Patent Application
20210116345
The invention relates generally to an onboard apparatus, system, and method for automatically loading into or unloading from a bulk transport container and evaluating characteristics of a liquid during the loading or unloading, and more particularly, that dynamically monitors and evaluates characteristics of the flow, particularly density, which are used to determine other characteristics and values of the load, namely, presence of contaminants such as water, solids, out of specification conditions, etc. to enable accurately measuring volume, mass, and/or quality of the load, and optionally to automatically responsively perform certain operations, for example, to signal an operator, cease loading, segregate and/or return all or portions of the load, if contaminated or out of specification. The invention has particular utility for loading and determining volume and quality of crude oil from collection tanks at remote locations lacking more sophisticated testing and evaluation equipment, including in a manner sufficiently accurately for controlling the loading and unloading remotely, e.g., from a distant control facility, as well as for qualifying for government certification for custody transfer.
PCT patent application Ser. No. PCT/US2017/62876, filed Nov. 21, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/425,059, filed Nov. 21, 2016, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
In the oil extraction and processing industry, at larger production and processing volume locations having complex piping networks, it is common to have sophisticated, accurate apparatus for evaluating characteristics of the liquid flows, such as mass flow or density, volumetric flow, viscosity, pressure, temperature, etc. The instruments for measuring these characteristics are regularly maintained, certified, and/or calibrated, and the properties of the liquid flows are generally already known, the instrumentation being used to obtain/monitor precise values for the characteristics, and to signal problems, etc.
In lower production environments, e.g., remote oil production wells, distantly spaced individual well sites, etc., it is not economical to connect the site to a pipe line, or to have in place complex, expensive instrumentation, particularly that requires frequent maintenance, calibration, etc. More commonly, the crude oil is transported by bulk carrier such as a tanker truck or the like from a collection tank or tanks near the production well, to a depot, pipeline terminal, or the like. Generally at these locations, the tanker truck driver or other personnel must manually measure the volume of oil in a stationary tank by a process known as “strapping” which involves lowering a tape measure through a lid or access hatch on the top of the tank and down to the liquid contents prior to loading. In association with this, a sample or samples of the oil are taken at prescribed sampling intervals in the loading process, e.g., ¼; ½; and ¾ through the loading process, to evaluate oil grade, and presence of contaminants such as water, solids, etc., can be noted if desired or required. The present practice is problematic as strapping can involve climbing tall tank ladders, often under inclement weather conditions including ice and snow, and there is a risk of injury or death due to potential deadly gases present when opening the tank hatch. Field measurements of grade and observations of quality can also be less accurate than desired. Measurement of volume by strapping can vary from person to person, and from time to time, resulting in inconsistencies and differences between observed volumes compared to actual volumes measured at a receiving facility, and because strapping is a manual process with no immediate verification, errors and inaccuracies can be difficult to discover.
As another significant issue involved in the transport of oil from smaller producing remote locations, the known manual methods for determining grade and quality of the oil at sampling intervals during loading, while likely accurate for the sampled quantities, will not be accurate for entire load if the grade of the load is not uniform, which is typically the case. In particular in this regard, sampling intervals of ¼; ½; and ¾ through the loading process will not accurately reflect the load where there is a wide range of grades within a tank, and/or wherein contaminants, most importantly, water, gas, salt, and solids (including variously suspended and as sediment) are distributed unevenly within the oil. All of these elements, even though they can be removed to some extent by filters, dehydrators, desalters, de-emulsifiers, and other apparatus at the well head or collection facility if available, can be present to varying extents within a load of crude oil. As an additional factor, vapors and gases some of which are potentially dangerous such as H2S may be released from the oil when loading and from the transported oil in transit also.
