danger that 
the wind will adversely affect the flame direction to the detriment of the 
surrounding environment. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention seeks to provide apparatus for burning crude oil, 
capable of being mounted at a safe location and adjustable at such 
location to afford additional security to the surrounding environment. 
Statement of Invention 
According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for burning 
crude oil comprising a burner assembly including a plurality of 
substantially horizontal burners arranged in pairs, means for supplying 
oil for combustion and compressed air to the burners, and flame control 
water nozzles, characterised in that the burner assembly is arranged for 
pivotal displacement about a substantially vertical axis. 
Preferably the burner assembly is pivotally attached to a stand which 
limits the angular displacement of the assembly about the vertical axis. 
Preferably the pivotal displacement of said burner assembly about the 
vertical axis of limited to 45.degree. to each side of a mid-position for 
the assembly. 
Preferably the burner assembly includes pilot burners for igniting the 
crude oil burners. 
In preferred embodiments of the invention the burner assembly includes 
valves for controlling the supply of oil to the crude oil burners and/or 
valves for controlling the supply of compressed air to the crude oil 
burners and/or valves for controlling the supply of water to the water 
nozzles. 
Preferably each pair of crude oil burners is provided with individual valve 
controls so that each pair of such burners can be operated independently 
of other pairs of such burners and conveniently each pair of such burners 
is supplied with oil and compressed air via common valves, whereby the 
burners of each pair are arranged to operate simultaneously. 
In a preferred embodiment the crude oil or the compressed air or the water 
is delivered to the burner assembly via a fluid chamber and the vertical 
pivotal axis of the assembly passes through such chamber. More preferably, 
more than one fluid is delivered to the burner assembly via fluid 
chambers, there being a fluid chamber individual to each fluid, and the 
vertical pivotal axis passes through each fluid chamber. 
The, or each, fluid chamber is conveniently formed by upper and lower 
coupling parts, one of said coupling parts has a fixed position relative 
to the stand whilst the other said coupling part has a fixed position 
relative to the burner assembly. The coupling part fixed relative to the 
stand includes a fluid inlet from a supply source to the chamber and that 
coupling part fixed relative to the assembly includes a fluid outlet from 
the chamber to the burner assembly. 
Preferably ducts supplying fluids to the assembly pass through said stand 
with the duct axes in the same vertical plane. 
Preferably the burner assembly is contained within a cage and the cage is 
fixed relative to the burner assembly. The cage may conveniently comprise 
tubular members defining upper and lower rectangular frames, connected by 
front and rear upright members and by inclined members, and the 
rectangular frames are preferably strengthened by diagonal members. 
In a preferred example in accordance with the invention apparatus for 
burning crude oil comprises a burner assembly within a rectangular 
box-like cage of tubular material fixed relative to the burner assembly, 
the burner assembly including a plurality of burners arranged with their 
axes substantially horizontal, the burners being arranged in pairs with 
one burner of each pair above the other and the pairs of burners being 
horizontally spaced apart, valve means for controlling the supply of crude 
oil and compressed air to each pair of burners, a flame control water 
nozzle adjacent each burner, and fluid supply means for supplying oil, 
compressed air and water to the burner assembly, the fluid supply means 
for each fluid including a chamber individual to that fluid and through 
which the vertical axis passes, and the burner assembly and cage being 
supported by a fixed stand and mounted for pivotal displacement about a 
vertical axis relative to the stand. 
The, or each, fluid chamber is conveniently formed by upper and lower 
coupling parts. One of the coupling parts has a fixed position relative to 
said stand and the other coupling part has a fixed position relative to 
the burner assembly. The coupling part fixed relative to the stand 
includes a fluid inlet to chamber from a fluid supply source and the said 
coupling part fixed relative to the assembly includes a fluid outlet from 
the chamber to the burner assembly. 
The stand may conveniently be in the form of a pedestal with the burner 
assembly pivotally supported to one side so that when the pedestal is 
secured at a fixed location, such as a remote and safe part of an oil rig, 
or a boat or barge adjacent the rig, with the burner assembly in its mean 
position directed in the most convenient direction for the safety of the 
rig and attendant personnel, the assembly may be adjusted relative to the 
stand to accommodate variations in wind direction to maintain the safety 
of the rig and personnel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
In the drawings certain elements have been omitted for clarity but such 
omitted elements as are important in the operation of the device have been 
clearly identified and described hereunder. 
As will be seen from the illustrations the burner assembly is contained 
within a substantially rectangular protective cage 1 and the burner 
assembly and cage are pivotally displaceable about a vertical axis 
X--X.sup.1 relative to a fixed upright stand 2. 
The cage 1, conveniently made from square tubing, is formed by upper and 
lower rectangular frames 3 and 4 respectively interconnected by front and 
rear uprights 5 and 6 respectively and the cage is strengthened by 
diagonal members 7 in frames 3 and 4 and by diagonal members 8 which 
extend between the frames 3 and 4. 
The stand 2, includes a base flange 9 with plates 10 upstanding therefrom. 
A duct 11, for supplying oil to the assembly, passes through the stand 2 
and presents a coupling 12 to which a duct (not shown) supplying oil to 
the burner can be attached. A duch 13, parallel to duct 11 and with its 
axis in the same vertical plane as duct 11, passes through the stand 2 and 
presents a coupling 14 for attachment of a compressed air supply duct (not 
shown). A duct (not shown) with a coupling thereon, for connection with a 
water supply duct, will also pass through the stand 2, in identical manner 
to ducts 11 and 13, between and parallel to the ducts 11 and 13 and with 
its axis in the same vertical plane as that passing through the axis of 
ducts 11 and 13. This water duct through stand 2, and its connections with 
the water supply ducting of the assembly to be described hereafter, has 
been omitted only for clarity in the drawings. 
