Patent Application
20160263537
1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to an apparatus for injecting a first fluid into a second fluid. More specifically, an injection quill design and methods of use are disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
In refineries, water treatment facilities, and other process industries, chemical treatments are used to reduce or deactivate harmful species in process streams and protect processing equipment from corrosion and fouling. This involves injecting the treatment chemical into the process stream. Both the treatment chemical and process stream may be oil-soluble, water-soluble or a mixture thereof. The treatment chemicals and process streams may be a liquid, gas, or a mixture thereof. Uniform and maximum dispersion of the treatment chemical through the process stream may increase the effectiveness of the treatment chemical and may even reduce treatment costs. Likewise, uniform and maximum volume fraction of the treatment chemical on process equipment surfaces may increase the effectiveness of the treatment chemical and may even reduce treatment costs. For many injection applications, an injection quill may be used to inject the treatment chemical into the process stream. Examples of injection applications where an injection quill may be used, include, but are not limited to, injecting a H2S scavenger, a neutralizer, corrosion inhibitor, or a filmer into a hydrocarbon stream at a hydrocarbon processing facility.
Currently, injection quills and their use are developed based on trial and error by people with experience in the field. This current method may be sub-optimal, leading to uneven distribution of treatment chemicals or uneven coverage of processing equipment surfaces. In the cases where the treatment chemical is a corrosion inhibitor, such uneven coverage may lead to severe corrosion of exposed pipe surfaces, as witnessed in the field. The injection design must then be altered, often more than once, until corrosion is minimized. This trial and error process is inefficient and costly. In addition, injection quills obstruct the flow of the process stream being treated. The obstruction may be enough to cause a pressure drop in the process stream being treated.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an injection quill design. The methodology used to develop the quill design was Computational Fluid Dynamics (“CFD”) to simulate the effects of various design modifications on the flow characteristics of a treatment chemical and process stream. CFD is a technique of numerically solving fluid mechanics and related phenomena in a fluid system. CFD was used to estimate the volume fraction of filmer, or anti-corrosion chemical, on a pipe wall using different injection quill designs. CFD was also used to estimate the dispersion of a H2S scavenger in natural gas using different injection quill designs. The information obtained from the simulations was used to develop injection quill designs for injecting a first fluid into a second fluid.
The injection quill designs may be used to coat a pipe wall with a filmer or to disperse a chemical treatment, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream. When coating a pipe wall or other processing equipment, the coating process may be improved by increasing the volume fraction of the filmer (“treatment chemical” or “first fluid”) on the pipe walls along the length of the pipe. The dispersion process may be improved by inducing homogeneous mixing of the treatment chemical with the process stream. This may be achieved by a combination of various means, such as increasing the turbulence of the process stream, adjusting the particle size distribution of the treatment chemical, increasing the coverage area of the treatment chemical, etc. Injecting the treatment chemical in regions of high velocity regions of the fluid being treated (“process stream” or “second fluid”) also aids in homogenous mixing as the process stream can act as a carrier to carry the treatment chemical farther and faster. In some cases, decreasing the average droplet size of the chemical treatment may also improve the chemical treatment's efficiency. The disclosed designs may be used to coat a pipe wall with a filmer, or disperse a treatment chemical, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream. It was also surprisingly discovered that the injection quill designs increase the volume fraction of the first fluid along the length of a pipe, while at the same time, minimize the pressure drop in the process stream being treated.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, an injection quill for injecting a first fluid into a second fluid is disclosed. The injection quill may comprise a hollow stem having a closed end and a sidewall. The stem may have a curved cross-section defined by a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), and at least on orifice for injecting the first fluid into the second fluid. The major axis A may be greater than or equal to the minor axis B i.e., A≧B and/or the orifice may extend through the sidewall and/or the orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the orifice may extend through the sidewall. In yet another embodiment, A may be greater than B (A>B).
In another embodiment, the stem may be made of metal. In yet another embodiment, the injection quill may further comprise first couplings to connect the quill to a pipe. The couplings may optionally be flanged or threaded.
In one embodiment, the ratio of A to B may range from about 1.1:1 to about 4:1. In another embodiment, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, the injections quill stem may comprise at least two orifices. At least one of the orifices may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°<θ<90°. The inner diameter of the orifice may range from 1/32 to ⅜ inches. In yet another embodiment of the injection quill, the orifice may have an inner diameter from 1/32 to ¼ inch in length.
