Patent ID: 7771522

Claim:
A subsea separation system, comprising: a producing well on a sea floor comprising a production pipe outlet, the production pipe outlet comprising a mixture of oil, water and various gases; a separator on the sea floor connected to the producing well, the separator comprising: an upper-tier elongate conduit having a plurality of openings spaced apart along the length thereof and an outlet for the various gases; a lower-tier elongate conduit having a plurality of openings spaced apart along the length thereof and an outlet for the oil and water; a plurality of connectors, each connector interconnecting a corresponding one of the plurality of openings of the upper-tier elongate conduit with a corresponding one of the plurality of openings of the lower-tier elongate conduit to enable communication of the various gases and the oil and water therebetween; and wherein at least one of the upper-tier and lower-tier elongate conduits includes an inlet connected to the production pipe outlet; a gas export pipeline connected to the outlet for the various gases at a first end and a second end connected to a production facility located on a surface of a body of water or on land; and a liquid export pipeline connected to the outlet for the oil and water at a first end and a second end connected to the production facility.