Over time, the oil of the various densities and impurities or contaminants in a collection tank at a remote field location can stratify such that denser or heavier water, alone or containing solids, migrates or settles in the bottom region of the tank, with layers of progressively less dense oil above, and with lighter oils and some solids in the upper region. It is also known for lighter vapors, solids, emulsions, and lighter density oil to be trapped in heavier oils at lower locations of the tank. Stratification can occur at varying rates as a function of a variety of factors, e.g., temperature, flow rate, etc. Accordingly, in one scenario during loading, certain impurities, namely, water and solids, will have settled and can be found mainly in the lowest region of a tank to be unloaded, and thus will be encountered first during the loading operation from the bottom of that tank (See
During loading, transporting and/or storing crude oil in tanker trucks, gas and vapor can be released, temperature of portions or all of the oil can change, and solids and other contaminants redistributed within the oil as a result of handling and vibration during transport. This presents a different scenario. Under the first scenario, when the contents of the collection tank are loaded from the tank to be unloaded, the contaminants are typically drawn first from the bottom region of the collection tank, and are pumped into the bottom region of the receiving tank wherein they will be agitated and mixed with the rest of the incoming load. Then, depending on the travel conditions, e.g., roughness of the roads, temperature, time, internal convection, etc., the contents of the transport tank upon arrival at an unloading location will be mixed and may be stratified to various extents. Some vapor contents of the load may also have been released. Thereafter, when the transport tank is unloaded, the contents will again typically be drawn from the bottom, resulting in further agitating and mixing. Thus, it can be envisioned that there is virtually no consistency or uniformity with regard to a number of characteristics of crude oil when loaded into a transport container and subsequently unloaded therefrom.
Some characteristics such as viscosity of a particular grade or density of oil will also vary as a result of its temperature. As a result, oil in a region of a tank in direct sunlight and thus having a higher temperature will have a lower viscosity compared to oil of the same grade or density in a shaded region of the tank. Thus, when pumped, the oil from the different regions of the tank will have different flow and mixing characteristics, and thus the distribution of contaminants within a load will not be uniform to any extent.
At some times, a transport tanker may be loaded from different collection tanks without segregation. As a result, contaminants, and vapor and gas losses may not be accurately attributable. It is also possible that not all of a collection tank's contents will be loaded into a transport tank, for any of a variety of reasons. Thus it can be envisioned that there is a demand for safer loading and better data collection, particularly for evaluation of quality and volume, of crude oil received at remote, small production volume sources.
Thus it should be recognized that crude oil is not a routinely uniform consistency and the amount of contaminants present in a particular tank can vary widely for a variety of reasons. Accordingly, the oil quality and value in field collection tanks can differ significantly, including by containing impurities such as water either in liquid state in the bottom of the tank, or an emulsified state, e.g., in mixture with the oil, and other impurities including for example, solids, and salts elsewhere in the tank. Value will also be affected by the composition of the oil itself, e.g., as a function of the various grades or densities that may be present in a particular load. In this regard, as an example, oil within loads transported by truck from the Bakken oil fields of the U.S. have been found to vary in density generally between about 0.7 and 0.8 kg/m3, with solids of lower density and water of higher density contained in various amounts in any give quantity of oil. Some heavier crude oils from other fields will have density values closer to that of water, which will be about 1 kg/m3, but will also vary with contaminant levels such as solids and salts. Thus it should be apparent that manual periodic sampling of grade and observations of impurities, etc., is inadequate for accurately assessing quality and value and provides only a broad estimate. As a result, there is a possibility that a particular load of crude oil will be inaccurately valued in the absence of verifiable data.
When the transported oil is unloaded at the destination, e.g., an oil depot, pipeline terminal, processing facility, etc., which will typically be a larger more complex operation, the crude oil may be better measured and evaluated. However, by this time significant expense may have been incurred in transporting a load over a substantial distance, and at unloading facilities, it is often required to unload quickly to reduce wait times. Thus, it is possible that the more sophisticated measurements will not be taken immediately, such that exact attribution of quality, volume discrepancies, and the like, to a particular load or source may not be possible, giving incentive to some producers to take steps to reduce quality, and some to short or skim from and or dilute loads. If there are quality issues from some producers but not others transported together, it can be difficult to determine the source of the low quality. As a result, a higher quality or more conscientious producer may be penalized by association with a lower quality/less conscientious producer, and the lower quality producer rewarded.
As the value of oil and transport distances increase, the possibility is increased that a load of oil will be tampered with in transit, such as by skimming a portion of the load, and/or by diluting it prior to unloading.
