U.S. patent application number 13/168283 was filed with the patent office on 2012-03-22 for oil collection system and method for deepwater spills.
This patent application is currently assigned to HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC.. Invention is credited to Majid AL-SHARIF.
Application Number | 20120070231 13/168283 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45817904 |
Filed Date | 2012-03-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120070231 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
AL-SHARIF; Majid |
March 22, 2012 |
OIL COLLECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEEPWATER SPILLS
Abstract
A subsea spill containment system comprising: a funnel structure
positioned over a subsea leak; a plurality of interconnected skirts
serially joined above the funnel; a collection dome above the
skirts; and a hose connected to the dome. The skirts may be
supported by one or more central internal longitudinal supports,
such a drillpipe or solid rods. There may be multiple supports
and/or multiple skirts per support. The skirts are preferably
sealed to the dome, the funnel, and each other. The system may be
held in place over the leak using cables secured to two or more
anchor points, such as suction piles. The system may be moved aside
by manipulating the cables, thereby providing access to the
leak.
Inventors: |
AL-SHARIF; Majid; (Houston,
TX) |
Assignee: |
HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP,
INC.
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
45817904 |
Appl. No.: |
13/168283 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61385223 |
Sep 22, 2010 |
|
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61416520 |
Nov 23, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
405/60 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02B 15/02 20130101;
E21B 43/0122 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
405/60 |
International
Class: |
E02B 15/00 20060101
E02B015/00 |
Claims
1. A subsea spill containment system comprising: a funnel structure
positioned over a subsea leak; a plurality of interconnected skirts
serially joined above the funnel; a collection dome above the
skirts; and a hose connected to the dome.
2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the skirts are
supported by one or more central internal longitudinal
supports.
3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supports are
metal pipes at least twenty feet in length.
4. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supports are
solid rods at least twenty feet in length.
5. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein there are at least
four skirts secured to each support.
6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein an upper most one of
the skirts is sealed to the dome.
7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a lower one of the
skirts seals to an upper one of the skirts.
8. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a lower most one of
the skirts seals to the funnel.
9. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including at least
two anchor points secured to a seabed around the leak and cables
connecting the anchor points to the funnel, the skirts, a frame or
other support of the system to hold the funnel over the leak.
10. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cables are
configured to be manipulated to move the funnel relative to the
leak.
11. A method for containing a subsea spill, the method comprising
the steps of: positioning a funnel above a subsea leak; positioning
a first skirt above the funnel; positioning a second skirt above
the first skirt; positioning a collection dome above the skirts;
connecting a hose to the dome; and drawing oil from the dome
through the hose.
12. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising
supporting the skirts with one or more central internal
longitudinal supports.
13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the supports are
metal pipes at least twenty feet in length.
14. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the supports are
solid rods at least twenty feet in length.
15. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein there are at least
four skirts secured to each support.
16. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising sealing
the second skirt to the dome.
17. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising sealing
the first skirt to the second skirt.
18. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising sealing
the first skirt to the funnel.
19. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising setting
at least two anchor points into a seabed around the leak and
securing the funnel, the skirts, a frame or other support with
cables connected to the anchor points, thereby holding the funnel
over the leak.
20. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising
manipulating the cables to move the funnel relative to the leak.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application of, and
claims priority benefit to, U.S. Patent application Ser. No.
61/385,223, filed Sep. 22, 2010, and U.S. Patent application Ser.
No. 61/416,520, filed Nov. 23, 2010, both of which are incorporated
herein by specific reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally
to offshore oil field tools; and more specifically relate to
systems and methods for collecting oil from deepwater spills.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0007] Known systems and methods for dealing with a sub-surface
leak or spill involve efforts to contain and skim spilled oil at
the surface and/or the use of dispersants.
[0008] The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to
an improved system and method for capturing the oil before it gets
to the surface.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A subsea spill containment system comprising: a funnel
structure positioned over a subsea leak; a plurality of
interconnected skirts serially joined above the funnel; a
collection dome above the skirts; and a hose connected to the dome.
