Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The apparatus for separating and measuring mixed fluids, specifically the separation of crude oil and water and the volumetric measurement of each of the mixed fluids using a mechanical portable device primarily involving a separation vessel, an adjustable float within the vessel which allows the fluid of less specific gravity to be released from the top of the separation vessel through an upper pipeline, the heavier specific gravity fluid to be released from the bottom of the separation vessel through a lower pipeline, with fluid volume meters on each of the pipelines to measure the liquid flowing through the respective pipelines, the apparatus presented as a portable unit transferable from one pumping device to another, allowing for an accurate measurement of the fluids being extracted by the pumping devices. 
     2. Relevant Background of the Field of Invention 
     Oil wells operate to extract petroleum products from the ground in the general form of a mixture of crude oil and water, including ground water and sometimes water injected into the ground to urge the oil from the confines of the earth or strata. For purposes of regulatory compliance and also to measure the mechanical and economic efficiency of the well outputs, it is desired to measure the output of the component fluids to ascertain the volume of the crude oil extract. Testing of each well site is recommended periodically, sometimes daily. 
     Problems encountered in the oil fields of the past have been identified as: (1) the accuracy of the measurement of the volume of constituent fluids being extracted from the well and transferred to the tank batteries; (2) the cost of the testing and measuring equipment; (3) the portability of the testing and measuring equipment; and (4) the probability of failure and mismeasurement of prior art measuring equipment and methods. 
     Current devices and methods do not satisfactorily address these prior problems. In order to accurately ascertain the volumes of the fluid constituents, is common to take a random test from the battery or well by placing a collection device in the field for a period of time, determining the gross total of fluid, measuring each of the separated fluids, and mathematically extrapolating the measured fluid over the time span desired to be measured. Since these tank batteries may contain fluids from several different wells, individual well output is not measured by these testing procedures. 
     Another procedure involves the random sampling of a well output at a given time and mathematic estimation of this random sample over a time using an averaging method. This is a faulty method of determination of output, since there are numerous variables on a well&#39;s output at any given time, such variables including inconsistent line pressure and constituent fluid concentration variance from one moment to the next. Although valid statistically, this method is inaccurate and highly prone to error. 
     Yet another method involves the placement of a very costly apparatus which takes periodic measurements of the constituent fluids and plots such volume measurements on a graph over time. This is also inaccurate, as the graphs themselves show a great amount of variance, hence rendering this method highly suspect and still inaccurate. 
     3. Description of Prior Art 
     The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to devices with fluid separating components of some type or nature. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,852 to Magnasco, a airline separator includes a vessel containing a float wherein a moist air mixture is admitted to the vessel through an inlet in the top. An outlet is also provided in the top of the vessel for air to be passed from the vessel with an outlet provided in the bottom of the vessel for fluids. The float is provided with stems at its top and bottom for closing outlets depending upon the quantity of fluid in the vessel. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,798 to Moore, Jr., a float having a ball-type valve is disclosed in a similar condensate trap in an exhaust gas conduit. These two patents, alone or in combination do not illustrate nor claim the components of the current apparatus, and are distinguishable. Magnasco is a device placed within a pneumatic air line to provide a liquid trap for air flowing through the device, the air being expelled through an upper outlet valve while the liquid components within the air, drop into the interior of the chamber. As the liquid in the chamber accumulates, it causes the float to rise, displacing the lower float rod from its sealed seat, allowing for the expulsion of the liquid through the lower outlet discharge port. The float also has an upper float rod which engages an upper finger member sealing off the upper output valve preventing expulsion of the liquid within the chamber from entering into the air output lines. This device cannot be used to separate liquids efficiently, and is not designed to do so, as the inlet is in the top of the device, wherein the heavier constituent would always be passing through the lighter constituent, thereby re-contaminating the lighter constituent during continuous flow, thereby requiring the components to be introduced into the chamber in small quantities, allowing for separation, draining of the fluids separately, and then adding more liquid and repeating this process over and over. A bucket with a drain hole could accomplish the same thing as the Magnasco patent applied to the purpose of the current invention. The inclusion of the ball valve in place of the float rods and seal members of Moore, Jr. would still not produce the desired purpose, function and task of the present apparatus. 
     Steam traps are disclosed in. U.S. Pat. No. 635,703 to St. Mary, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,304,562 to Hammell. Drain traps having float valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,764 to Biederman and U.S. Pat. No. 1,074,591 to Winarsky. 
