A flow back system for separating solids from a slurry recovered from a hydrocarbon well. The system includes a V-shaped tank with a first series of baffles configured to cause the settling of solids that are moved by a shaftless auger to a conduit fluidly connected to hydrocyclones mounted over a linear shaker. The overflow from the hydrocyclones is discharged through a second conduit back into the tank for processing by a second series of baffles resulting in a clean effluent. The clean effluent is recirculated in the well.

A deep cone thickener with an underflow concentration rapid auto-adjustment pertains to the technical field of mining tailing disposal. The thickener includes a shell body, a dilution flocculation system, a shearing dewatering system, an underflow circulatory system, and an auto-control system. The shell body includes a thickener pool wall, a cone body, and a collection cylinder. The dilution flocculation system includes a feed pipe, a flocculant charging pipe, and a central feed well. The shearing dewatering system includes a drive motor, a drive shaft, and a rake. The underflow circulatory system includes discharging valves, underflow pumps, circulatory pipes, and a concentration meter. The auto-control system includes a PLC control system. During the underground paste filling, the dilution flocculation system and shearing dewatering system can form a paste slurry. When there is no need for underground backfill, the underflow circulatory system is used to lower the underflow concentration rapidly.

A separator vessel has inlet, fluid outlet, and sand outlet ports. Each of the fluid and sand outlet ports are spaced below the inlet port. The separator has an enclosure between the inlet and fluid outlet ports. The enclosure redirects the fluid stream and defines an inner cavity above a lower edge of the enclosure, the lower edge defining a liquid flow area. The separator has one or more vanes extending along an outer surface of the enclosure which redirect the fluid stream along a curved flow path as the fluid stream flows toward the lower edge, and a plurality of apertures adjacent to the vanes, the apertures permitting fluid flow into the inner cavity of the enclosure. The fluid outlet port is disposed within the inner cavity above the lower edge of the enclosure and below one or more apertures.

A well production separation system comprising a cyclonic separator coupled to a spherical separator and configured to separate particulate matter from well production, and to recycle liquids and gases separated in the spherical separator to the overflow region of the cyclonic separator.

An apparatus, system and method for removing solids from a vessel, such as sand in the bottom of a heavy oil production storage tank used in a SAGD or CHOPS production application, in which the solids are fluidized and pumped out of the vessel using the same tank opening. A pipe or stinger is configured for insertion into a vessel, adjacent or into the solids to be removed, the stinger comprising a water injection conduit, a fluidized materials removal conduit, and a vibrating member. Water is injected through the stinger while the vibrating member imparts vibration to the solids, thus fluidizing the solids, and the fluidized solids are then removed through the fluidized materials removal conduit of the stinger.

Techniques and apparatus for separating a Flowback mixture received from a wellbore. Employing a vessel or system of vessels to receive the fluid mixture and configured to manage the discharge of gases, liquids, and solids to maintain a vapor barrier in the vessel(s) to prevent unwanted release of gas to the atmosphere.

A separation system and method, of which the system includes a separation device comprising a mixed fluid inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, a tank coupled to the second outlet and configured to receive a solid from the separation device via the second outlet, and a solids-level sensor extending through the tank and positioned at an elevation above a bottom of the tank. The solids-level sensor is configured to detect a viscosity of a material within the tank at the elevation.

Methods and systems for removing contaminants, such as water and/or carbon dioxide, from a gas stream, such as a natural gas stream or a flue gas stream. One or more solid-tolerant heat exchangers are employed to chill the gas stream to a temperature at which the contaminants solidify. The solidified contaminants may then be separated and removed from the gas stream. In one or more aspects, the one or more solid-tolerant heat exchangers may include a scraped heat exchanger.

This invention relates to the separation of particulate contaminants from a fluid. In one embodiment of the invention, two sand separators placed in series may be used to separate sand from liquid or gaseous natural gas. This invention has some of its applications in the oil gas industry, particularly for use in separating sand from gas produced by natural gas wells that have been opened by hydraulic fracturing.

Removable trap stations for hydrocarbon flowlines can be implemented as an apparatus. The apparatus includes a multi-phase fluid receiver body and a tank defining an interior volume. The fluid receiver body is configured to couple to a flowline carrying a multi-phase fluid including solids and liquids. The fluid receiver body includes an inlet portion configured to receive a portion of the multi-phase fluid including a portion of the solids flowing through the flowline into the receiver body. The fluid receiver body includes an outlet portion fluidically coupled to the inlet portion. The portion of the multi-phase fluid is configured to flow from the inlet portion to the outlet portion. The tank is fluidically and detachably coupled to the outlet and is configured to receive and retain the portion of the multi-phase fluid received through the inlet portion