The skirts may be supported by one or more central internal
longitudinal supports, such a drillpipe or solid rods. There may be
multiple supports and/or multiple skirts per support. The skirts
are preferably sealed to the dome, the funnel, and each other. The
system may be held in place over the leak using cables secured to
two or more anchor points, such as suction piles. The system may be
moved aside by manipulating the cables, thereby providing access to
the leak.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a particular embodiment of a deepwater
oil spill collection system utilizing certain aspects of the
present inventions;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates alternative embodiments of a deepwater
oil spill collection system utilizing certain aspects of the
present inventions; and
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a deepwater
oil spill collection system utilizing certain aspects of the
present inventions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The Figures described above and the written description of
specific structures and functions below are not presented to limit
the scope of what Applicants have invented or the scope of the
appended claims. Rather, the Figures and written description are
provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the
inventions for which patent protection is sought. Those skilled in
the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial
embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of
clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in this art will also
appreciate that the development of an actual commercial embodiment
incorporating aspects of the present inventions will require
numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the
developer's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such
implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not
limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,
government-related and other constraints, which may vary by
specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a
developer's efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an
absolute sense, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine
undertaking for those of skill in this art having benefit of this
disclosure. It must be understood that the inventions disclosed and
taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications
and alternative forms. Lastly, the use of a singular term, such as,
but not limited to, "a," is not intended as limiting of the number
of items. Also, the use of relational terms, such as, but not
limited to, "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "upper," "lower,"
"down," "up," "side," and the like are used in the written
description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures and
are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the
appended claims.
[0014] Applicants have created a subsea spill containment system
comprising: a funnel structure positioned over a subsea leak; a
plurality of interconnected skirts serially joined above the
funnel; a collection dome above the skirts; and a hose connected to
the dome. The skirts may be supported by one or more central
internal longitudinal supports, such a drillpipe or solid rods.
There may be multiple supports and/or multiple skirts per support.
The skirts are preferably sealed to the dome, the funnel, and each
other. The system may be held in place over the leak using cables
secured to two or more anchor points, such as suction piles. The
system may be moved aside by manipulating the cables, thereby
providing access to the leak.
[0015] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a particular embodiment of a
deepwater oil spill collection system utilizing certain aspects of
the present inventions. The system includes a plurality of interior
longitudinal supports and a plurality of skirts surrounding the
supports. The interior longitudinal supports may be commonly
available steel drill pipe in high strength steel. In this case,
the interior longitudinal supports may be approximately forty feet
in length and two and three eights, two and seven eights, three,
three and a half, four, or four and a half inches in outside
diameter. Of course, larger drill pipe may be used, but it is
anticipated that smaller, lighter pipe will be more beneficial as
the additional strength is not anticipated to typically be
necessary.
[0016] Alternatively, the interior longitudinal supports may be
purpose built, or otherwise differ from commonly available drill
pipe. For example, the interior longitudinal supports may be
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty feet in length, or fall into some
range therein, such as between twenty and forty feet, between
thirty and forty feet, between twenty five and forty five feet, or
between thirty five and forty five feet.
[0017] The interior longitudinal supports may also be solid or
partially solid, as the system of the present invention does not
necessarily require them to be hollow thoughout, like commonly
available drill pipe. Furthermore, interior longitudinal supports
do not necessarily need to be steel. Rather, the interior
longitudinal supports may be made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy,
or even a composite material, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, or
plastic material.
[0018] In any case, the interior longitudinal supports preferably
connect with one another using treaded connections typically found
on commonly available drill pipe. Therefore, workers on a rig,
drillship or other installing vessel will be accustomed to
assembling the system of the present invention and may do so using
equipment and techniques normally used in offshore drilling
environments. The system may utilize one, two, three, four or more
of the interior longitudinal supports, or may utilize a number
falling within a range thereof, such as between two and four or
between three and five of the interior longitudinal supports.