As another issue, most oil fields are not seasonal and the collected oil can be loaded and transported at any time so that temperature and humidity can be a factor in field sampling of characteristics including grade, viscosity, flow rate, water/condensation content, vaporization losses, etc. Oil field equipment such as dehydrators, desalters, filters, separators, etc., can also vary in operational quality and efficiency, calibration, etc., and thus the quality of removal of contaminants from crude oil in the field can vary from load to load. These increase the number of variables that can affect determinations of the value and quality of crude oil collected from remote fields not connected to a piping system.
As noted above, it is known to take metrics of oil flow through pipes of stationary facilities e.g., leased asset custody transfer facilities, which metrics will typically include density, volumetric flow rate, mass flow rate, temperature, pressure, BS&W total (solids and water total), etc., for various purposes, including for evaluating quality, processing baseline values, etc. using various instruments, meters, e.g., process mass flow or density meters, volumetric flow meters, differential pressure meters, and the like. Reference in this regard, meters and related apparatus disclosed and discussed in Sprague U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,957,586 and 7,366,621. However, to maintain desired accuracy, e.g., typically fraction of one percent accuracy of density measurements, the meters must be periodically calibrated using known samples. Being employed at stationary locations facilitates this. Stationary location also eliminates wear and tear, sustained heavy vibrations, and jarring, as would be experienced if the instrumentation were mounted on a mobile platform such as a tanker truck or trailer, railcar, etc., and some instrumentation is too delicate to withstand location on a mobile platform such as a truck or trailer. Still further, it is costly and inconvenient to take mobile platforms out of service for calibration of instrumentation carried thereon.
Portable mass flow or density meters or densitometers such as commercially available Coriolis meters are beginning to be employed to a limited extent on mobile transport tankers for determining total loaded mass or volume and density of crude oil. However, as discussed above, if used for only measuring total loaded volume or mass, there is no differentiation between sources of the loads, and no comprehensive or complete collection of grade or quality data, which represents a lost opportunity for more precisely analyzing and valuing the load especially for custody transfer purposes and for analyzing contaminant content in detail. If more comprehensive data were collected and processed or analyzed at loading, more accurate quality metrics and value could be established at that time and decisions made in regard to oil grade, quality, and value as well as status of the production and collection facility.
Thus, what is sought is a manner of better evaluating properties of bulk liquids, particularly which has the capability to improve accuracy and amount of data collected; reduce physical hazards associated with field measurements; identify and reject substandard loads; detect transit losses, and reduce occurrences of measurement inaccuracies, misunderstandings and other issues and problems associated with loading bulk liquids, particularly crude oil at remote locations such as well sites, oil fields and the like, and which overcomes one or more of the shortcomings and limitations set forth above.
What is disclosed is an onboard apparatus, system, and method for automatically loading into or unloading from a bulk transport container and evaluating characteristics of a liquid during the loading or unloading, including in real time or near real time, and more particularly, that improves accuracy and compilation of data collected; and has capabilities including: to automate the measuring process to reduce exposure to physical hazards associated with field activities such as ladder climbing and the like; to identify and flag or reject substandard loads or portions of a load both at the onset of loading and continuously during the loading/unloading; to detect transit losses; and to reduce occurrences of measurement inaccuracies, misunderstandings and other issues and problems associated with loading bulk liquids, particularly crude oil at remote locations such as well sites, oil fields and the like so as to streamline the custody transfer process and provide accurate documentation of load composition and the like, and which overcomes one or more of the shortcomings and limitations set forth above. The invention has particular utility for detecting, quantifying, and optionally segregating water and solids as sediments and emulsions as well as other contaminants and impurities in crude oil loaded from collection tanks at remote locations lacking more sophisticated testing.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention, for process control purposes, the loading of the liquid into a transport container and unloading therefrom can be initiated and/or conducted under manual or automatic control, using conventional apparatus such as, but limited to, conduits such as hoses, pipes, valves, pump or pumps, and piping and hose connections, etc. normally found in a remote oil field or crude oil collection facility. Flow of the liquid can be initiated by gravity and/or pumping. Associated valving is preferably incorporated that is configured and operable to immediately divert and/or direct flow into one or more separate transport compartments or tanks responsively to detection of contaminants, impurities, or out of specification liquid to for segregating from the in specification bulk liquid. For automatic control of pumping and/or valving, any suitable process automation control can be employed, such as, but not limited to, a commercially available programmable logic controller (PLC), a PC, tablet, or other microprocessor based computing device, (sometimes collectively referred to herein by the term “control” or “controller”) and an associated user interface such as but not limited to, a touch screen/pad, monitor/keyboard, human machine interface (HMI), etc. A printer for printing out a ticket of the load can also be integrated. SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) or another suitable control network protocol can be enabled for remote data and command read/write capability. For mass and/or volume measurements, a conventional mass and/or volume flow meter or meters of suitable accuracy and real time data generation configured for incorporation in process piping can be utilized, and will be controlled by the controller and/or incorporate a transmitter for transmitting data to an associated controller and/or another location such as a remotely located control center, and optionally for receiving information and commands therefrom, including automated loading and unloading commands, if desired, for example, via conventional channels such as a wireless data connection and a secure VPN or similar well known data transfer arrangement. A non-limiting preferred type of meter suitable for the purposes of the invention are Coriolis mass flow meters commercially available from Krohne USA and other suppliers and Vorcone meters, typically operable to yield volume, density, mass flow, temperature, viscosity, pressure, velocity and volumetric flow rate of a fluid flow.
