Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I~OOQ57
The present invention relates to the reaction of
petroleum to extreme cold, and more particularly the development
of surface tension when a mass of petroleum is exposed to
5. cryothermal temperatures. Cryothermal temperature refers
to a temperature which corresponds to the freezing temperature
of water at sea` level, or below, whereby it may be at freezing,
sub-freezing, or at cryogenics temperatures. As is well
know, cryogenics temperatures are employed in the branch
10. of physics known as cryogenics which relates to the production
of and effects of very low temperatures on various substances.
In a mass of liquid or semi-liquid petroleum, whether
it be refined, crude or used, there is an amorphous or random
disposition of the molecules, intermixed with whatever chemicals,
15. solids, liquids, and gases that are present in the petroleum
mass. When surface tension is developed in the petroleum
mass, there is called into being a more orderly arrangement
or disposition of these molecules which, because of their
electromagnetic effect, one to the other, produces a certain
20. curvature to the surface of the petroleum mass. Permitting
the surface tension to migrate inward into the mass, causes
the petroleum to exhibit certain phenomena. This invention
pertains to the contact or exposure of a petroleum mass to
a freezing, sub-freezing or cryogenics temperature present
25. in a transient atmospheric environment. Likewise, the invention
is applicable to an arrangement wherein petroleum is subjected
to a machine, apparatus or mechanism which exhibits freezing,
sub-freezing or cryogenics temperatures. Because of the
reaction of petroleum to cryogenics temperatures, the petroleum
30. mass tends to move, and more particularly, to pull in or
llO~Q57
contract very rapidly. Specifically, the reaction of petroleum
is to move very sharply and very quickly away from the lower
temperature environment increasing in reaction as the temperature
decreases, while at the same time increasing its surface
5. tension. Because of the development of the surface tension
and the very orderly arrangement of the molecules of the
petroleum mass, as opposed to the amorphous disposition,
the petroleum literally squeezes out any foreign matter from
the petroleum mass, whether it be solid, liquid, or gas.
10. In general, the act of freezing liquids, including
petroleum, causes a slowing down of the atomic motion of the mole-
cules of the liquid. As the movement of the molecules i9 inhibited,
they tend to come together under the influence of the electro-
magnetic field between the molecules. However, unlike other
15. liquids, during the contraction of oil substances such as
petroleum, there is a forcing out of the foreign matter dis-
posed between the molecules. This same phenomena occurs
in water, that is, the forcing out of entrained foreign matter
in the liquid. When water freezes, the ice substance takes
20. on the forms of tetrahedral crystals, with the electrical
charges at each end of each tetrahydral. Thus, the end point
of each tetrahedral crystal is attracted to the adjacent
end of the adjacent tetrahydral crystal, thereby resulting
in an orderly disposition of the molecules. The same arrangement
25. and phenomena is achieved in oil. Once an orderly arrangement
of molecules is achieved, there is only one or two angstroms
of space between adjacent molecules. This extremely small
space is primarily occupied by the electromagnetic force
field between the molecules. Hence, there is little or no
30. room for foreign matter in the resulting oil mass. The degree
~100Q57
of elimination of foreign matter from the orderly arrangement
of molecules of the petroleum mass which has been subjected
to a cryogenics temperature, is predicated on the degree
of abstraction of heat from the oil mass. The faster it
5. freezes, the faster the foreign material is squeezed out
of the petroleum mass. In order to completely remove the
foreign matter, including the gases and chemicals that are
entrained in the oil, the present invention employs a universal
solvent, i.e. water. Water responds very well as a universal
10. solvent, and also, in that the freezing of water forms ice
crystals that have an electrical charge at each end of the
tetrahedral, the charges will act as nucleation points, thereby
aiding in the drawing of foreign matter entrained in the
oil mass to the frozen water crystals.
15. When a petroleum mass is subjected to a cryothermal
environment, surface tension occurs at the periphery of the
mass which is first exposed to the cryothermal environment.
The colder the cryothermal environment, the colder the oil
becomes, and hence, the more any foreign matter present in the
20. petroleum mass is dislodged and forced out. Surface tension
of the petroleum mass indicates contraction of the petroleum
mass, and the speed of contraction is a direct function of the
temperature of the cryothermal substance. Thus, the lower
the temperature the petroleum comes in contact with or is
25. exposed to, the greater and faster the degree of contraction.
This particular response of petroleum to freezing, sub-freezing
and cryogenics temperatures permits petroleum to be directional-
ized, as more fully described hereinafter.