[0019] The skirts of the present invention are preferably
constructed of a flexible, yet strong fabric and are designed to
contain and funnel oil from the spill or leak up toward the
surface. For example, in some embodiments, the skirts may be
cylindrical, segmented cylindrical, conical, and/or segmented
conical in shape, with a bottom portion of an upper skirt forming a
seal with an upper portion of a lower skirt. Alternatively, the
skirts may be rigid and/or reinforced. For example, the skirts may
be made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or even a composite
material, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, or plastic
material.
[0020] There may be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or
eight skirts attached to each support, or may vary according or
some range thereof, such as four or five, three to six, or two to
seven skirts per support. Thus, the skirts may be five, ten,
fifteen, twenty, or even forty feet in length, or fall into some
range therein, such as between five and ten feet, between five and
fifteen feet, between five and twenty feet, between ten and fifteen
feet, between ten and twenty feet, between ten and forty feet,
between fifteen and twenty feet, or between fifteen and forty
feet.
[0021] The skirts may be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten, twelve, fifteen, or even twenty feet in diameter,
and may be sized according to the capability of an installing
drillship and/or the flow capacity of the leak or reservoir. Of
course, the skirts may be designed to accommodate a range of
situations, and may therefore be fall into some range therein, such
as between three and five feet, between two and seven feet, between
three and eight feet in diameter, or between ten and twenty feet in
diameter. Additionally, the skirts' diameter may vary along their
length, such that skirt is narrower at the top portion as opposed
to the bottom portion. This variance in diameter may be gradual,
relatively continuous, or may be localized to an area near the top
or bottom of the skirt. In this manner, a bottom portion of an
upper skirt forming a seal around the outside of an upper portion
of a lower skirt. This seal may be a simple press-fit seal and/or
may be an expanding seal operated by pneumatics and/or
hydraulics.
[0022] The skirts may be attached to the supports by a cylindrical
and/or conical frame. The frame may be made of steel, aluminum, an
aluminum alloy, or even a composite material, such as fiberglass,
carbon fiber, or plastic material. The frame may also include a
plurality of hoops, or rings, to support the skirt. The frame may
also include sealing rings, such as on an upper and/or lower most
one of the supporting hoops, to a facilitate the seal between upper
and lower skirts. The frame may attach to the interior longitudinal
supports near the top of each skirt, the bottom of each skirt,
and/or at one or more places along the length of each skirt. Thus,
the frame may rigidly secure the skirt to the longitudinal
supports, or may allow the skirt to sway relative to the
supports.
[0023] The frame may be welded directly to the interior
longitudinal supports and/or may be secured thereto using J-Lay
collars, or similar structure. Thus, the frames and skirts may
hang, or be suspended, from the top, or bottom, of a flange near a
connection of the interior longitudinal supports. Where the frames
hand from the supports, a bottom most ring is preferable made
weighted, such as by being made of steel, to weight down the skirt
and ensure each skirt seals with a lower skirt.
[0024] Because the system may use multiple skirts mounted on each
of multiple supports, the system may include between two and thirty
skirts, between five and twenty skirts, between five and thirty
skirts, between ten and twenty skirts, or between ten and thirty
skirts, such as ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty skirts. In one
embodiment, the system utilizes nineteen skirts suspended on four
supports.
[0025] At the top of the upper most skirt, the system preferably
includes a dome, or collection structure with a hose attachment
collar. The dome may be constructed of steel, aluminum, an aluminum
alloy, or even a composite material, such as fiberglass, carbon
fiber, or plastic material. The dome may also be supported by a
frame, if needed. The hose connects the dome with a collection
ship, the rig, drillship or other installing vessel in order to
direct the oil collected by the system to the surface in a
controlled manner. Similar to the skirts, the dome, or its frame,
may be welded to the support and or may be secured to a flange or
J-lay collar.