As a non-limiting example, a single meter can be employed for measuring properties of liquid being loaded and unloaded, or separate meters can be employed for measuring loading and unloading the liquid, respectively. As another possible configuration, two meters can be used in series. The meter or meters will preferably be disposed on the transport container, e.g., tanker trailer, truck, rail car or the like, or an associated vehicle such as a tractor truck, so as to travel from location to location therewith, as opposed to being permanently located at the collection tank, oil field, etc.
According to another preferred aspect of the invention, the meter or the associated controller is configured to determine substantially continuous values representative of density of the flow in real or near real time and compare those values to a value or values representative of at least one contaminant or impurity (herein sometimes collectively referred to by the term “contaminant”), such as, but not limited to, a non-conforming liquid such as water; and/or emulsions of water and/or oil, and/or solids, e.g., BS & W data broken down in specific detail, to detect presence thereof and for detailed analysis. Upon detection, the controller is operable to automatically perform a function that can be preset or selectable, including: to store and/or compile data representative thereof, e.g., a stream of density values, averages, running totals, etc., and occurrence in the flow, volume, or mass, e.g., by determining in discrete, predetermined segments of the flow such as by periodic sampling); communicate the presence to an associated signal or output device; transmit it to a remote device; and/or perform a designated operation or function, e.g., halt, reverse, or divert the flow to another location, such as a separate designated compartment of a transport container or another container. The controller can also automatically cease the flow and output a signal and await a command. As a non-limiting example, if presence of water of a certain quantity or characteristic is detected, it can be automatically diverted to a separate compartment of the tanker trailer or other transport container or another holding location, and if sufficient volume or mass is present, the load can be automatically or manually rejected and optionally returned to the collecting tank or other source. In addition or as an alternative, a signal or message can be transmitted to notify the owner and/or purchaser if a custody transfer is involved. If desired, the same or similar steps can be performed for another contaminant or impurity. Thus, for example, a transport tanker could have a compartment dedicated to receive water contaminants; and a separate compartment dedicated to receive solids contaminants, with the remaining compartment or compartments dedicated to receive in specification crude oil, and data registers can be provide to compile the contents of each by a designated parameter or parameters, such as density values determined from the measured masses of the flow, associated temperature values, etc. Running totals of amount of the liquid loaded or transferred, and average contaminant content can be computed and compiled, and stored, displayed, etc. Temperature can be continuously monitored, for example as an included meter function, or as separately sensed, and correlated with collected density values, and can be used to correct the values to a standard temperature, such as the 60 degrees Fahrenheit standard temperature used by the American Petroleum Institute or API, using a suitable programmed routine.
The collected data has many uses. In addition to precisely determining grade and individual contaminant levels, it can be compiled and tracked to enable monitoring well site equipment health such as dehydrators, desalters, filters, separators, etc. and determine efficiency, calibration, service requirements, predict problems, and the like.