It should be noted that when reference is made
30. to the word cryogenics, it is intended to refer to a substance
ii~Q057
such as liquid nitrogen which is a liquid and a temperature
in the range of -321 F. to -345F. On the other hand,
as mentioned above, cryothermal is not cryogenics, but refers
to the temperature of a substance which is at a temperature
5. corresponding to freezing or sub-freezing of water or at
cryogenics temperatures. Furthermore, it is to be noted
that the field of cryogenics is presently being used in such
applications as cryogenic surgery, cryogenic preservation
of foods, such as fast freezing, and in addition~ cryogenics
10. is presently being used in the oil industry in an attempt
to employ cryogenics to condense casing gases to form gasoline
as the gases leave the oil well. The two major gases which
are used in cryogenics in,the liquified form are liquid oxygen
and liquid nitrogen.
15. The subject technique for manipulating an oil mass
such as petroleum may be employed in several applications.
Fundamentally, the subject technique comprises the steps
of providing a mass of material at a cryothermal temperature,
followed by positioning said mass of cryothermal material
20. into the vicinity of a petroleum mass so as to create surface
tension in the petroleum and thereby enable the directionalization
of the petroleum mass, or to increase the surface tension
to a point whereby the petroleum mass is solidified.
The subject invention has particular application
25. with respect to the problem of recovering oil that is inad-
vertantly spilled on a body of water such as the ocean, as
for example when an oil well casing leaks or when the hull
of an oil tanker is damaged and petroleum escapes. One of
the known techniques used for removing oil spills and the
30. like from oceans or large bodies of water is a technique
i~oo~s7
known as chemical herding. One of the primary disadvantages
of chemical herding is the possible infusion of chemicals
in the surrounding flora or fauna, as well as the problem
with respect to the amount of chemicals that are required for
5. controlling an oil spill. In addition, the chemical herding
technique is extremely costly, and the efficiency of the chemical
herding system is greatly compromised in turbulent waters.
Another application of the subject technique is
for the removal of oil from sandy beaches. At present, known
10. techniques include the use of absorbing material such as straw,
followed by removal of the top layer of sand. As is readily
apparent, this is an extremely expensive procedure and very
inefficient. It is also difficult to recover the oil.
Another problem associated with petroleum is in
15. the transporting of petroleum by the use of large oil tankers.
As is well known, tankers have developed large cracks which
resulted in the seepage of oil into the ocean, and the creation
of oil spills. No known technique has been developed for
temporarily repairing a crack while the ship is at sea, and
20. hence the only way of allieviating this condition is to pump
all of the oil out of the compartment which has the crack.
A still further application of the subject invention
is with respect to the problem associated with oil fires
existing at the oil casing of a drilling rig. As is well
25. known, the present techniques for stopping a fire which has
developed at the well head is to employ high explosive materials
so as to create a temporary environment around the well head
so as to deprive the immediate vicinity of oxygen, thereby
effecting an immediate cessation of the combustion of oil.
30. As is well known,this is an extremely dangerous and hazardous
ilOOOW
technique.
A still further application of the subject technique
is with respect to the refining of petroleum. At present,
as petroleum leaves the well head, the oil and water are
5. separated, after which the oil is sent to an oil holding
tank, and subsequently shipped to the refinery for further
processing. Usually no preliminary refining is attempted
at the well head because of the generally costly equipment
required.
10. A still further appIication in which the subject
technique may be employed is with respect to the transporting
of oil from extremely cold regions such as the Arctic. At
present, it has been proposed to construct an oil pipe line
across the State of Alaska, and along the entire length of
15. this pipe, it will be necessary to heat the pipe line so
as to ensure that the oil flows freely. As is readily apparent,
this is an extremely costly and complicated system. An alternative
would be to load the oil from the wells directly into large
tankers, however, with this procedure it is necessary to
20. ensure that the water lanes for the tankers are constantly
open, even during winter.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the subject
inve~tion to describe technique and apparatus for overcoming
all of the shortcomings of the known techniques and apparatuses
25. with respect to the specific applications described. More
particularly, the subject invention provides a technique
which is applicable to the herding of oil spills to enable
the ready collection thereof; to removing oil spills on sandy
beaches; to temporary repairing of ocean going oil tankers;
30. to the control of oil from a well head to stop the flow of
7.