In another embodiment, a method of injecting a first fluid into a second fluid using an injection quill is disclosed. The injection quill may comprise a hollow stem having a closed end and a sidewall. The stem may have a curved cross-section defined by a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), and at least on orifice for injecting the first fluid into the second fluid. The major axis A may be greater than or equal to the minor axis B i.e., A≧B and/or the orifice may extend through the sidewall and/or the orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°.
In another method embodiment, the major axis of the stem may be substantially parallel to a direction of flow of the second fluid. In another embodiment, the orifice may extend through the sidewall. In yet another embodiment, A may be greater than B (A>B). In yet another embodiment, the ratio of A to B may range from about 1.1:1 to about 4:1.
In another method embodiment, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, the injections quill stem may comprise at least two orifices. At least one of the orifices may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°≦θ<90°.
In yet another embodiment of the method, the second fluid may move from an upstream direction to a downstream direction relative to the stem. The orifice may be on a hemispherical portion of the sidewall which faces in the downstream direction. The inner diameter of the orifice may range from 1/32 to ⅜ inches. In yet another method, the orifice may have an inner diameter from 1/32 to ¼ inch in length.
The stem (8) of the injection quill may be a hollow elliptical cylinder, such that the major axis (A) is greater than the minor axis (B). The major axis may be orientated such that it is parallel with the direction of flow of the second fluid. The injection quill's interference with the second fluid's flow is minimized when the major axis (A) is orientated parallel with the direction of the second fluid's flow. This aids in maintaining the pressure of the second fluid's flow. The stem has a length (L) and the end of the stem (10) is closed. The end (10) may be closed at a right angle (shown) or closed at an incline, rounded or semi-spherical, beveled, etc. Although a right elliptical cylinder with a sidewall of constant elliptical cross-section is shown in
The orifice (12) may be located at any distance (z) along the length (L) of the stem (8). In one embodiment, distance (z) may be at a distance from the fluid containment wall where the frictional forces from the wall surface on the fluid are the least and the second fluid velocity is the greatest. If the fluid containment wall is a pipe, distance (z) may be the center of the diameter of the pipe. In another embodiment, the distance (z) may be slightly above the center of the diameter of the pipe. In another embodiment, the distance (z) is about ⅜ inch to about ½ inch above the center of the pipe diameter.
Turning to
In another embodiment, the orifice (12) may have an internal chamfer such that the inner diameter (16) is smaller than the outer diameter (18). The chamfer length may be greater than or equal to the sidewall thickness. If the chamfer extends through the entire sidewall, the chamfer will be the entire wall thickness. Alternatively, the chamfer length may be less than or equal to the entire sidewall (14) thickness. In one embodiment, the chamfer length is greater than or equal to the entire wall thickness. As shown in
In another embodiment, the orifice may be located at a location angle (θ) wherein the origin is at the center of the ellipse (C) and the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) in the direction of the second fluid's flow. Thus, if the orifice location angle is 0°, the first fluid is injected in the same direction of flow as the second fluid. In another embodiment, at least one orifice is located at a location angle θ, wherein an origin of the location angle, θ is measured from the major axis A and wherein −180°<θ<180°. In other words, θ can be −90°<θ<90° as potentially measured from a vertex which is located along the major axis A in either of two positions. The two positions may be the two intersections between major axis A and the circumference defined by the cross-section of the stem. Accordingly, in one embodiment, θ may range from −90°<θ<90°. In another embodiment, there may be a second orifice located at a location angle (θ′) wherein the origin is at the center of the ellipse (C) and the location angle (θ′) is measured from the major axis (A) in the direction of the second fluid's flow. Accordingly, in one embodiment, θ′ may also range from −90°<θ′<90°. Location angles θ and θ′ may be the same or different. Those of ordinary skill in the art will anticipate that if location angles θ and θ′ are the same; the orifices will be at different distances (z) on the length (L) of the stem (8). In one embodiment, θ may range from 0°≦θ<90° and θ′ may range from −90°<θ′≦0°. In another embodiment, the ranges may be 7°≦θ≦75° and −75°≦θ′≦−7°. Alternatively, the ranges may be 30°≦θ≦60° and −60°≦θ′≦−30°. In yet another embodiment, θ and θ′ may be congruent but on opposite sides of major axis (A). Accordingly, in another embodiment, the magnitude of θ may equal the magnitude of θ′. In yet another embodiment, θ=30° and θ′=−30°.