In further to the above, crude oil will have a range of densities, e.g., from less than 720 kg/m3 for light crudes, to over 1000 kg/m3 for the heaviest crudes that establish its grade. The density of crude oil will vary with temperature—decreasing with increasing temperature, whereas viscosity decreases with increasing temperature. Water will have a density of about 1000 kg/m3, slightly higher if brine. The viscosity of water will be about the same within a range of temperatures. The same is true for emulsions typically encountered in crude oil. Emulsions found in crude oil will have lower densities, generally lower than the crude oil contained in a load. Thus a representative density value for identifying presence of water could be some value representative of 950-1000 kg/m3; and a representative density value for identifying presence of solids could be some value representative of 650-700 kg/m3, these obviously note being absolute values and being application sensitive.
Additional preferred hardware aspects of the invention can include an onboard panel, box, or other structure that carries the PLC or other controller, microprocessor, etc., a suitable power supply, communication device or devices such as, but not limited to, a wireless radio, network controller or router, modem, cellular modem, etc. for communicating with peripheral devices such as a PC, tablet or smart device, e.g., for enabling SCADA. As a non-limiting example, the PLC or other controller can communicate through a wiring harness, cables, etc., of an on-board network or wirelessly, e.g., WAN, with the operator interface and Coriolis meter, Vorcone meter, or other measuring device, and can receive inputs from and display information on an associated touch screen or the main operator interface device. The PLC or other controller can connect to a pump motor controller, valve controllers, such as but not limited to, pneumatic or electric servos, motors, solenoids, etc., for generating and controlling the liquid flow during loading and unloading, and also to signal devices, alarms, safety devices such as interlocks, etc., via a wiring harness, and/or a wired or wireless controller network or the like.
It can be recalled from the discussion above that loading crude oil for bulk transport from remote locations such as oil field collection and storage tanks, raises safety concerns when drivers have to climb tanks to make physical measurements of oil levels in the tanks; valuation issues when the crude oil is of a lower quality that expected; and integrity issues if the crude oil were to be skimmed or diluted during transport. By incorporating on-board flow rate measurement capability according to the invention, the volume of loaded liquid is automatically accurately measured, eliminating need for climbing tanks and measuring oil level, and the attendant dangers and possible inaccuracies and subjective errors.
Other representative user interface selections can include geographical location, address, well number, well owner, particular collection or storage tank, etc., where the load is to be loaded; volume of liquid to be loaded; whether valving is to be automatically or manually controlled by the operator/driver, etc. on site; whether the operator/driver is to be signaled/prompted when a compartment is full or filled to a specified amount; and whether out of specification liquid is present and/or segregated.
As a non-limiting example operator interface according to the invention, the operator or user, e.g., driver, is prompted by a suitable input output device, to choose from a list of stored sites where fluid can be loaded or unloaded.
System will give user a search function that will allow them to look up data from any previous run. If contaminant level or levels exceed set amount per unit of volume or mass, alarm (visual and/or audible, outputted and remote location can be notified. Driver or other operator (local or remote) or System automatically can determine next step
Referring now to the
Another suitable meter is a Vorcone meter 22 (
Representative associated apparatus, namely, an onboard piping system 28, for incorporating the meter or meters 1, 22, in connection with an onboard tank 34 are generally illustrated. As illustrated in
Additionally, the apparatus of the invention can include a H2S detector 36 as shown in connection with vent piping of the container or tank 34, connected in a suitable conventional manner with the load unload control 38 so as to monitor H2S emissions and generate a signal or alarm when present above a settable threshold level. The amount and timing of H2S flow can also be recorded.
Control 38 includes an onboard panel, box, or other structure that carries a PLC or other microprocessor based controller, a suitable power supply, and a communication device or devices, which can be, for instance, a wireless radio, network controller or router, modem, cellular modem, etc. for communicating with peripheral devices such as a PC, tablet or smart device, e.g., for enabling SCADA and to provide a local or remote operator interface. The PLC or other controller communicates through a wiring harness, cables, etc., of an on-board network or wirelessly, e.g., WAN, with the operator interface and Coriolis meter, vorcone meter, or other measuring device, and receives inputs from and display information on an associated touch screen or the main operator interface device. The PLC or other controller connects to a pump motor controller, valve controllers, such as but not limited to, pneumatic or electric servos, motors, solenoids, etc., for generating and controlling the liquid flow during loading and unloading, to and from the compartments of vehicle 24, and also to signal devices, alarms, safety devices such as interlocks, etc., via a wiring harness, and/or a wired or wireless controller network or the like.