~O~Q~7
oil after an oil fire has developed; to the pre-refining
of oil as it leaves a well head; and to an efficient and
economical technique for transporting oil from a well head
in the Arctic to a refinery.
5. Fundamentally, the method of the subject invention
for manipulating a petroleum mass comprises the steps of
providing a mass of material at a cryothermal temperature,
and positioning said mass of cr~othermal material in the
vicinity of the petroleum so as to increase the surface
10. tension of the petroleum. The increase in surface tension
of the petroleum causes a contraction of the petroleum mass,
and a realignment of the molecules of the petroleum mass
which results in the expulsion of foreign matter from the
petroleum. The expulsion of the foreign matter effectively
15. achieves a pre-refining of the petroleum mass. The development
of surface tension also enables the movement of the mass
of cryothermal material to control and directionalize the
direction of movement of the petroleum mass so that the subject
technique may be used for herding purposes. Furthermore,
20. after sufficient exposure of the petroleum mass to the mass
of cryothermal material, the petroleum mass will tend to
solidify, whereby the subject technique may be used for
solidifying petroleum flowing from a crack in an ocean going
vessel so as to form a temporary plug to prevent the spillage
25. of petroleum from a disabled vessel. The solidification
of the petroleum may also be employed for solidifying the
flow of petroleum leaving a well head so as to effectively
provide a plug in the well head. The plug will deprive the
petroleum in the well head from oxygen, and hence will be
30. effective in putting out a fire at the well head site. In
8.
i~OOQ57
a situation where an oil spill has occurred on a sandy beach,
the mass of cryothermal material exployed in the subject
technique will cause freezing of the water in the sand, and
the development of the surface tension of the petroleum mass,
5. whereby the petroleum mass raises to a point above the level
of the ice layer and the sand, whereby the petroleum may
be readily skimmed or shoveled off the sandy beach.
The nature and substance of this invention, as
well as its objects and advantages and the various embodiments
10. thereof, including the apparatus thereof, will be more clearly
recognized and fully understood by referring to the following
detailed description and appended claims taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a method and apparatus for achiev-
15. ing herding of an oil spill in accordance with the subjectinvention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
2-2 in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the
20. subject technique for herding of an oil spill;
Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of a cracked
hull of an oil tanker vessel in which the subject technique
may be employed;
Fig. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 4;
25. Fig. 6 is an apparatus for use with the subject
invention in sealing a cracked hull in a vessel;
Fig. 7 is a side view of an apparatus for use in
conjunction with a well casing;
Fig. 8 is a plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 7;
30. Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view of an apparatus
~iOG~S7
for achieving pre-refining of petroleum according to the sub-
ject invention; and
Fig. 10 is a flow diagram of a method of achieving
pre-refining of gasoline according to the subject invention.
5. Before describing the several embodiments of the
subject invention, it should be noted that the basic concept
of the subject invention is a method of manipulating a body
of crude, refined or used petroleum. This basic capability
solves many problems which have heretofore been present with
10. respect to the handling, transporting, or use of petroleum.
The subject method comprises the steps of providing a mass
of material at a cryothermal temperature corresponding to
the freezing point of water at sea level. This temperature
can be as low as a cryogenics temperature, and one of the
15. most important aspects is that the mass of material at the
cryothermal temperature is at a temperature lower than the
ambient temperature of the body of petroleum at the initial
point at which the subject method is commenced. The mass
of material at cryothermal temperature is then next positioned
20. adjacent the body of petroleum whereby the surface tension
of the body of petroleum is immediately increased. The significant
and marked increase in the surface tension of the body of
petroleum enables the petroleum to be manipulated or controlled
in such manner as to overcome problems previously associated
25. with the handling and transporting of petroleum. As noted
above, the increase in the surface tension of the body of
petroleum also has the beneficial effect of causing the body
of petroleum to undergo a pre-refining stage such that im-
purities, whether they be gases, liquids or solids, are ex-
30. pelled from the petroleum. Detailed below are only several
10 .
il~Q~
of the many ways in which the subject method may be utilizedin order to better enable man to transport, handle, or generally
control one of his primary sources of energy, petroleum.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the subject method
5. may be employed for herding a body of petroleum which has
inadvertently been spilled on a body of water. As is well
h~nt oil spills have occurred because of damage to an oil
tanker, or because of leaks which develop in off shore oil
drilling assemblies. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the oil spill
10. is designated by numeral 10 and is disposed in a relatively
large area on a body of water 12. In order to confine, collect,
and remove the body of petroleum 10 from the water, the sub-
ject invention may be utilized in conjunction with an apparatus
comprising a plurality of booms 14, which are pivotally inter-
lS. connected as at 16, and which are controlled by means ofa system of guide wires 18 that are connected to a crane
20 of an oil collection vessel 22. Also included in the
apparatus is a suction apparatus 24 having a suction head
26 for collecting the body of oil, and a nozzle 28 which
20. leads to an oil collection compartment 23 of the vessel 22.