In another embodiment, the stem may have three or more orifices. In yet another embodiment, the stem may have two pairs of orifices for a total of four orifices. The first orifice pair may have location angles (θ1 and θ1′) that are congruent but on opposite sides of major axis (A). The second orifice pair may have congruent location angles, (θ2 and θ2′). The congruent location angles of the first and second orifice pair may be the same or different.
In another embodiment, the congruent injection angles of the first and second pair may be the same with each orifice pair at different distances (z1) and (z2) respectively, on the length (L) of the stem (8) (
The injection quill, or quill, may be used in any application where it is desirable to inject a first fluid into a second fluid. Examples include, but are not limited to, injecting a H2S scavenger, a corrosion inhibitor, a filmer or a neutralizer into a hydrocarbon stream at a hydrocarbon processing facility. The first and second fluids may be the same or different, and may be a liquid, gas, or a mixture thereof. The first fluid may be a chemical treatment comprising oil-soluble or water-soluble chemicals that deactivate harmful, corroding, or fouling species in the second fluid. Accordingly, injection quill designs for coating a pipe wall with a filmer or dispersing a chemical treatment, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream are disclosed. It was also surprisingly discovered that the injection quill designs increase the volume fraction of the first fluid along the length of a pipe, while at the same time, minimize the pressure drop in the process stream being treated.
The injection quill may comprise a stem that is a hollow cylinder. The stem may have a closed end and a sidewall with curved cross-section, a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), wherein the major axis (A) is greater than or equal to the minor axis (B) i.e., A≧B. The stem may have at least one orifice extending through the stem sidewall for injecting the first fluid. In one embodiment, the stem may be a hollow elliptical cylinder having a sidewall with an elliptical cross-section wherein A>B. In another embodiment, the ratio of A to B may range from about 1.1:1 to about 4:1. Alternatively, the ratio of A to B may be about 2:1.
In another embodiment, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, the injections quill stem may comprise at least two orifices. Each orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, at least one chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, at least one chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
At least one of the orifices may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°<θ<90°. In yet another embodiment, at least one of the orifices may be located at location angle (θ′), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ′) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°<θ<90°. In yet another embodiment, θ and θ′ may be congruent on opposite sides of major axis (A). In another embodiment, the injection quill may have a total of four orifices. The injection quill may have a first pair of orifices with congruent location angles (θ) and (θ′) located at a first distance (z1) and a second pair of orifices with congruent location angles (θ) and (θ′) located at a second distance (z2).
In yet another embodiment, the major axis (A) of the injection quill is parallel to a direction of flow of the second fluid.
In another embodiment, the injection quill for injecting a first fluid into a second fluid may have a hollow stem with a closed end and a sidewall and at least one orifice extending though the sidewall. The orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, a method of injecting a first fluid into a second fluid using an injection quill is disclosed. The method comprises using an injection quill with a stem that is a hollow elliptical cylinder. The stem may have a closed end and sidewall with an elliptical cross-section and a major axis (A) and a minor axis (B), wherein A≧B. The major axis (A) of the stem may be parallel to a direction of flow of the second fluid. The stem may have at least one orifice extending through the sidewall for injecting the first fluid. If the stem has a rhomboid or deltoid cross-section with a major diagonal (Xmajor), and a minor diagonal (Xminor), wherein Xmajor>Xminor, the major diagonal may be parallel to a direction of floor of the second fluid.
In another method at least one orifice may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle is measured from the major axis (A). The location angle may range from −90°<θ<90°.
