Temperature Gauge for an Accumulator Nitrogen Tank Apparatus, System, and Method

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/899,811, filed on Aug. 31, 2022, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/243,433 filed on Sep. 13, 2021. Each of the applications listed above is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety

In general, the present invention relates to a device, system, and method for subsea piston accumulators utilized with blowout preventers in oil and gas well operations. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved accumulator system by including a temperature gauge for a nitrogen supply tank and associated relief valve that can be threaded into the tank.

As known in the art, a blowout preventer is a large, specialized valve or similar mechanical device, usually installed redundantly in stacks, used to seal, control, and monitor oil and gas wells. Blowout preventers were developed to cope with extreme erratic pressures and uncontrolled flow, often referred to as a formation kick, emanating from a well reservoir during drilling. Kicks can lead to a potentially catastrophic event known as a blowout. In addition to controlling the downhole pressure occurring in the drilled hole and the flow of oil and gas, blowout preventers are intended to prevent tubing such as drill pipe and well casing, tools, and drilling fluid from being blown out of the wellbore when a blowout threatens.

A typical subsea deep-water blowout preventer system includes hydraulic accumulator modules that maintain the hydraulic fluid pressures needed to actuate valves on the blowout preventer. A subsea accumulator stores hydraulic fluid under pressure and must release the hydraulic fluid on demand to provide fast closure of the preventers and for cycling all critical components. The fluid to be pressurized is typically an oil-based product or a water-based product with added lubricity and corrosion protection and are generally stored in what is referred to as the hydraulic bottle. Typically, accumulators with a piston have a piston sliding up and down a seal bore to separate the fluid from the gas.

It is also known that a depth compensated piston accumulator must maintain a constant working fluid pressure in the working fluid chamber at any depth. At the surface, the nitrogen chamber is charged to a specific pressure, which exerts a force on top of the piston, which in turn pressurizes the working hydraulic fluid on the other side of the piston. As the accumulator is lowered deeper into the ocean, the ambient seawater pressure squeezes the hydraulic fluid in the bladder to the same pressure. This seawater pressure from the bladder is exerted on top of the piston in the seawater chamber. Essentially, all of the pressure force that is lost from the nitrogen due to the increased water pressure in very deep water is regained by directing that ambient pressure to the seawater chamber.

It is also understood that temperature of the nitrogen may affect the accumulator. A five-degree Fahrenheit in nitrogen temperature means a 50 PSI difference in pre-charge pressure. When an accumulator is actuated, the internal temperature in the nitrogen tank can drop by 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It is desirable to know the temperature to know what to pressure pre-charge the system.

It is also known that rupture discs eventually fatigue and fail and often during the testing at the surface. This can cause significant downtime as it takes waiting time for the nitrogen to bleed off then refill the nitrogen tank.

Blowout preventers are obviously extremely critical to well operations. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus, process, and or system that provides a system to monitor the temperature in the nitrogen tank for use with a subsea piston accumulator. It is desirable to fill these needs with reliable technology that are affordable and attractive to accumulator operations associated with blowout preventers. The above discussed limitations in the prior art is not exhaustive. The current invention provides an inexpensive, time saving, more reliable apparatus, method, and system where the prior art fails.

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of accumulators utilized with blowout preventers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new and improved apparatus, system, and method of use that provides better accumulator performance. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved temperature sensor system for use with subsea piston accumulators for blowout preventers, which has all the advantages of the prior art devices and none of the disadvantages.

It is, therefore, contemplated that the present invention is an apparatus, system, and method for improved subsea piston accumulators by providing temperature of the nitrogen in a tank and provide a relief valve for same. It is contemplated that the temperature gauge may be a digital sensor and or analog thermometer that can screw directly into a nitrogen tank. This may provide accurate information on the bottle's performance as well as a warning if pressures are too high or too low.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved piston accumulator apparatus, system, and method for use in subsea piston accumulators.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved piston accumulator apparatus, system, and method, which allows for knowing the temperature of the nitrogen tank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved piston accumulator apparatus, system, and method, which may include one or more temperature sensors as well as a relief valve that can be screwed into the nitrogen bottle.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved piston accumulator bladder apparatus, system, and method, which is of a durable and reliable construction and may be utilized in numerous types of piston accumulators.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved piston accumulator bladder apparatus, system, and method, which is susceptible to a low cost of installation and labor, which accordingly is then susceptible to low prices of sale to the consuming industry, thereby making such a system economically available to those in the field.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved piston accumulator bladder apparatus, system, and method, which provides all of the advantages of the prior art while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.

These, together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the illustrations, drawings, and pictures, and toin particular, reference charactergenerally designates a new and improved piston accumulator apparatus, system, and method of using same constructed in accordance with the present invention. Inventionis generally used in oil and gas well operations such as but not limited to blowout preventers and may be utilized in other operations not associated with oil and gas drilling operations. For purposes of convenience, the reference numeralmay generally be utilized for the indication of the invention, portion of the invention, preferred embodiments of the invention and so on. Inventionmay also include a new and improved accumulator apparatus, system, and method as well as new and improved blowout preventer apparatus, system, and method.

Referring now to, a dual bottle accumulatoris shown with a hydraulic bottle, a nitrogen bottle and or tank. Inventioncontemplates providing a relief valve, a temperature sensor and or gauge, a pressure gauge, and so forth. Temperature gaugemay be digital, analogue, and or combinations thereof. Temperature gaugemay be in communication with the surface for constant monitoring.

It is further contemplated that relief valve, temperature gauge, and pressure gaugemay be assembled on housingthat may be screwed into nitrogen tankbut is not limited to such.

The inventionmay be a subsea piston nitrogen accumulator temperature and pressure system comprising: a subsea nitrogen bottle having an interior, an exterior, and a conduit between said interior and said exterior; a temperature gauge in communication with a sea surface; a pressure gauge in communication with said sea surface; and wherein said temperature gauge and said pressure gauge are in communication with said interior of said nitrogen bottle via said conduit and adapted to read a temperature and a pressure of said interior of said nitrogen bottle and communicate said temperature and said pressure to said sea surface.

Changes may be made in the combinations, operations, and arrangements of the various parts and elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, names, titles, headings, and general division of the aforementioned are provided for convenience and therefore, should not be considered limiting.