High temperature subsea dynamic seals
10253886 ยท 2019-04-09
Assignee
Inventors
- Robert Groette (Bergen, NO)
- Anders Brunvold (Bergen, NO)
- Per Gunnar Vikre (Bergen, NO)
- Haakon Jostein Grimstad (Soereidgrend, NO)
Cpc classification
F04D29/061
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/5826
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/5866
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/043
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/181
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/053
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/102
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D19/002
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/063
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D3/005
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16J15/34
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/106
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16J15/40
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F16J15/34
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/10
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/06
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/063
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16J15/40
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E21B43/12
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F04D3/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D19/00
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/043
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/053
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/58
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F04D29/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Abstract
Systems and methods are described for processing a high-temperature process fluid using a processing machine in a subsea location while protecting dynamic seals within the machine. In some examples a small portion of the process fluid is cooled using a cooling system the cooled process fluid is then directed towards the dynamic seals. In other examples the dynamic seals are shielded and isolated from the high temperature process fluid and cooler barrier fluid is circulated within an enclosed volume in proximity to the seal.
Claims
1. A subsea fluid processing machine adapted to process a high-temperature subsea process fluid, the machine comprising: a stationary machine body configured for deployment in a subsea location; at least one rotating member configured to rotate about a central axis thereby mechanically processing said high temperature process fluid at the subsea location; a dynamic seal configured to form a mechanical seal between said rotating member and second member of the machine, the dynamic seal including a first and second seal portions that are configured to rotate with respect to each other; a shielding portion positioned and configured to shield said dynamic seal from said high temperature process fluid; and an enclosed volume defined by said shielding portion and one or more surfaces of said dynamic seal, the volume configured to contain a lubricating fluid that is cooler than said high temperature process fluid; wherein said shielding portion comprises a stationary portion configured to remain stationary with the machine body and a rotating portion configured to rotate with the rotating member.
2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said second member is said stationary body.
3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotating member includes a rotating central shaft and at least one impeller fixed thereto configured to increase the pressure of the process fluid as the impeller is rotated.
4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the machine is of type selected from a group consisting of: subsea pump and subsea compressor.
5. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the lubricating fluid is a machine barrier fluid.
6. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said first seal portion is configured to rotate about the central axis and said second seal portion is configured to remain stationary, and seal portions each have a primary sealing surface that intimately contact one another to form the mechanical seal.
7. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said first seal portion is configured to rotate a first direction about the central axis and said second seal portion is configured to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction about the central axis, and said first and second seal portions each have a primary sealing surface that intimately contact one another to form the mechanical seal.
8. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the stationary and rotating portions of the shielding portion define a gap there between which said lubricating fluid is configured to pass through.
9. A machine according to claim 8 wherein said gap includes a portion parallel to the central axis of the machine.
10. A machine according to claim 9 wherein said gap is step-wise shaped.
11. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising one or more seal holding structures configured to enhance heat exchange between the lubricating fluid and the dynamic seal.
12. A machine according to claim 11 wherein said one or more seal holding structures comprises a plurality of fins formed on a surface defining said enclosed volume.
13. A machine according to claim 11 wherein said one or more seal holding structures include one or more channels through which the lubricating fluid is configured to circulate for cooling purposes.
14. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising one or more seal holding structures configured to insulate said dynamic seal from said high temperature process fluid.
15. A machine according to claim 14 wherein said one or more seal holding structures includes an insulating material disposed on an inner surface of said shielding portion.
16. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said shielding portion and said enclosed volume are configured to isolate the dynamic seal from contamination from said process fluid thereby reducing adverse effects to the dynamic seal due to exposure to said process fluid.
17. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising: a second dynamic seal configured to form a second mechanical seal between said stationary body and said rotating member; a second shielding portion positioned and configured to shield said second dynamic seal from said high temperature process fluid; and a second enclosed volume defined by said second shielding portion and one or more surfaces of said second dynamic seal, the volume configured to contain the circulating lubricating fluid.
18. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising a process fluid cooling system configured to cool a portion of the high temperature process fluid thereby further reducing adverse effects to the dynamic seal due to exposure to said high-temperature process fluid.
19. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary barrier fluid circulation pump configured to circulate the barrier fluid when a motor used to drive the rotating member is not running.