[0026] The flexible segmented nature of the skirts allow them to be
installed on the support after it has been threaded, or welded, to
a lower support and/or a j-lay collar between adjacent supports. In
any case, the supports preferably carry the weight of the skirts.
Also, a bottom rigid frame may provide a tensioning mechanism for
the skirts and/or a base for a packer and/or Chevron type seal. The
seal system will allow each skirt to use the surface of a lower
support top ring as bearing surface to reduce or eliminate the
amount of water intake from outside.
[0027] The system also preferably includes a funnel structure at
the bottom of the lower most skirt to collect the oil. The lower,
larger outer diameter of the funnel may be between five and twenty
feet across, such as six feet, eight feet, ten feet, twelve feet,
sixteen feet, eighteen feet, twenty feet, or even twenty-five feet
in diameter. In some embodiments, the larger outer diameter of the
funnel may be significantly larger, such as between thirty and
forty feet across.
[0028] If the above described components of the system, as
constructed are heavier than the surrounding seawater, the system
may include one or more air cans, or floats to suspend the system.
For example, as described, the supports, skirts, frame, and/or dome
may be constructed of steel, which would tend to sink. The air cans
are preferably sized and configured to prevent this. Thus, there
may be between two and ten air cans, such as four, six, or eight.
The system may be configured with two or three times as many air
cans as needed to provide a level of redundancy.
[0029] The system is preferably secured to the seabed using two or
more suction piles around the spill location, or source. The
funnel, lower most support, and/or lower most skirt and/or frame
may be secured to the suction piles with one or more lengths of
wire, cable, chain, rope, or the like. The length of the wire
between the suction piles and the above assembly can be modified to
raise and lower the funnel and/or move the assembly to the side in
the event direct intervention to the spill source is needed. If a
cap can be installed on the spill source; then flow from the cap
can be channeled into the above system, or directly to the hose and
surface vessel. The system thus advantageously allows access to the
well, or spill source. The system may also be configured to handle
above and underground blow outs and can be placed anywhere oil is
leaking.
[0030] With the surface vessel drawing collected oil and/or water
from the dome at the top of the system, and/or through the interior
longitudinal support, a pressure differential is created, thereby
drawing the leaking oil into the system. In other words, the system
collects oil via a pressure differential from the vessel taking the
oil from top of the dome. The density difference between oil and
water is also advantageously utilized to draw oil up into the
system. The surface vessel may also inject a liquid or gas, such as
air, through the interior longitudinal supports to be vented
through holes in the interior longitudinal supports at selected
depths along the system to reduce the density of the liquid within
the system, thereby assisting and/or facilitating drawing the oil
and/or other liquids into and through the system. In the event the
surface vessel needs to disconnect the hose, the system will vent
through the hose from the top and the funnel from the bottom so the
system does not necessarily experience any pressure build up. When
the hose is disconnected it may drop and hang beside the skirts of
the system.
[0031] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate another construction for the
skirts. While this construction for the skirts may be similar to
that discussed above, rather than being constructed of a flexible
fabric, the skirts may be rigid. For example, the skirts may be
constructed from steel, a lightweight rigid composite, and/or alloy
pipe. This pipe may be threaded at each end, thereby allowing
joints to be made for the skirts much like the interior
longitudinal supports and/or commonly available drill pipe. Joints
between rigid skirts may or may not include the press fit and/or
expanding seal discussed above. In this embodiment, the skirts are
expected to be generally cylindrical, with an expanded end. For
example, the skirts may have an expanded lower end that slips over,
or threads onto, an upper end of a lower skirt. Alternatively, the
skirts may be generally cylindrical, with a reduced diameter end.
For example, the skirts may have an reduced diameter upper end that
slips within, or threads into, lower end of an upper skirt. Of
course, the opposite construction is possible as well, such that
the skirts have an expanded upper end and/or a reduced diameter
lower end. While the expanded end and/or reduced diameter end may
be integral to the skirts, such expanded ends and/or reduced
diameter ends may be formed with one or more sleeves or collars
secured to an exterior or interior of the skirts.