As discussed above, for crude oil loading applications it is often highly desirable to generate information and data regarding the oil being loaded, in particular, to precisely determine grade and individual contaminant levels, at the loading site, and/or when unloaded from the transport container at a destination such as an oil depot, pipeline terminal, or the like.
The apparatus, system, and method of the invention provide these capabilities, incorporated into an automatic loading routine that can be initiated when hose 32 of a transport vehicle 24 is securely coupled to a tank to be unloaded, such as tank 32.
Referring also to
Referring to
Referring now to
In
The system can also perform an automatic operation to return or segregate the high BS&W liquid. As an example, the quantity of BS&W in a tank to be unloaded is typically greatest at the bottom, which is the portion of the tank typically unloaded first. Whichever compartment of the transport container selected to be loaded first, that compartment will receive the initial BS&W from the bottom of the tank being unloaded. Subsequently, during the loading operation there may be little BS&W. However, that may not be the case. For instance, trapped or captured water or solids may be present elsewhere in a tank, or the bottom of a second tank may be loaded, so as to introduce more BS&W into the load to be transported.
If the above scenarios occur, and the incoming BS&W exceeds a set threshold value, the system can be programmed to automatically divert that flow to the other compartment designated for receiving BS&W. Typically, transport tanks are filled from the bottom, and therefore the BS&W will have a tendency to be located in the bottom region of the designated compartment. Now, if desired, that region of the designated compartment can be separately unloaded, including by being pumped back into the tank being unloaded if desired, so that the load to be transported will have higher quality, or at least be segregated, if it is elected to not pump back the BS&W. As noted above, the above described metrics of the load can be stored by the system of the invention, as well as outputted to a desired destination, such as supervisory personnel and/or customers, or the like.
As another scenario of operation that can be employed, the BS&W will tend to settle into the receiving compartment or container during loading, and after loading the system can be programmed to automatically remove a designated portion of the contents containing a higher concentration of the BS&W and return it to the sending container or direct it to another location. Because the apparatus and system of the invention determines BS&W in during the flow, that information can be determined during the removal and the removal flow can be automatically terminated when a set threshold value, e.g., percentage or concentration in the return flow, is reached. Thus, lower quality crude containing a higher percentage of BS&W can be automatically separated and segregated from the higher quality, if desired.
The meters 1, 22, as explained above are each operable to determine values representative of the density of the liquid flowing therethrough. Essentially, the sensing apparatus and data processing capabilities of the apparatus and processor enable the densities to be accurately determined for a portion or segment of the flow of the liquid, at very short time intervals, e.g., a few hundred milliseconds, which, for purposes of the invention can be expressed as segments or slices of the flow of the liquid through the meter 1 or 22. Solids are known to have a range of density values (typically expressed in kilograms/liter) that are less than a threshold value that will be less than the density values of the vast majority of grades of oil found in crude; water is known to have a range of density values greater than a threshold value greater than the density values for the pertinent grades of oil. Thus, the invention determines the densities for the segments of the flow on a time segment basis, on a continuing or ongoing basis, and compares the determined density values to a lower threshold value that will identify it as a solid, e.g., set between 0.64 and 0.70 kg/m3 for oil extracted from the Bakken fields of the US, and compares the density values to a higher threshold value that will identify it as water, e.g., set between 0.9 and 0.94 kg/m3 for Bakken oil, those segments that have densities between the threshold values will be identified as oil. Running totals of each category of density are then compiled. For example, because flow rate is also being measured, the categories are correlated to flow and compiled in barrels per some time period, e.g., per second, of flow.
