Vertically Arranged Well Test Burner System
A well test burner system has a plurality of burner nozzles. Each burner nozzle has an air inlet, a well product inlet and an air/well product mixture outlet. At least three of the plurality of burner nozzles are arranged in a vertical column.
This application is a U.S. National Phase Application of and claims the benefit of priority to International Application Ser. No. PCT/US2013/024266, filed on Feb. 1, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDPrior to connecting a well to a production pipeline, a well test is performed where the well is produced and the production evaluated. The product collected from the well (e.g., crude oil and gas) must be disposed of In certain instances, the product is separated and a portion of the product (e.g., substantially crude) is disposed of by burning using a surface well test burner system. For example, on an offshore drilling platform, the well test burner system is often mounted at the end of a boom that extends outward from the side of the platform. As the well is tested, the crude is piped out the boom to the well test burner system and burned. Well test burner systems are also sometimes used on land-based wells.
From an environmental standpoint, it is desirable to have efficient, complete combustion of the product with minimal smoke or oil fallout. If, while burning well product, one of the burner nozzles is extinguished by a gust of wind or otherwise, the burner nozzle will expel unburned well product (i.e., oil fallout).
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe well test burner system 10 includes a frame 12 that carries the other components of the well test burner system 10 and is adapted to be mounted to a boom or a skid. The frame 12 is shown as being tubular and defining a substantially cubic rectangular shape, but could be other configurations.
The frame 12 carries one or more burner nozzles 14 adapted to receive air and well product, combine the air and well product, and expel an air/well product mixture for burning through an outlet 34. The burner nozzles 14 are carried on a common air inlet pipe 18 attached to the frame 12. In the vicinity of the burner nozzles, the inlet pipe 18 is straight and vertical. Each of the burner nozzles 14 has an air inlet 42 (
As shown in the figures, the burner nozzles 14 can be arranged in a precise vertical column, within a reasonable manufacturing tolerance, with the outlet 34 of each on a common precise vertical line. In other instances, the arrangement can be not precisely vertical, for example, with the column being tilted yet more vertical than horizontal and/or the outlets 34 of some or all of the nozzles 14 not precisely on the same line.
The vertical column arrangement, whether precise or not, is adapted to facilitate vertical cross-lighting between adjacent burner nozzles 14 in that the nozzles 14 are positioned so the flame produced by a lower burner nozzle 14 tends to travel upward and light or maintain lit at least the immediately adjacent, higher burner nozzle 14. As shown in
The burner nozzles 14 in a column can be arranged to produce patterns 30 that extend substantially parallel to each other. Alternately, as shown in
The flat flame produced by the burner nozzles 14 arranged in a column, whether fanned or having parallel flames, has a smaller surface area visible to the platform than a shape that projects more laterally. Therefore, the flat flame radiates less heat toward the boom and other components of the platform. The frame 12 further carries one or more heat shields to reduce transmission of heat from the burning product to components of the burner system 10, as well as to the boom and other components of the platform. For example, the frame 12 can include a primary heat shield 26 that spans substantially the entire front surface of the frame 12. In a configuration where the frame 12 is a cubic rectangular shape, the larger dimension of the rectangle can be aligned with the height of the flat flame. The resulting primary heat shield 26 can then block a larger portion of the radiative heat emitted from the flat flame toward the platform. The frame 12 can also include one or more secondary heat shields to further protect other components of the burner system 10. For example, a secondary heat shield 28 is shown surrounding a control box of the burner system 10. Fewer or more heat shields can be provided.
The frame 12 carries one or more pilot burners 24 that are coupled to and receive a supply of pilot gas. In certain instances, the pilot burners 24 are mounted together with the burner nozzles 14 to move with the burner nozzles 14. The pilot burners 24 burn the pilot gas to maintain a pilot flame that lights the air/product mixture expelled from burner nozzles 14. In certain instances, the pilot gas is not a gas collected from the well, but rather a separate supply of clean gas. Two pilot burners 24 are shown flanking the columns of burner nozzles 14. Each pilot burner 24 is positioned vertically between the vertically lowest burner nozzle 14 and an adjacent burner nozzle 14. The pilot burners 24 each have a pilot gas inlet 38 (
In operation, if fewer than all of the burner nozzles 14 are used to burn air/well product mixture, using the lowest burner nozzles 14 enables readily igniting vertically higher burner nozzles 14 if the vertically higher nozzles 14 are later needed to be used. Also, because the burner nozzles 14 are arranged to cross-light, if one is extinguished an adjacent burner nozzle 14 or the pilot burner 24 will automatically re-light it.
