Mobil Oil Corporation

Curtis L Humphries

Eddie F Schultz

Henry A Seal

Melwyn L Mathis

Alan M Winkelman

A method for determining the foaming characteristics of a crude oil stream at the wellhead comprising introducing the production crude oil stream from the wellhead into an elongated, horizontal separator under reduced pressure at a controlled flow rate, withdrawing evolved gas from the upper portion of the separator and measuring the flow rate thereof, withdrawing oil from the lower portion of the separator and measuring the flow rate thereof, controlling the pressure on the separator at a lower pressure than the wellhead pressure, controlling the liquid level of the oil in the separator, measuring the volume of oil in the separator, and measuring the volume of foam in the separator. The apparatus comprises an elongated horizontal separator, a crude oil inlet into one end of the separator, means for supplying a crude oil stream from the wellhead to the crude oil inlet in the separator at a controlled flow rate, means for controlling the pressure in the separator at a pressure lower than the wellhead pressure, means for withdrawing gas from the upper portion of the separator and measuring the flow rate thereof, means for withdrawing crude oil from the lower portion of the separator and measuring the flow rate thereof, means for controlling the liquid level crude oil in the separator, means for measuring the volume of foam formed in the separator, and means for measuring the volume of crude oil in the separator.

Method and apparatus for determining the foaming characteristics of a

Measuring the foaming characteristics of crude oil comprises saturating the crude oil with a gas inert to the crude oil under high pressure and passing the gas-saturated oil into a flash separator. The amount of foam formed is measured with respect to the amount of gas withdrawn from the flash separator and the amount of oil contained therein. The apparatus comprises a gas-oil saturation vessel, a transparent elongated horizontal flash separator, an oil inlet line in one end of the flash separator, an oil outlet line in the bottom portion of the flash separator at the end opposite the oil inlet, a gas outlet line in the upper portion of the flash separator between the oil inlet and oil outlet line, a pressure equalization line in communication with the upper portion of the flash separator, the gas outlet line, and the oil outlet line, a weir for maintaining a layer of oil in the lower portion of the flash separator at a controlled level, a transverse baffle extending from the upper portion of the flash separator to a point below the height of the weir, located near the weir and upstream thereof, means for measuring the oil flow rate from the flash separator, means for measuring the gas flow rate from the flash separator, means for controlling the back pressure within the flash separator, means for controlling the temperature in the gas-oil saturator and the flash separator, and means for measuring the foam volume in the flash separator.

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Duncanville, TX, United States of America

Curtis L Humphries