Each boom 14 is of generally L-shaped in cross-section, and
is made of suitable material for floatation purposes, and
includes a plurality of pivoted keels 32 which are interconnected
to the boom by means of shafts 34. Disposed in the L-shaped
25. cut-out of each boom 14, and facing in the direction of the
oil spill is a cryothermal material 30, such as dry ice.
In order to herd an oil spill, the first step would be to
position the booms in an arrangement to facilitate the collection
of the oil spill, and with the cryothermal material 30 in
30. place. The vessel 22 would be maneuvered in a manner such
~OOQS7
that the booms surround the periphery of the oil spill, and
as the booms are positioned adjacent the oil spill, the dry
ice immediately causes a lowering of the temperature of the
adjacent water, and a simultaneous increase in the surface
5. tension of the petroleum oil spill. The increase in surface
tension of the oil spill greatly increases the ability to
manipulate and directionalize the movement of the oil spill,
and more particularly, to directionalize the oil spill in
a direction to enable the suction apparatus 24 to efficiently
10. suck up the oil spill for collection into the compartment
23 of vessel 22. It should be noted that the colder that
water 12 becomes during the herding operation, its density
increases, as does the density of the oil, and the accumulated
densification of the oil and water results in a retardation
15. of the wave action and cresting action of the water 12 which,
of course, greatly aids in the herding and collection operation.
This is to be contrasted with presently available chemical
herding processes which are generally inefficient when the
water is rough.
20. Another aspect of the subject invention is that
in addition to the features of the technique as described
above, there is a possibility of forming an almost instantaneous
mass a'oout the periphery of the petroleum mass 12, when the
temperature differential between the cryothermal material
25. and the water is significant. The formation of a peripheral
solid mass about the oil spill 10 will further aid in confining
the oil slick to a desired area for further manipulation
and collection. The provision of the movable keels 32 greatly
aids in ~ontrolling the direction of the booms, and preferably
30. the keels should be aligned with the current action of the
)057
water to minimize the amount of movement of the booms during
the collection operation. Although the preferred technique
has been described with respect to the use of dry ice as
the mass of cryothermal material, it is readily apparent
5. that other materials may also be used. For example, instead
of using `blocks of dry ice, each of the booms 14 may be provided
with expansion nozzles and tanks of gaseous carbon dioxide
or liquid nitrogen, which may be sprayed along the periphery
of the petroleum mass 10. As the liquid nitrogen or carbon
10. dioxide gas is sprayed from the tank through the expansion
nozzle, it loses heat, thereby forming a cryothermal solid
which functions in the same manner as the dry ice, as described
in the preferred embodiment.
Reference is now made to FIG. 3, wherein an alternate
15. embodiment is shown, in which cryothermal material 42 is
sprayed onto the water about the periphery of an oil spill
10 by an operator in a small power boat 40. Once the mass
of petroleum has been confined to a designated area, a collection
vessel 22, equipped with a suction apparatus 24 would be
20. provided for collecting the oil spill.
It is noted that in the several embodiments illustrated
in FIGS. 1 through 3, no chemicals have been resorted to
which could affect or unbalance the natural ecology of the
body of water 12. This is in sharp contrast to the damage
25. which might result to the fauna and Flora in a waterway if
chemical herding techniques were employed.
The subject invention may also be employed with
reference to the problem of cracks that develop in the hulls
of large oil tankers while on the high seas. Referring to
30. FIG. 4, there is shown a portion of an oil tanker 50, which
i100057
has developed a crack 52 in an oil compartment, whereby oil
may readily seep through the crack 52 and result an oil spill.
In order to temporarily seal the crack 52 to provide time
for further action to be taken for preventing the development
5. of a large oil spill, the subject invention may be employed.
