A solids collector is disposed at an end of a tubing in a wellbore. At a top of the solids collector, a reservoir fluid stream carrying solids is separated into a solids-liquid stream that is reversed into an annulus in the solids collector and a gas stream that continues to move uphole in the wellbore. At an end of the annulus in the solids collector, the solids-liquid stream is separated into a liquid stream that moves up the tubing and solids that are accumulated in the solids collector.

A pumping system is configured to be deployed in a well that has a vertical portion and a lateral portion. The pumping system includes a pump positioned in the vertical portion, a velocity tube assembly that extends from the vertical portion into the lateral portion and a cyclonic solids separator connected between the pump and the velocity tube assembly. The cyclonic solids separator includes a housing, a discharge manifold extending through the housing, and a plurality of ejection ports that extend through the discharge manifold along arcuate, tangential paths.

An apparatus for determining the identity, location, or level of one or more material phases or the location of an interface between two material phases within a defined volume having, a linear array of units configured to generate and detect electromagnetic radiation; an elongate enclosure containing the array of units, being at least partially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation generated by the units; the apparatus being configured to be at least partially submerged within the one or more material phases within the defined volume, the linear array of units being configured to generate transmission signals through the at least partially transparent elongate enclosure to the one or more material phases surrounding the enclosure at locations along the length of the enclosure, and to receive return signals through the elongate enclosure at locations along the length of the enclosure from the one or more material phases surrounding the enclosure.

A recoverable module is configured for subsea environments, and is suitable for use in the processing of fluids linked to the oil industry, and subsea fluid separation equipment or equipment involving any process performed through liners. The recoverable module for subsea environments includes a separating vessel provided with an inlet and two underflow and overflow or tailing outlets, in addition to a cover which has a set of removable liners fastened to its interior.

A method for building an underground storehouse by dissolving limestone with carbon dioxide, the method comprising the following steps: a.) drilling two wells extending from the ground surface (1) to a limestone layer (2), building a channel (5) allowing the two wells to communicate, and installing casing pipes (3, 4) respectively in the two wells; b.) introducing CO.sub.2 gas having at least 1 MPa of pressure into a CO.sub.2 absorbing solution having the same pressure to form a CO.sub.2 solution, flowing the CO.sub.2 solution into underground via the casing pipe (3) to react with the limestone to form a calcium bicarbonate solution, forming a cavern in the meanwhile, and discharging the calcium bicarbonate solution via the other casing pipe (4); c.) decompressing the discharged calcium bicarbonate solution to decompose the calcium bicarbonate contained in the solution into CO.sub.2, water and calcium carbonate, and recycling the separated CO.sub.2 absorption solution and the CO.sub.2; repeating steps b.) and c.) until a cavern meeting design requirements is formed, and discharging the solution from the cavern to form the underground storehouse (6). Also disclosed is a device for building an underground storehouse by dissolving limestone with carbon dioxide, the device comprising a CO.sub.2 storage tank (7), an absorption tower (8), a crystallizer (11), a pressure relief valve (9), a gas-liquid separator (10), a vacuum pump (13), a buffer (14) and booster pumps (12, 15, 16).

A system for conditioning a gas includes an inlet configured to receive the gas from a gas source. The system also includes a strainer downstream from the inlet. The strainer is configured to remove debris from the gas. The system also includes a first flowpath downstream from the strainer. The first flowpath includes a first pressure regulator that is configured to regulate a pressure of the gas by a first amount. The system also includes a second flowpath downstream from the strainer. The first and second flowpaths are parallel. The second flowpath includes a second pressure regulator that is configured to regulate the pressure of the gas by a second amount. The system also includes one or more flowpath valves downstream from the strainer and upstream from the first pressure regulator, the second pressure regulator, or both.

A sand separator for capturing solid debris from oil and gas wells includes a spherical, high-pressure vessel adapted to couple downstream of a wellhead. Fluid entering the separator follows a helical path around a vertical separator axis, slowing and separating into water, gas, oil and solid debris, the latter sinking to the bottom. A conical, downwardly opening flue descends from an exit port at the top and terminates in a horizontal, coaxial perimeter. A scalloped, annular collar inside the flue perimeter creates a low barrier to fluid flow into the flue. As fluid constituents circulate toward the flue, they recombine free of sand and rock debris, pass under the flue perimeter and across the collar, slowing further and becoming substantially laminar A fluid dome rises inside the flue with a gas layer above other fluid constituents, permitting the gas to exit the separator through the exit port.

Defluidizing tanks may include a tank having an interior defined by side walls and a bottom; a filter assembly emplaced within the interior of the tank and constructed to receive a slurry of solids and recovered fluid; and a weir chamber within the tank and defined by the interior of the tank and at least one wall of the filter assembly. Systems may include a source of recovered fluid from a wellbore operation; a filtration unit receiving the recovered fluid and isolating a fraction of solids from the recovered fluid, the filtration unit having a backflush mode in which the fraction of solids is evacuated from the filtration unit; and a defluidizing tank receiving the evacuated fraction of solids to generate a filtrate and dried solids.

A process for recovering oil is provided. The process entails recovering an oil-water mixture from an oil-bearing formation. Next, the process entails separating oil from the oil-water mixture and producing produced water having hardness and other scale-forming compounds, suspended solids, free oil and emulsified oil. A pre-treatment process is undertaken to remove hardness and other scale-forming compounds. This entails precipitating hardness and other scale-forming compounds. After the precipitation of hardness and other scale-forming compounds, the produced water is directed to a membrane separation unit for filtering the produced water and producing a retentate having suspended solids, hardness and other scale-forming compounds, free oil and emulsified oil. The membrane separation unit also produces a permeate stream substantially free of hardness and other scale-forming compounds, suspended solids, free oil and emulsified oil. Thereafter, the permeate stream is chemically treated to enhance the recovery of oil in the oil-bearing formation. After treating the permeate stream from the membrane separation unit, the treated permeate is injected into the oil-bearing formation.

This disclosure presents a process and system to determine characteristics of a subterranean formation proximate a borehole. Borehole material is typically pumped from the borehole, though borehole material can be used within the borehole as well. Extracted material of interest is collected from the borehole material and prepared for analyzation. Typically, the preparation can be a separation process, a filtering process, a moisture removal process, a pressure control process, a flow control process, a cleaning process, and other preparation processes. The prepared extracted material is placed in a laser dispersion spectroscopy device (LDS) where measurements can be taken. A LDS analyzer can generate results utilizing the measurements, where the results of the extracted material can include one or more of composition parameters, alkene parameters, and signature change parameters. The results can be communicated to other systems and processes to be used as inputs into well site operation plans and decisions.