A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A well test burner system, comprising:
- a plurality of burner nozzles, each comprising: an air inlet; a well product inlet; and an air/well product mixture outlet,
- at least three of the plurality of burner nozzles arranged in a vertical column.
2. The well test burner system of claim 1, where the at least three burner nozzles are oriented principally towards a common direction.
3. The well test burner system of claim 2, where at least one of the burner nozzles angles vertically away from another of the burner nozzles in an acute angle.
4. The well test burner system of claim 1, where the air/well product mixture outlets of the at least three burner nozzles are on a common vertical axis.
5. The well test burner system of claim 1, where the air/well product mixture outlets of the at least three burner nozzles are arranged to expel a planar fan of air/well product mixture.
6. The well test burner system of claim 5, where the air/well product mixture outlets of the at least three burner nozzles are arranged to expel air/well product mixture in an overlapping pattern.
7. The well test burner system of claim 1, where the at least three burner nozzles are affixed to a common, straight, vertical carrier.
8. The well test burner system of claim 7, where the carrier comprises an air supply tubing or a well product supply tubing.
9. The well test burner system of claim 1, where the at least three of the plurality of burner nozzles comprises a first set of burner nozzles; and
- where the well test burner system comprises a second set of at least three of the plurality of burner nozzles arranged substantially a second vertical column.
10. The well test burner system of claim 9, where the first and second set of burner nozzles are affixed to a common, straight, vertical carrier.
11. The well test burner system of claim 9, where the first and second set of burner nozzles comprises all of the burner nozzles of the well test burner system.
12. The well test burner system of claim 1, comprising a pilot burner comprising a pilot gas inlet and a pilot flame outlet, the pilot burner residing adjacent a vertically lowest burner nozzle.
13. The well test burner system of claim 12, where the pilot burner is vertically between the vertically lowest burner nozzle and an adjacent burner nozzle.
14. The well test burner system of claim 12, where the pilot flame outlet is oriented to direct a pilot flame transversely across the vertical column of burner nozzles.
15. The well test burner system of claim 9, comprising a plurality of pilot burners, each comprising a pilot gas inlet and a pilot flame outlet,
- at least one of the pilot burners residing adjacent the vertically lowest burner nozzle in the first set of burner nozzles, flanking the burner nozzles, and oriented to direct a pilot flame transversely across the vertical column of the first set of burner nozzles toward the second set of burner nozzles.
16. A method, comprising:
- receiving air and a well product in at least three burner nozzles of a well test burner system arranged in a vertical column;
- expelling an air/well product mixture from the burner nozzles; and
- burning the air/well product mixture.
17. The method of claim 16, where burning the air/well product mixture comprises:
- igniting air/well product mixture expelled from a vertically lowest burner nozzle with a pilot flame adjacent the vertically lowest burner nozzle; and
- igniting air/well product mixture expelled from a burner nozzle above the vertically lowest burner nozzle using burning air/well product mixture from the vertically lowest burner nozzle.
18. The method of claim 16, where burning the air/well product mixture comprises igniting air/well product mixture expelled from one of the burner nozzles using burning air/well product mixture from a lower burner nozzle.
19. A well product burning system, comprising:
- a first air/well product mixture outlet;
- a second air/well product mixture outlet above and aligned on a common vertical axis with the first air/well product mixture outlet; and
- a third air/well product outlet above and aligned on a common vertical axis with the first and second air/well product mixture outlets.
20. The well product burning system of claim 19, where the first air/well product mixture outlet expels air/well product mixture that overlaps with air/well product mixture expelled by the second air/well product mixture outlet; and
- where the second air/well product mixture outlet expels air/well product mixture that overlaps with air/well product mixture expelled by the third air/well product mixture outlet.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 1, 2013
Publication Date: Dec 3, 2015
Inventors: Trace Wayne CODY (Dallas, TX), Timothy Mac YOUNG (Boerne, TX)
Application Number: 14/758,306