In yet another method, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In one embodiment, the injection quill may be an elliptical injection quill for use with a 24-inch diameter pipe. The stem may be a hollow elliptical cylinder with a closed end and a sidewall. The closed end may be flat or have a semi-spherical shape. The sidewall (14) may have a thickness of ⅛ inch. The stem may have an elliptical cross-section with a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), wherein A is ½ inch and B ¼ inch. The injection quill may be inserted into a pipe. The injection quill may protrude into the pipe to about 75% of the pipe's diameter. If the injection quill is inserted in a 24-inch diameter pipe, the injection quill stem length (L) may range from about 13 to about 18 inches, such that the orifices are about 12 inches from the pipe wall. The injection quill may have two orifices located at a distance (z) on the stem that is about ⅜ inch to about ½ inch above the center of the pipe diameter. Thus, for a 24-inch diameter pipe, z may be about 11⅝ to about 11½ inches from where the injection quill extends through the pipe wall. The orifices may have congruent location angles, θ and θ′, on opposite sides of major axis (A). The location angles may be θ=30° and θ′=−30°. Both orifices may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) of 60°. The chamfer length may extend through the entire thickness of the sidewall, such that the chamfer length is ⅛ inch.
In one embodiment, an injection quill for injecting a first fluid into a second fluid is disclosed. The injection quill may comprise a hollow stem having a closed end and a sidewall. The stem may have a curved cross-section defined by a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), and at least on orifice for injecting the first fluid into the second fluid. The major axis A may be greater than or equal to the minor axis B i.e., A≧B and/or the orifice may extend through the sidewall and/or the orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the orifice may extend through the sidewall. In yet another embodiment, A may be greater than B (A>B).
In another embodiment, the stem may be made of metal. In yet another embodiment, the injection quill may further comprise first couplings to connect the quill to a pipe. The couplings may optionally be flanged or threaded.
In one embodiment, the ratio of A to B may range from about 1.1:1 to about 4:1. In another embodiment, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, the injections quill stem may comprise at least two orifices. At least one of the orifices may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°<θ<90°. The inner diameter of the orifice may range from 1/32 to ⅜ inches. In yet another embodiment of the injection quill, the orifice may have an inner diameter from 1/32 to ¼ inch in length.
In another embodiment, a method of injecting a first fluid into a second fluid using an injection quill is disclosed. The injection quill may comprise a hollow stem having a closed end and a sidewall. The stem may have a curved cross-section defined by a major axis (A), and a minor axis (B), and at least on orifice for injecting the first fluid into the second fluid. The major axis A may be greater than or equal to the minor axis B i.e., A≧B and/or the orifice may extend through the sidewall and/or the orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°.
In another method embodiment, the major axis of the stem may be substantially parallel to a direction of flow of the second fluid. In another embodiment, the orifice may extend through the sidewall. In yet another embodiment, A may be greater than B (A>B). In yet another embodiment, the ratio of A to B may range from about 1.1:1 to about 4:1.
In another method embodiment, the injection quill orifice may have an internal chamfer with a chamfer angle (α) ranging from 0°≦α<90°. In another embodiment, the chamfer angle may range from 7°≦α≦75°. Alternatively, the chamfer angle may range from 30°≦α≦60°.
In another embodiment, the injections quill stem may comprise at least two orifices. At least one of the orifices may be located at a location angle (θ), wherein an origin of the location angle (θ) is measured from the major axis (A) and wherein −90°<θ<90°.
In yet another embodiment of the method, the second fluid may move from an upstream direction to a downstream direction relative to the stem. The orifice may be on a hemispherical portion of the sidewall which faces in the downstream direction. The inner diameter of the orifice may range from 1/32 to ⅜ inches. In yet another method, the orifice may have an inner diameter from 1/32 to ¼ inch in length.
The injection quill designs may be used to coat a pipe wall with a filmer or to disperse a chemical treatment, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream. When coating a pipe wall or other processing equipment, the coating process may be improved by increasing the volume fraction of the filmer (“treatment chemical” or “first fluid”) on the pipe walls along the length of the pipe. The dispersion process may be improved by inducing homogeneous mixing of the treatment chemical with the process stream. This may be achieved by a combination of various means, such as increasing the turbulence of the process stream, adjusting the particle size distribution of the treatment chemical, increasing the coverage area of the treatment chemical, etc. Injecting the treatment chemical in regions of high velocity regions of the fluid being treated (“process stream” or “second fluid”) also aids in homogenous mixing as the process stream can act as a carrier to carry the treatment chemical farther and faster. In some cases, decreasing the average droplet size of the chemical treatment may also improve the chemical treatment's efficiency. The disclosed designs may be used to coat a pipe wall with a filmer, or disperse a treatment chemical, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream. It was also surprisingly discovered that the injection quill designs increase the volume fraction of the first fluid along the length of a pipe, while at the same time, minimize the pressure drop in the process stream being treated.