     A diesel fuel separator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,056 to Scragg, which is used to separate water from diesel fuel between the fuel tank and the fuel pump, the device including a inlet line within the fuel tank, the inlet to that line near the bottom of the fuel tank, such line being directed to a tube with a baffled inlet directing the fuel to the tube, around and through an element connected to a member, protruding into the top of a float, the element having holes to allow for passage of the fuel through the element. The float is further connected to a guide rod, which is connected to a cross member, which is slidably engaged with a pin, the pin engaging the seat of a second member which is located at the entrance of a discharge passage leading to an outlet where the water is discharged. Again, this device, in no way, could perform the same function as the current apparatus and include way too many elements defeating the simplicity of the current apparatus. 
     The apparatus has advantages and addresses the issues presented by prior art and processes. The apparatus and process requires nothing more than kinetic energy produced by the fluid flow for the basic apparatus to operate. The fluid is under constant pressure and motion as it travels through the apparatus, thereby reducing the possibility of the fluid or contaminants clogging or forming solid deposits within the vessel, the surge tank or any of the pipelines, meters, inlets or outlets. Fluid is measured without draining or opening the lines. With the float mechanism suspended within the fluid and in constant motion so long as a fluid flow is maintained in the apparatus and the ball seals on the upper and lower ends attaching in tandem on the float member prevents the ball seals from becoming stuck within the tapered interior seats. Short of a cataclysmic failure or damage to the entire float member, the apparatus cannot experience a seat or seal from opening or closing as the fluid volumes are constantly changed. Additionally, because the float member would be biased towards keeping the upper and lower outlets opened, due to the float member adjusted to be suspended between the upper and lower outlets, the fluid measurement is ongoing, thereby eliminating the need to guess, estimate of statistically deduce the fluid flow from the well, the meters conducting actual measurement of the fluid flow at a given moment, or a short or long period of time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the invention is to provide a portable separating and measuring device for the separation of mixed fluids, primarily crude oil and water mixtures from an oil well pump, and a method for separating such mixed fluids. 
     A secondary objective of the invention is to provide the apparatus comprising essentially a vertically oriented cylindrical vessel with an interior, an upper outlet in a top end of the vessel, a lower outlet in a bottom of the vessel and a side inlet approximately midway along its vertical height, an adjustably buoyant tubular vertical float member located within the interior of the cylindrical vessel having a ball seal on each end of the vertical float, an upper tapered valve seat and lower tapered valve seat adapted to sealably engage the ball seal on the vertical float, the valve seats sealably engaging the upper outlet and lower outlet respectively, each valve seat further connected to a pipeline including a fluid flow measuring meter, wherein the heavier specific gravity fluid flows from the lower outlet where its volume is measured while the lighter specific gravity fluid is expelled through the upper outlet where its volume is also measured, the two fluid then sent on to a remote tank battery for storage. 
     Further objectives and advantages of the present invention, as well as descriptions of preferred embodiments will be more fully understood from the drawings and specific details and claims below. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application. 
     FIG. 1 is a composite view of the vertically oriented cylindrical vessel, the adjustably buoyant vertical float member, the upper tapered valve seat, the lower tapered valve seat, and the optional cylindrical float member housing. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the assembled apparatus, including the external surge tank. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the assembled apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the assembled apparatus with the embodiment of the adjustably buoyant vertical float member having the externally controlled buoyancy adjustment mechanism outside the vertically oriented cylindrical vessel. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An apparatus for separating and measuring mixed fluids, directed especially towards the separation of crude oil and water and the volumetric measurement of each of the primary constituent fluids, shown in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, the apparatus  10  comprising essentially a vertically oriented cylindrical vessel  20  positioned on a support frame  15 , the vessel  20  having an interior  21 , an exterior surface  23 , an upper outlet  26  located in a top portion  25  of the vessel  20 , a lower outlet  28  located in a bottom portion  27  of the vessel  20  and an inlet  29  located approximately half way between the top portion  25  and bottom portion  27  from the exterior surface  23  into the interior  21  of the vessel  20 , an adjustably buoyant vertical float member  30  positioned within the interior  21  of the vessel  20 , the float member  30  having an upper end  32  and a lower end  36 , an upper housing  50  attached to the upper outlet  26 , a lower housing  60  attached to the lower outlet  28 , each of the upper housing  50  and lower housing  60  having a tapered interior seat  52 ,  62  adapted to sealably engage rounded ball seals  34 ,  38  on the respective upper end  32  and lower end  36  of the float member  30 , an external surge tank  40  connecting to the inlet  29 , the external surge tank  40  further connected to the outlet of an oil well or fluid source, not shown nor claimed as part of the apparatus, a first pipeline  70  connecting to the upper housing  50  having a fluid flow measuring first meter  76  measuring the fluid flowing from the upper outlet  26  of the vessel  20 , a second pipeline  72  connecting to the lower housing  60  having a fluid flow measuring second meter  78  measuring the fluid flowing from the lower outlet  28  of the vessel  20 , and a third pipeline  74  beyond the first and second meters  76 ,  78  carrying the fluids to a remote storage tank or to a return line, also not claimed or shown as part of the apparatus. 
