Login | Register
The Engineer's Place for News and Discussion®

Previous in Forum: What Do You Think   Next in Forum: Foam Line From Tank
Close

Comments Format:






Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







6 comments
Commentator

Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 89

Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/22/2012 6:29 PM

How to prevent formation of vacuum in the crude oil export line from the Turret to the CALM buoy as a result of crude oil shrinkage? This occurs as a result of drop in temperature when the crude oil temperature equilibrates with that of the sea bed.

Register to Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
Guru

Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 577
Good Answers: 51
#1

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/22/2012 7:57 PM

Well, I would think you'd have to 'replace' the lost volume with something. Air, water, nitrogen, or crude oil come to mind. Air has obvious problems, nitrogen may not be available and causes some problems of its own, which leaves water and crude. I would think crude would be preferred. Having a small tank of oil would work, but there is probably the problem of where to put the tank? How about a diaphragm or bellows isolated surge vessel on the idea of a surge arrestor? Charge the dry side with a few psi of nitrogen. There may be some controls required to keep a back pressure on it while loading.

Register to Reply
Guru
Hobbies - Automotive Performance - New Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member

Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 34° 34' 21.60" N, 92° 55' 42.28" W
Posts: 21333
Good Answers: 797
#2

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/22/2012 7:59 PM

How do the big boys do it? Seems like heat or pressure are two ways.

CALM Buoy WLGP - Bluewater Offshore

__________________
Luck comes and goes. Skill is forever. Intelligence either is, or it ain't. lyn
Register to Reply
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: India
Posts: 1272
Good Answers: 33
#3

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/23/2012 2:27 AM

What I would look for? Can't one extract crude with high vacuum pump. I would also look for ideas HERE

Register to Reply
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing. Kettle's on.
Posts: 19863
Good Answers: 481
#4

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/23/2012 3:32 AM

What will happen is that volatile materials within the fluid will evaporate to maintain their individual partial pressures within the pipeline at the temperature prevalent. So unless there is something that hasn't been disclosed to the forum, a full vacuum will never occur.

__________________
There was a time, not long ago, when people were smarter than their phones... (tips hat to CR4 user Harley.)
Register to Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Associate
Hobbies - Hunting - New Member

Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 40
#5

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/23/2012 11:43 PM

Put a heat exchanger at the turret and cool the crude with seawater

Register to Reply
Guru

Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1698
Good Answers: 57
#6

Re: Vacuum Prevention In the Crude Oil Export Line

10/24/2012 12:07 AM

You may or may not need a purged line to start with. The equilibrium state will be partial vacuum due vapor pressure.

Once new hot crude is allowed into the pipe in preparation to transferring, full pressure is there, and transfer can commence.

No magic. What seems to be the problem to you, then?

Register to Reply
Register to Reply 6 comments
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

bernard de raadt (1); bigg (1); Joshi (1); leveles (1); lyn (1); PWSlack (1)

Previous in Forum: What Do You Think   Next in Forum: Foam Line From Tank