Hybrid-scavenger, separator system and method

Abstract

A hybrid scavenger operates downstream of a separator such as a gunbarrel separator for petroleum production. The separator may be overdriven to maximize use of a permitted reinjection rate. The hybrid scavenger then extracts water from the oil and oil from the water without having to treat the entire stream of incoming production fluids.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a separator system, receiving an influent and separating the influent into a comparatively lighter species and a comparatively heavier species;   the separator system, overdriven in outputting at least one effluent stream by being operated away from a design point corresponding thereto, the design point existing in a mathematical space representing a set of values of operational parameters corresponding to and controlling operation of the separator system;   at least one scavenger, receiving the at least one effluent stream comprising predominantly one of the comparatively heavier species and the comparatively lighter species;   the at least one scavenger remediating the performance due to the overdriving of the separator system by removing an additional quantity of one of the comparatively heavier species and comparatively lighter species from the at least one effluent stream.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pre-treatment system receiving the influent upstream from the separator systems and providing a pre-treated influent to the separator system.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the pre-treatment system is a liquids-solids separator selected from:
 a filter, a cyclone, a flotation system, a chemical injector, a clarifier, and a decanter, and a centrifugal decanter.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein remediating the performance further comprises at least one of:
 rectifying the comparatively lighter species to within a market specification preselected for the disposition of the lighter species by removing an additional quantity of the heavier species;   stripping out an additional quantity of the comparatively lighter species from the comparatively heavier species prior to conventional disposition of the comparatively heavier species.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises:
 a first scavenger, operating as a light post processor scavenger, rectifying the comparatively lighter species; and   a second scavenger, operating as a heavy post processor scavenger, operably connected to the separator system and operably connected to the first scavenger to
 receive a heavy residual comprising an amount of the comparatively heavier species received from the first scavenger, 
 separate therefrom a comparatively-lighter-species-rich, light residual therefrom, and 
 send the light residual to the separator system for inclusion with the influent. 
   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second scavengers comprises a continuous centrifugal separator. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the continuous centrifugal separator is a laminar annular velocity distribution centrifuge. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the centrifugal separator is operably connected to deliver production petroleum products at a preselected value of dehydration from water specified by a market value of the comparatively lighter species. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second scavengers comprises a back-washable filter. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the back-washable filter comprises a filter medium selected from:
 an oleophilic medium selected to attract and hold the comparatively lighter species;   a porous medium selected to remove droplets of one of the comparatively lighter and comparatively heavier species from the other of the comparatively heavier and comparatively lighters species.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises:
 a second scavenger, operating as a heavy post processor scavenger, stripping from the comparatively heavier species; and   a first scavenger, operating as a light post processor scavenger, operably connected to the separator system and operably connected to the second scavenger to
 receive a light residual comprising an amount of the comparatively lighter species received from the second scavenger, 
 separate therefrom a comparatively-heavier-species-rich, heavy residual therefrom, and 
 send the heavy residual to the separator system for inclusion with the influent. 
   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the separator is a gunbarrel separator. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger further comprises a first scavenger constituted as a laminar annular velocity distribution centrifuge operating at a set of operational parameters selected to provide rectification of the comparatively lighter species to a level specified by a market price for the comparatively lighter species. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger further comprises a back-washable oil filter sized and rated to remove traces of the comparatively lighter species from the comparatively heavier species down to a value selected to extend the lifetime of an injection well while maximizing the use of a disposal permit corresponding to the injection well. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger further comprises:
 a first scavenger and a second scavenger;   the first scavenger constituted as a laminar annular velocity distribution centrifuge operating at a set of operational parameters selected to provide rectification of the comparatively lighter species to a level specified by a market price for the comparatively lighter species; and   the second scavenger constituted as a back-washable oil filter sized and rated to remove traces of the comparatively lighter species from the comparatively heavier species down to a value selected to extend the lifetime of an injection well while maximizing the use of a disposal permit corresponding to the injection well.   
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 providing a separator system, receiving an influent and separating the influent into a comparatively lighter species and a comparatively heavier species;   overdriving the separator system, outputting at least one effluent stream, by operating away from a design point corresponding thereto, the design point existing in a mathematical space representing a set of values of operational parameters corresponding to and controlling operation of the separator system;   providing at least one scavenger including first and second scavengers, at least one of which is a laminar-annular-velocity-distribution centrifuge;   receiving, by the at least one scavenger, the at least one effluent stream comprising predominantly one of the comparatively heavier species and the comparatively lighter species;   remediating, by the at least one scavenger, a degraded performance of the separator system, arising due to the overdriving of the separator system, by removing an additional quantity of one of the comparatively heavier species and comparatively lighter species from the at least one effluent stream;   operating the first scavenger to receive the comparatively lighter species output by the separator and to rectify the comparatively lighter species to a value of purity corresponding to a preselected market price; and   operating the second scavenger to remove from the comparatively heavier species traces of the comparatively lighter species down to a value preselected for optimizing at least one of
 maximizing the amount of disposal of the comparatively heavier species permitted by a government-issued permit, and 
 maximizing the longevity of a re-injection disposal site by reduction of the fraction of contained contaminants corresponding to the comparatively lighter species.