     The float member  30 , shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, has a hollow interior  35  which may be filled with a neutral liquid ballast  100  to adjust the buoyancy of the float member  30 , the float member having the upper end separable from the float member allowing access to the hollow interior  35 . 
     The apparatus  10  may further comprise a float housing  80 , shown only in FIG. 1 of the drawings, located within the interior  21  of the vessel  20 , connecting the upper outlet  26  with the lower outlet  28  with the float member  30  contained within the float housing  80 . The float member  30  has full and free movement within the float housing  80  without any substantial contact with the float housing  80 . This float housing  80  has a plurality of grooved channels  82  allowing for the free flow of fluid in and out of the float housing  80 , from the interior  21  of the vessel  20  to the float member  30  without restriction. 
     The surge tank  40 , shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, further includes an inlet line connection  42 , an internal chamber  44  and an outlet connection  46 , attaching to the inlet  29  of the vessel  20 . It is most preferred that the inlet line  42  is positioned lower on the surge tank  40  than the outlet connection  46 , as experimentation has revealed that this orientation reduces the amount of fluid churn within the internal chamber  44  and produces a smoother flow of fluid from the internal chamber  44  thorough the outlet connection  46  to the inlet  29  of the vessel  20 . In the event the apparatus  10  is used where a steady flow of fluid enters the vessel  20 , without pulsation, the surge tank  40  may be omitted and the vessel  20  connecting directly to the fluid source at the inlet  29 . 
     When assembled, a fluid mixture  200  is first introduced into the surge tank  80  where the fluid mixture  200  is allowed to collect, whereafter the fluid mixture  200  is transferred to the inlet  29  of the vessel  20 . The fluid mixture  200  is then collected within the interior  21  of the vessel  20 , where it separates into its fluid components of differing specific gravities, primarily crude oil as a lighter fluid  210 , rising to the top portion  25  of the vessel  20 , with a heavier fluid  220 , primarily water, separating to the bottom portion  27  of the vessel  20 . The float member  30 , having the hollow interior  35  containing the neutral liquid ballast  100 , preferably antifreeze liquid, is adjusted to float at a preferred adjusted level within the vessel  20 , dependant upon a level of separation of the fluid mixture  200  within the vessel  20 . When a quantity of heavier fluid  220  is reached in the tank, the float member  30  rises above the preferred adjusted level, urging the ball seal  38  on the lower end  36  of the float member  30  away from the tapered interior seat  62  of the lower housing  60 , expelling the heavier fluid  220  from the lower outlet  28  into the second pipeline  72  where it is measured by the second meter  78 . As that heavier fluid  220  is released, the float member  30  is lowered dropping the ball seal  34  on the upper end  32  of the float member  30  away from the tapered interior seat  52  of the upper housing  50 , releasing the lighter fluid  210 , or crude oil, through the upper outlet  26  into the first pipeline  70  where it is measured by the first meter  76 . Cutoff valves  75  may be supplied on any of the first, second or third pipelines  72 ,  74 ,  76 , or at the inlet line  42  to the surge tank  40 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, an externally controlled buoyancy adjustment mechanism  90  is provided on the apparatus  10 , allowing for the float member  30  to have its buoyancy adjusted without the need to disassemble the apparatus  10  or to manually fill the hollow interior  35  of the float member  30  with the neutral liquid ballast  100 . The externally controlled buoyancy adjustment mechanism  90  comprising a fluid pump  92  having a fluid injection and extraction means  94  operated by a control lever  95 , a fluid inlet line  96  connecting the fluid injection and extraction means  94  to the hollow interior  35  of the float member  30 , and a fluid outlet line  98  connecting the hollow interior  35  at the lower end  36  of the float member  30  to the fluid injection and extraction means  94 . This externally controlled buoyancy adjustment mechanism  90  thus operates to allow the introduction and extraction of the neutral liquid ballast  100  into the float member  30  by a pull or push of the control lever  95 , adding or subtracting the neutral liquid ballast  100  from the hollow interior  35  of the float member  30  without disassembly of the apparatus  10 . This embodiment may also provide the float member  30  with an air relief line  37  attached near the upper end  32  of the float member  30 , the air relief line  37  further connecting to an air valve  39  located on the exterior surface  23  of the vessel  20 , as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. This air valve  39  allows for the neutral liquid ballast  100  in the hollow interior  35  of the float member  30  to rise and fall with the addition or extraction of neutral liquid ballast  100  without concern over pressure or vacuum in the float member  30 . 