20. A subsea fluid processing machine adapted to process a high-temperature subsea process fluid, the machine comprising: a stationary machine body configured for deployment in a subsea location; at least one rotating member configured to rotate about a central axis thereby mechanically processing said high temperature process fluid at the subsea location; a dynamic seal configured to form a mechanical seal between said rotating member and a second member of the machine, the dynamic seal including a first and second seal portions that rotate with respect to each other; and a process fluid cooling system configured to cool a portion of the process fluid and direct said cooled process fluid towards said dynamic seal thereby reducing adverse effects to the dynamic seal due to exposure to un-cooled high-temperature process fluid; wherein the process fluid cooling system comprises a plurality of circumferential coils surrounding the machine body, the plurality of circumferential coils coupled between an outlet conduit in fluid communication with a fluid outlet of the stationary machine body and an inlet fluid conduit configured to direct the cooled process fluid towards the dynamic seal.
21. A machine according to claim 20 wherein said second member is said stationary body.
22. A machine according to claim 20 wherein said process fluid cooling system is configured to cool the process fluid by transferring heat from the process fluid to ambient seawater.
23. A machine according to claim 22 wherein said process fluid cooling system is integrated into said machine.
24. A machine according to claim 22 wherein said process fluid cooling system includes a separate heat exchanger unit.
25. A machine according to claim 20 wherein said rotating member includes a rotating central shaft and at least one impeller fixed thereto, the impeller configured to increase the pressure of the process fluid as the impeller is rotated, and wherein the machine is a subsea pump or a subsea compressor.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The subject disclosure is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of embodiments of the subject disclosure, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(10) The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the subject disclosure only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the subject disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the subject disclosure in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the subject disclosure, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the subject disclosure may be embodied in practice. Further, like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
(11) In terms of pressure and temperature, dynamic seals usually have an operational envelope they can endure. Options to increase the operational envelope include: changing the design to optimize the seal; addressing the environmental conditions around the seal (for example by cooling locally in the proximity to the seal face when exposed to high temperatures); or a combination of the two.
(12)
(13)
(14) Unlike topside (i.e. surface) applications, which have far greater flexibility in terms of circulating an independent cooling fluid around the seal, the introduction of a separate cooling fluid is not often practical for subsea dynamic sealing applications. According to some embodiments, the pump/compressor unit 130 includes methods and systems that use existing fluids of pump/compressor to adequately maintain the temperature of dynamic seals within pump 200 within a suitable range despite the high temperature of the fluid being processed. Note that although pump 200 has been described as a subsea pump herein, the methods and structures are equally applicable to subsea compressors. Accordingly, as used herein, the term pump also refers to compressors. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the techniques described herein are also applicable to other types of subsea equipment that make use of dynamic seals and which would benefit from protection from exposure to high temperature process fluids.
(15) According to some embodiments, the barrier fluid is circulated using an impeller attached to the motor 210. In such cases, according to some embodiments, an auxiliary barrier fluid circulation pump 220 can be added to provide for circulation of the barrier fluid at times when the motor 210 is not operating. The capability for maintaining circulation of barrier fluid can be useful, for example when pumping of a hot process fluid has just ceased. By maintaining process fluid circulation after the motor 210 and pump 200 has stopped, adverse effects of temperature rising due to the presence of the hot process fluid can be alleviated. The use of auxiliary pump 220 can be used in embodiments relating to the use of process fluid cooling (
(16)
(17) When designing the conduits 302, 306 and 308, nozzle 390 as well as the cooling coil 304 (e.g. the spacing and number of windings, etc.), the flow rates through the cooling structure should be tuned according to the expected conditions of the pump 200 and the expected properties of the process fluid being processed. For example, if the fluid velocity and/or level of cooling is not adjusted properly, hydrate formation may occur and the conduits and/or cooling coil may become blocked.