More particularly, a mass of material at a cryothermal tempera-
ture is provided adjacent the crack 52 so as to increase
the surface tension of the oil seeping through the crack
52, and the mass of cryothermal material should be maintained
10. for a period sufficient to cause the solidification of the
oil seeping through the crack. As more clearly illustrated
in FIG.~5, after sufficient exposure to the cryothermal material,
the oil solidifies to effectively form a plug 54 thereby
temporarily sealing crack 52. At such time, the oil in the
15. damaged compartment may be removed, as for example by pumping
it into a temporary resilient storage tank, after which
the crack may be repaired by conventional techniques in order
to enable the oil tanker to reach port for permanent repairs.
FIG. 6 illustrates one form of apparatus for providing and
20. positioning the mass of cryothermal material immediately
adjacent a crack 52 in the hull 50. As schematically illustrated,
the apparatus generally comprises a water tight head portion
60 including a plurality of nozzles 62, with the head portion
connected via a hollow beam assembly 64 to a source of cryothermal
25. material (not shown) such as liquid nitrogen or liguid carbon
dioxide. The apparatus is lowered such that the head is
opposite the crack 52, after which cryothermal material is
introduced through the beam assembly 64 and out the nozzles
62 for impingment around the area surrounding the crack 52.
0. As noted above, the cryothermal material effectively increases
14.
llO~OS7
the surface tension of the petroleum seeping through the
crack 52, and eventually causes the solidification of the
seeping petroleum so as to effectively form a plug 54 for
temporarily sealing the crack.
5. Another application of the technique of the subject
invention is to control oil fires at sea on oil drilling
platforms. Fundamentally, the subject technique of putting
out oil fires pr~vides for the placing of a refrigeration
collar around the oil casing. A cryothermal material, preferably
10. liquid nitrogen, is pumped into the collar whereby the casing
is chilled, and correspondingly, the oil flow through the
collar is simultaneously chilled. As the oil flow is chilled,
the surface tension thereof is increased until a zero pour
condition of the oil is attained in the vicinity of the collar.
15. More particularly, the oil forms a plug thereby preventing
further oil from being conducted through the casing. The stopping
of the oil flow cuts off the supply of oxygen to the oil,
thereby quickly extinguishing the fire fed by oil in the casing.
If water is a part of the substance being conducted through
20. the casing, ice will rapidly form and facilitate the development
of the plug in the flow. An example of the type of collar
which may be employed in the subject invention is illustrated
in FIGS. 7 and 8. More particularly, a casing pipe 70 which
extends to an underground deposit of oil (not shown) has
25. mounted thereon a hollow, annular collar 72 made of two sections,
each including flanges 73 that are bolted together as at
74. The annular enclosure defined by the collar 72 is provided
with a cryothermal material supply line 76, and a cryothermal
material return line 78. In addition, a vent line 80 is
30. in communication with the interior of the collar 72. Suitable
llOOQS7
insulation is provided on the annular collar 72, the supply
line 76, and the return line 78. In operation, when it is
desired to stop the flow of oil through the casing 70, cryothermal
material is supplied to the collar 70 via the supply line
5. 76, circulates within the annular collar 72, and is exhausted
through the return line 78. It is noted that when the apparatus
illustrated in FIG. 7 and 3 is used on an offshore drilling
site, the annular collar 72 should be placed as close to
the water line as possible. The reason for this is that
10. since oil does not expand, it is preferable to slow down
and form a plug in the flow of oil in the casing 70 at the
water level, since the movement of the ocean stream in the
vicinity of the collar will draw off heat, and accordingly
this will facilitate the formation of a plug in the oil casing
15. line 70. Control of the collar and the flow of cryothermal
material therethrough is preferably controlled by suitable
electrically actuated or mechanically actuated valves (not
shown).
Still a further application of the subject invention
20. is with respect to the control of pollution caused by oil
on sandy beaches. Using the subject invention, an oil slick
on a beach would be sprayed with a cryothermal material,
preferably carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen, so as to freeze
the water at or just below the surface of the sand. Since,
25. on reezing, ice will expand to a maximum of 9% of volume,
the expanding ice will lift the hardened oil slick up off
the beach surface. Also, any oil which has seeped into
the interstices of the sand will be squeezed out. The resulting
arrangement will be a layer ice. Hence, using conventional
30. scraping or shoveling techniques, the oil may be readily
16.
~ lOQQ57
removed, with the required of ice. Hence, using conventional
scraping or shoveling techniques, the oil may be readily
removed, with the required removal of sand being much less
than presently obtained using conventional techniques.