The duct 11, discharges into an elbow 15 the horizontal limb of which is 
fixed on duct 11 and the vertical limb of which opens upwardly. A coupling 
part 16 receives the upper open end of the vertical limb of part 15 with a 
fluid tight seal and part 16 is rotatable relative to part 15. 
The duct 13 discharges into an elbow 17, the vertical limb of which opens 
downwardly, and a coupling part 18 receives the lower open end of the 
vertical limb of elbow 17 with a fluid tight seal and part 18 is rotatable 
relative to part 17. 
In a similar manner the water supply duct (not shown) will discharge into 
an elbow (not shown) the vertical limb of which may open upwardly or 
downwardly and a coupling part (not shown) will receive the open end of 
the vertical limb of the elbow with a fluid tight seal, and the coupling 
will be rotatable relative to the vertical limb of the elbow. 
It will now be seen that the vertical limb of elbow 15 and the coupling 16 
define an oil chamber, the duct 11 discharges into the elbow 15 and the 
outlet to the oil chamber is via the coupling 16. The elbow 17 and 
coupling 18 define a compressed air chamber into which duct 13 discharges 
and from which air exhausts via coupling 18. 
The axes of the fluid chambers defined by elbow 15 and coupling 16 and 
elbow 17 and coupling 18 and the chamber (not shown) defined by the water 
supply elbow and coupling, all lie concentric with the vertical axis X--X: 
The rotation of couplings 16, 18 and the water coupling is effected 
concentric with the axis X--X.sup.1 and thus the supply of oil, compressed 
air, and water, to the assembly will be maintained for all positions of 
the cage 1 and the burner assembly about the vertical axis X--X.sup.1. 
The coupling 16 discharges oil from elbow 15 intoa manifold 19 which 
supplies oil via three valves 20, 21 and 22 to three generally upright 
manifolds 23, 24 and 25 respectively. Upper and lower outlets 26 and 27 
respectively from manifold 23 supply crude oil to a first pair of burners 
32 and 35 respectively, arranged with their axes substantially 
horizontally and in the same vertical plane, upper and lower outlets 28 
and 29 respectively from manifold 24 supply crude oil to burners 33 and 36 
respectively, arranged in like manner to burners 32 and 35, and upper and 
lower outlets 30 and 31 respectively from manifold 25 supply crude oil to 
burners 34 and 37 respectively arranged in like manner to burners 33 and 
36. The burners 32, 33 and 34 lie in a common horizontal plane, the 
burners 35, 36 and 37 lie in a horizontal plane and, as burner pairs 32, 
35 and 33, 36 and 34, 37 are controlled by valves 20, 21 and 22 
respectively, each burner pair can be operated independently of the other 
pairs of burners. Pilots 72 are located adjacent the burners. 
The coupling 18 discharges into a manifold 38 which supplies compressed air 
through valves 39, 40 and 41 to generally upright manifolds 42, 43 and 44 
respectively. Manifolds 42 and 43 are omitted from FIG. 3 for clarity in 
FIG. 3. The manifold 42 discharges compressed air to burners 35 and 32 via 
outlets 45 and 48 respectively, manifold 43 discharges compressed air to 
burners 36 and 33 via oulets 46 and 49 respectively and manifold 44 
discharges compressed air to burners 37 and 34 via oulets 47 and 50 
respectively. Outlets 45, 46 and 48 and 49 have been omitted from FIG. 3. 
Thus, valves 39, 40 and 41 individually control the air supply to burner 
pairs 32, 35 and 33, 36 and 34, 37 respectively. 
In a similar manner to couplings 16 and 18 the coupling for the water duct 
discharges into a manifold which supplies water to three ducts 51, 52 and 
53 (the ducts 51 and 52 are not shown in FIG. 3) which discharge to 
generally upright manifolds 54, 55 and 56 respectively (manifolds 54 and 
55 and their attachments are not shown in FIG. 3). The manifolds 54,55 and 
56 each have two outlets to water nozzles, the manifold 56 supplies water 
to upper and lower nozzles 59 and 58 respectively, manifold 55 supplies 
water to upper and lower nozzles 60 and 60a respectively and manifold 54 
supplies water to upper and lower nozzles 61 and 61a respectively. 
Thus, with the above described arrangement, nozzles 61, 60, 59, 61a, 60a 
and 58, are located adjacent burners 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37, 
respectively and, in like manner to the oil and air supplies, the water 
supply to the water nozzles associated with each pair of burners can be 
controlled by a single valve (not shown for clarity in the drawings) 
independently of the other nozzles. 
The nozzles 61, 60, 59, 61a, 60a and 58 are so directed relative to their 
respective burners 32 to 37 respectively that, when operable, the water 
jet from each nozzle can regulate the flame, and reduce smoke, from its 
respective burner. 
It will now be seen that with the arrangement described above the burner 
can be operable with one, two or three pairs of burners so that the burner 
assembly can accommodate wide variations in the supply of oil thereto and, 
by adjusting the angular position of the burner assembly and cage relative 
to the stand, the most advantageous direction for the burner assembly can 
be obtained. 
Whilst the present invention has been described by way of example with 
reference to a specific embodiment many variations and modifications will 
be apparent to persons skilled in the art within the scope of the appended 
claims and, by way of example, the cage may be of different construction, 
the valves and fluid supply ducts may be differently arranged from that 
illustrated and the burner assembly can be readily made vertically 
adjustable and, with the valves, made adjustable under the control of 
servomotors.