It is desired to determine an average API value for the liquid periodically during the loading operation. API is a dimensionless value and can be calculated using the formulas set forth below. The term “Oil” represents a density value for oil as determined by the meter 1 or 22, and the term “Water” represents a density value for water as determined by the meter. Some government regulators require average API values to be recorded periodically for a load, and this is intended to comply with this requirement. The system of the invention averages the compiled density values for oil and water over predetermined intervals, here, 10 second time intervals, although it should be recognized that shorter or longer time intervals can be utilized. These average oil and water density values are then used to calculate average API for each of the predetermined intervals, on a continuous basis during the flow. The density averages are correlated for temperature for determining standard values. These average API values are then displayed on a running basis on the operator interface with associated average temperature values.
API=141.5/(Oil/Water)−131.5
API=141.5*(Oil/Water)−131.5
Oil*API=(141.5*Water/Oil)*Oil−131.5*Oil
Oil*API+131.5*Oil−141.5*Water−131.5*Oil+131.5*Oil
Oil*API+131.5*Oil=141.5*Water
OIl*(API+131.5)=141.5*Water
Oil*(API+131.5)/(API+131.5)=(141.5*Water)/(API+131.5)
Oil=(141.5*Water)/(API+131.5)
[Observed API−0.059175*(Observed Temp−60)]/[1+0.00045*(Observed Temp−60)]
An exemplary method of loading a liquid from a first container into a second container according to the invention can comprise steps of:
generating a flow of the liquid through a conduit from the first container toward the second container while automatically
monitoring characteristics of sequential predetermined segments of the liquid of the flow or for a predetermined time segment of the flow, and determining values representative of densities of the predetermined segments of the flow, respectively;
comparing the values representative of the densities of each of the predetermined segments of the flow or the predetermined time period of the flow to at least one predetermined value to determine presence of at least one contaminant therein, respectively, and:
compiling a first running total of the values representative of the densities of the predetermined segments of the liquid of the flow or the predetermined time period of the flow determined to lack the presence of the at least one contaminant therein; and;
compiling a second running total of the values representative of the densities of the predetermined segments of the liquid of the flow or the predetermined time period of the flow determined to have the at least one contaminant therein.
Another exemplary method of loading a liquid from at least one stationary collection container proximate a production source of the liquid, into a bulk liquid transport container for transport of the liquid to another location, can comprise steps of:
generating an initial flow of the liquid through a conduit from the collection container toward the transport container;
and automatically
monitoring characteristics of the initial flow and determining at least one initial density value for the initial flow therefrom;
comparing the at least one initial density value for the initial flow to a value indicative of presence of a contaminant, and:
i. if the comparison is indicative of presence of the contaminant, then performing at least one of the following steps:
ii. if the comparison is indicative of absence of the contaminant, then continuing the flow and the steps of monitoring and comparing, until either:
the liquid flow is absent for a predetermined period of time.
Still another method according to the invention of loading crude oil from at least one stationary collection container proximate a production source of the crude oil, into a bulk liquid transport container for transport of the crude oil to another location, comprises steps of:
providing a first value indicative of presence of a contaminant in the crude oil;
generating an initial flow of the crude oil through a conduit from the collection container toward the transport container;
and automatically
monitoring characteristics of the initial loading flow and determining at least one initial density value for the flow therefrom;
comparing the at least one initial density value to the value indicative of presence of a contaminant, and:
iii. if the comparison is indicative of presence of the contaminant, then performing at least one of the following steps:
iv. if the comparison is indicative of absence of the contaminant, then continuing the flow and the steps of monitoring and comparing, until either:
the flow is absent for a predetermined period of time.
In light of all the foregoing, it should thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that there has been shown and described an ONBOARD APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY DYNAMICALLY EVALUATING CHARACTERISTICS OF A NON-HOMOGENOUS LIQUID DURING LOADING AND UNLOADING OF A TRANSPORT CONTAINER. However, it should also be apparent that, within the principles and scope of the invention, many changes are possible and contemplated, including in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention. Thus, while the foregoing description and discussion addresses certain preferred embodiments or elements of the invention, it should further be understood that concepts of the invention, as based upon the foregoing description and discussion, may be readily incorporated into or employed in other embodiments and constructions without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly as well as in the specific form shown, and all changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow.
This application is submitted under 35 U.S.C. 371 claiming priority to PCT/US2017/62876, filed Nov. 21, 2017, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/425,059, filed Nov. 21, 2016.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US17/62876 | 11/21/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62425059 | Nov 2016 | US |