5. The subject invention may also be employed for
the cryothermal manipulation of petroleum in arctic and sub-
arctic regions to permit certain atypical handling of oil
crudes. Transportation of oil in thearctic can be achieved
by tractor-train rather than by the use of a heated pipe
10. line. Using the subject method of providing a cryothermal
material, and positioning it adjacent an oil mass, the oil
may be solidified to a solid mass. After freezing, the ambient
temperature of the arctic region will retard thawing, whereby
the solid mass of oil crudes may be linked together and trans-
15. ported in a tractor-train arrangement across a significant por-
tion of thearctic~area.
As noted above, increased surface tension of a
petroleum mass displaces entrained foreign matter, be it
liquid, solid or gas. The reaction of petroleum to freezing,
20. sub-freezing and cryogenics temperatures accordingly permits
preliminary refining both of crude and used oil. Furthermore,
when oil is confined within a o~hdnyr-~ the interior surfaces
of the container provide exposed surfaces for transmitting
cold temperatures to the confined oil, thereby increasing
25. the surface tension of the confined oil. As the temperature
of the oil is lowered, more of the entrained foreign matter
and chemicals are displaced or squeezed out. Referring now
to FIG. 9, a cylindrical container 80 is closed at its opposite
ends and includes a generally horizontal planar screen 82
30. disposed therein. A vent 84 is provided in the upper portion
17.
~10~gQ57
of the container 80, as well as a cryothermal material inlet
pipe 86, a water inlet pipe 88, and a crude oil inlet pipe
90. Two water outlet pipes 92, 92 are also provided, as
well as two oil outlet pipes 94, 94. A manhole 98 is provided,
5. as well as a cryothermal outlet pipe 96. In operation, when
the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 9 is used in a "batch process"
according to the subject invention, cryothermal material,
water and crude oil are input to the cylindrical container
80. The cryothermal material causes a marked increase in
10. the surface tension of the crude oil, whereby it expells
foreign matter, whether it be liquid, gas or solids. The
cryothermal material also causes a freezing of the water,
. generally in the vicinity of the screen 82, whereby the resulting
products within the cylindrical container are, in order,
15. a body of water, a layer of ice in the vicinity of screen
82, and the pre-refined crude oil disposed above the layer
of ice. It is noted that the provision of the water within
the container 80 is particularly advantageous with respect
to achieving the pre-refining of the crude oil in that water,
20. being a universal solvent, will aid in the removal of the
foreign matter from the oil as the surface tension thereof
is increased by the cryothermal material. Upon completion
of the pre-refining operation, the materials within the
cylindrical container 80 are allowed to thaw, and if desired,
25. heating means may be provided to facilitate the thawing,
after which the water and the pre-refined oil are removed
respectively via the outlets 92 and 94. In addition, the
cryothermal material is removed via the pipe 96. Since pressure
is not required throughout the process for pre-refining oil,
30. the container 80 may be in the form of an open tank and an
18.
~lO~QS 7
arrangement could be made with the various materials, including
the water, the crude oil, and the cryothermal material, being
pumped into the container in a continuous manner, and the
pre-refining process being conducted in a continuous operation.
5. Preferably, the ratio of oil to water is 60% water to 40%
oil.
Reference is now made to FIG. 10, which illustrates
a flow diagram of a continuous process according to the subject
invention for pre-refining oil as it leaves a well head at
10. a drilling site. A processing container of a type shown
in FIG. 9 is designated by numeral 110 in FIG. 10, with the
addition of a bayonet heater, designated by numeral 112.
The fluid leaving well head 114 is provided to an oil water
separator 116, after which the water passes through pump
15. 118 and is deposited in salt water tank 120. The oil from
oil water separator 116 is conveyed to oil pump 122 and thence
to oil holding tank 124. Salt water from holding tank 120
is then conveyed to the oil refining vessel 110, along with
oil from the oil holding tank 124. The pre-refined oil from
20. oil refining vessel 110 is conveyed through pump 126 to a
refined oil tank 128, while the water is conveyed via the
water pump 130 to the used salt water holding tank 132.
From the refined oil holding tank 128, the oil is conveyed
via conventional means to an oil refinery for further processing.
25. It should be noted that, as a general rule, the fluid substances
leaving the well head 114 generally comprises two-thirds
salt water and one-third crude oil.
The present invention has been described in detail
above for the purposes of illustration only and is not intended
30. to be limited by this description or otherwise except as
19 .
`` 110~57
defined in the appended claims.
10 .
15.
20~
25.
30.
20.