(18)
(19) According to some other embodiments, the external surfaces 342 and 344 are enclosed such that only a small volume of process fluid that is located in the proximity of the surfaces 342 and 344 needs to be cooled. According to some embodiments, a heat shield enclosure design, such as shown in greater detail in
(20)
(21)
(22) Seal 310 also has internal surfaces that are exposed to clean barrier fluid, which are located in regions 370 and 372. The barrier fluid is pressurized higher than the process fluid such that a small amount of barrier fluid escapes, for example, between the sealing rings 332 and 334 and into enclosed volume 410, thereby acting to continuously lubricate the dynamic seal 310 with a supply of clean barrier fluid. Thus the enclosed volume 410 is largely filled with clean barrier fluid that is cooler than the hot process fluid in volume 336. The heat shield 400 has a small gap 402 between the structures 420 and 422 through which barrier fluid flows into volume 336. Thus the arrangement shown acts to protect the barrier fluid acts to protect seal 310 from adverse temperature effects of hot process fluid by both shielding heat from the process fluid as well as providing circulation of cool barrier fluid around the seal. Furthermore, by enclosing the volume 410 which is mostly or fully filled with clean barrier fluid rather than process fluid, the sealing rings 332 and 334 are surrounded by a high fraction of clean barrier fluid, which helps to maintain the integrity of the sealing rings.
(23) Note that in many cases, some portions of enclosed volume 410, for example the regions of enclosed volume 410 above the level of the gap 402 will contain a mixture of process fluid and barrier fluid. However, since there is little or no flow of hot process fluid into enclosed volume 410 the mixture will have cooled sufficiently so as not to negatively affect the sealing rings 332 and 334.
(24)
(25) According to some embodiments, a relatively good heat conductive material is used, either entirely or partially, for the static seal holder 420 and/or in the dynamic seal holder 422. In such embodiments, the cooler barrier fluid is used to cool the process fluid in the proximity to the seal indirectly through the conductive material.
(26) According to some embodiments, the structure of the seal holders 420 and/or 422 can be configured to increase cooling from the barrier fluid. For example, the static seal holder 420 can have fins and/or labyrinth channels therein. According to some embodiments, the barrier fluid circulates internally in the static seal holder using internal pressure differences in the barrier fluid system. In some cases a separate impeller or pump can be used to circulate the barrier fluid around the pump 200 (shown in
(27)
(28) Seal 320 also has internal surfaces that are exposed to clean barrier fluid, which are located in region 570. The barrier fluid is pressurized higher than the process fluid such that a small amount of barrier fluid escapes, for example, between the sealing rings 532 and 534 and into enclosed volume 510, thereby acting to continuously lubricate the dynamic seal 320 with a supply of clean barrier fluid. Thus the enclosed volume 510 is largely filled with clean barrier fluid that is cooler than the hot process fluid in volume 536. The heat shield 500 has a small gap 502 between the structures 520 and 522 through which barrier fluid flows into volume 536. Thus the arrangement shown acts to protect seal 320 from adverse temperature effects of hot process fluid by both shielding heat from the process fluid as well as providing circulation of cool barrier fluid around the seal. Furthermore, by enclosing the volume 510 which is mostly or fully filled with clean barrier fluid rather than process fluid, the sealing rings 532 and 534 are surrounded by clean barrier fluid, which helps to maintain the integrity of the sealing rings.
(29) According to some embodiments, to further enhance the cooling effect of the barrier fluid on the sealing rings 532 and 543, structural elements such as fins 584, 585 and 586 can be added to increase the heat transferring ability to the circulating barrier fluid. Other structures can also be added, to enhance heat transfer, such as groove 588.
(30) According to some embodiments, the shielding effect of shield 500 can be enhance by using alternative materials such as insulators 590 and 592, which are positioned on the inner (and therefore cleaner side) of shield 500. In some examples, the insulators 590 and 592 can be made of bands of thermoplastic material such as PTFE or PEEK, which have both good insulation and chemical corrosion resistance properties.
(31) According to some embodiments, temperature protection of seal 320 by the barrier fluid is enhanced by a cut-out area 580. Fluid may return through channel 582 by using necessary restriction to tune pressures to get the flow in the desired path. In this example shown in
(32)
(33) According to some embodiments, a combination of techniques shown in
(34) According to some embodiments, a combination of techniques described herein in any of the figures can be used. For example, in some embodiments, process fluid cooling, such as shown in
(35) Although
(36) While the subject disclosure is described through the above embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed. Moreover, while the preferred embodiments are described in connection with various illustrative structures, one skilled in the art will recognize that the system may be embodied using a variety of specific structures. Accordingly, the subject disclosure should not be viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.