[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the skirts are
expected to be approximately forty feet in length and approximately
twenty feet in diameter, but may fall within some range. For
example, the skirts may be between five and ten feet, between five
and fifteen feet, between five and twenty feet, between ten and
fifteen feet, between ten and twenty feet, between ten and thirty
feet, between fifteen and twenty feet, or between fifteen and
thirty feet in diameter. The skirts for this embodiment, may or may
not utilize the frame discussed above, and/or may be secured
directly to the interior longitudinal supports using J-Lay collars,
or similar structure. Thus, the skirts may be longer continuous
rigid segments, such as with one large skirt to each interior
longitudinal support, as opposed to the multiple smaller flexible
skirts to each interior longitudinal support described above. Of
course, depending on the application, any combination of these
features may be utilized.
[0033] The skirts made be pre-assembled upon the interior
longitudinal supports awaiting installation above the spill. For
example, where the skirts are rigid, one interior longitudinal
support, or skirt, may be pushed, pressed, raised, or lowered
toward another until the joint between the two adjacent interior
longitudinal supports is made and then the expanded end of one
skirt may be slid, or threaded, over the other skirt. The seal
between the two skirts may then be activated, pneumatically and/or
hydraulically, through a port in the expanded end of the skirt.
Flexibility in the frame and/or other components mounting the
skirts to the interior longitudinal supports may allow access to
the joint between the two adjacent interior longitudinal supports
before the seal between the two adjacent skirts has been achieved.
This process may be repeated until the system, of the desired size,
length, or depth, is assembled over the spill.
[0034] Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects
of the inventions described above can be devised without departing
from the spirit of Applicant's invention. For example, one or more
of the interior longitudinal supports may be hollow and/or may have
holes between the exterior and any interior spaces. In this case,
and especially where the surface vessel draws collected oil and/or
water through the interior longitudinal support, the holes may be
located in order to draw oil and/or water at a selected depth, or
height within the system. Alternatively, as discussed above, these
holes may be utilized to inject liquid or gas between the interior
longitudinal supports and the skirts selected depths, or heights
within the system. This will allow the system to control the
density difference along the water column, and/or prevent the oil
and/or water to density from getting concentrated and/or
eliminated. More specifically, as different hollow regions take oil
from the confined space within the skirts, the system may also
allow water to come in a gap between the skirts and maintain
certain level of density difference throughout the column. Taking
oil from the confined space within the skirts may allow the system
to control a speed at which the spilled oil rises toward the
surface. Additionally, or alternatively, as discussed above, the
system may inject liquid or gas into the confined space within the
skirts, to further control the density and/or the speed at which
the spilled oil rises toward the surface.
[0035] Finally, this arrangement could be used for power
generation, such as by using density difference in the ocean due to
temperature difference between deep and shallow water and/or the
density difference generated by oil in the water column as
described above, with a turbine or turbines at different locations.
These turbines could also be used to control the flow of oil and/or
water within the system.
[0036] The various methods and embodiments of the present invention
can be included in combination with each other to produce
variations of the disclosed methods and embodiments. For example,
multiple strings of skirts may be used with one funnel and/or
multiple systems may be used in close proximity to cover a large
area spill. Discussion of singular elements can include plural
elements and vice-versa. Further, the order of steps can occur in a
variety of sequences unless otherwise specifically limited. The
various steps described herein can be combined with other steps,
interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split into multiple
steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally and can
be embodied as separate components or can be combined into
components having multiple functions.
[0037] The inventions have been described in the context of
preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the
invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations
to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary
skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not
intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the
invention conceived of by the Applicants, but rather, in conformity
with the patent laws, Applicants intend to fully protect all such
modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range
of equivalent of the following claims.
* * * * *