     The ball seal  34  on the upper end  32  of the float member  30  is conformed to sealably engage the tapered interior seat  52  of the upper housing  50 , while the ball seal  38  on the lower end  36  of the float member  30  is conformed to sealably engage the tapered interior seat  62  of the lower housing  60 . The float member  30  is of a length to be contained between the upper housing  50  and the lower housing  60  when the housings are attached to the vessel  20 , but the ball seals  34 , 38  on the upper end  32  and lower end  36  of the float member  30  are not engaged with the tapered interior seats  52 ,  62  of the upper housing  50  and lower housing  60  at the same time. This allows for either flow of the lighter fluid  210  from the upper outlet  26 , heavier fluid  220  flow from the lower outlet  28  or both lighter fluid  210  and heavier fluid flow  220  from both the upper outlet  26  and lower outlet  28  simultaneously, but never restricting the fluid flow from both the upper outlet  26  and lower outlet  28  at the same time. 
     As the fluid passes through the respective first meter  76  and second meter  78 , the quantity of fluids passing through the meters is recorded. In an alternative embodiment, these meters  76 ,  78  may be equipped with a remote interface means to allow the recorded volume of liquid passing through the meters to be wirelessly transmitted to a remote location, thereby avoiding the necessity to travel to a variety of locations to read the measurements recorded by the meters. This would be especially beneficial when numerous apparatus  10  are attached to numerous oil wells in distant locations. 
     It is contemplated within the scope of this invention that the geometric shape of the elements involved in the invention are of no functional distinction, although correlated to be suitable for the stated purpose of the invention. Therefore, the shape of the float member  30  and the vessel  20  may be hexagonal, square, cylindrical, as claimed and disclosed, triangular, oval, round or whatever shape may optimize the separation process. 
     Likewise, the shape of the ball seals  34 ,  38  and the tapered interior seat  52 ,  62  must be consistent insofar as forming a seal, but their respective shapes may be flat, conical or wedge-shaped, or the valve seats and seals may form a sliding gate assembly. Additionally, the sealable engagement between the ball seals  34 ,  38  and the tapered interior seats  52 ,  62  may be of varying porosities to inhibit or accentuate the pressure according to the requirements, pressure, or viscosity of the fluids be measured or separated. 
     The apparatus  10  may be furnished as a portable unit which would avoid having to disassemble the apparatus  10  when moving from one fluid source to another, enhancing transferability from one oil well to another, or it may be made a permanent part of the oil well. In the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 2-4, the vessel  20  is supported above the ground on the support frame  15 . It is also contemplated that the apparatus  10  may be mounted on a cart, trailer or wagon, and may include a protective cover, not shown. 
     The apparatus  10  has advantages and addresses the issues presented by prior art and processes. The apparatus  10  and process requires nothing more than kinetic energy produced by the fluid flow for the basic apparatus  10  to operate. The fluid is under constant pressure and motion as it travels through the apparatus  10 , thereby reducing the possibility of the fluid or contaminants clogging or forming solid deposits within the vessel  20 , the surge tank or any of the pipelines, meters, inlets or outlets. Fluid is measured without draining or opening the lines. With the float member  30  suspended within the fluid and in constant motion so long as a fluid flow is maintained in the apparatus  10  and the ball seals  34 ,  38  on the upper end  32  and lower end  36  attaching in tandem on the float member  30 , the constant motion prevents the ball seals  34 ,  38  from becoming stuck within the tapered interior seats  52 ,  62 . Short of a cataclysmic failure or damage to the entire float member  30 , the apparatus  10  cannot experience failure in a tapered interior seat  52 ,  62  or ball seals  34 ,  38  from opening or closing as the fluid volumes are constantly changed. Additionally, because the float member  30  would be biased towards keeping the upper outlet  26  and lower outlet  28  opened, due to the float member  30  adjusted to be suspended between the upper and lower outlets  26 ,  28 , the fluid measurement is ongoing, thereby eliminating the need to guess, estimate of statistically deduce the fluid flow from the well, the meters conducting actual measurement of the fluid flow at a given moment, or a short or long period of time. 
     The apparatus  10  is also capable of separating other mixed fluids which may separate due to distinctly differing specific gravities or may be applied to environmental cleanup activity. In this use, it may be desirable to leave the fluid separated and not connect the first and second pipelines  70 ,  72  back together past the first and second meters  76 ,  78 , porting the fluids to separate storage tanks or vessels. Additionally, in oil spills, it may be desirable to gather water at the spill site using a skimming technique and using the apparatus to separate the petroleum product from the seawater and return the seawater to the sea. Also, use of the first and second meters  76 ,  78 , singularly or both, may be deleted during this type use. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: b