For the Comparative Example, the volume fraction and fluid velocity of a system using a prior art quill were simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (“CFD”) model. Multiphase fluid systems were developed for the CFD models. Simulations were performed using a bulk multiphase method and an individual particle tracking method to analyze the behavior of the injected particles. The system used was a HP Work station Z400 computer using FLUENT® 14.0 software, ANSYS-CFX 14.0 software (ANSYS, Inc. Canonsburg, Pa.) and HyperMesh 10.0 (HyperWorks, Altair, Inc. Troy, Mich.).
The fluid system was modeled after a naphtha-natural gas (liquid in gas) system. The first fluid was liquid naphtha with a density of 780 kg/m3, an average particle diameter of 50 microns. The second fluid was natural gas (primarily methane) with a density of 0.717 kg/m3. The fluid containment system was a pipe with a diameter (D) of 24 inches and a total length 15D. The injection quill extended through the pipe wall at the length 5D.
For the Comparative Example, the system was modeled after a prior art injection quill design with a circular stem with an inner diameter of ⅛″. Turning to
The injection quill designs may be used to coat a pipe wall with a filmer or to disperse a chemical treatment, such as a scavenger, in a hydrocarbon stream. When coating a pipe wall or other processing equipment, the coating process may be improved by increasing the volume fraction of the filmer (“first fluid”) on the pipe walls along the length of the pipe. Thus, the volume fraction (VF) of naphtha was evaluated using different quill designs. When dispersing a chemical treatment throughout a process stream, the dispersion process may be improved by minimizing the decrease in velocity of the process stream being treated (“second fluid”) caused by the stem and when injecting the first fluid. Thus, the fluid velocity was also evaluated using different quill designs.
For the examples, the effects of location angle θ, the chamfer angle (α), and the number of orifices, on volume fraction and fluid velocity were simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (“CFD”) model. Multiphase fluid systems were developed for the CFD models. Simulations were performed using a bulk multiphase method and an individual particle tracking method to analyze the behavior of the injected particles.
The system used was a HP Work station Z400 computer using FLUENT® 14.0 software, ANSYS-CFX 14.0 software (ANSYS, Inc. Canonsburg, Pa.) and HyperMesh 10.0 (HyperWorks, Altair, Inc. Troy, Mich.). The fluid system was modeled after a naphtha-natural gas (liquid in gas) system. The first fluid was liquid naphtha with a density of 780 kg/m3. The average droplet size distribution of the treatment chemical may also improve the treatment chemical's efficiency, thus the naphtha average particle diameter was set to 50 μm. The second fluid was natural gas (primarily methane) with a density of 0.717 kg/m3. The fluid containment system was a pipe with a diameter (D) of 24 inches and a total length 15D. The injection quill extended through the pipe wall at the length 5D. The stem (8) of the injection quill had a major axis (A) with a diameter of ¾″ and a minor axis (B) with a diameter of ⅜″.
Example Set 1 shows the effects of the number of orifices on the volume fraction of naphtha and velocity of the fluid in the pipe. The effects were simulated for a stem with two orifices and compared with a stem with four orifices. The inner diameter (16) of the orifice was ⅛″. The chamfer angle (α) was 60° and the chamfer length was 0.226″, the entire thickness of the stem sidewall (14). The orifice location angles θ and θ′ were 75° and −75° respectively for all the simulations in Example Set 1.
For the simulations with two orifices, the distance (z) for the two orifices was 12″ from the pipe wall. For the simulations with four orifices, the distance (z1) for the first orifice pair was six inches from the pipe wall and the distance (z2) for the second orifice pair was 12 inches from the pipe wall. The data for the two-orifice and four-orifice simulations are summarized in Table 1 below.
Example Set 2 shows the effects of the chamfer angle (α) on the volume fraction (VF) of naphtha and velocity of the fluid in the pipe. The effects were simulated for a stem with one orifice located at θ=0° and z=12″. The inner diameter (16) of the orifice was ⅛″ and stem sidewall (14) thickness was 0.226″. The chamfer length was the entire thickness of the stem sidewall, i.e., 0.226″. The chamfer angles (α) tested were 7.3°, 30°, 60°, and 70°. The data for the chamfer angle simulations are summarized in Table 2 below.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2013/067678 | 10/31/2013 | WO | 00 |
