US 11,718,801 B2
Apparatus to simulate biocide performance in crude pipeline conditions
Xiangyang Zhu, Dhahran (SA); Mazen A. Al-Saleh, Khobar (SA); and Qurban Ali, Al-Khobar (SA)
Assigned to SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Sep. 16, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/572,206.
Prior Publication US 2021/0079307 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. C10G 75/02 (2006.01); B01J 19/18 (2006.01); C12M 1/34 (2006.01); C12M 1/12 (2006.01); C12M 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC C10G 75/02 (2013.01) [B01J 19/18 (2013.01); C12M 37/06 (2013.01); C12M 41/38 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00164 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00189 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00245 (2013.01); C10G 2300/208 (2013.01); C10G 2300/80 (2013.01); C12M 1/02 (2013.01); C12M 1/121 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus to simulate biocide performance in crude oil pipeline conditions, the apparatus comprising:
an agitator motor;
a reactor to simulate a two-phase crude oil pipeline and including a crude oil phase above a water phase, the reactor comprising an agitator to control a flow of the water phase in the reactor in response to the agitator motor that drives an agitation rate of the agitator;
a crude oil inlet to supply crude oil to the reactor for the crude oil phase;
a water inlet to supply water to the reactor for the water phase;
a control circuit configured by logic or code to
control a proportion of the water to the crude oil supplied to the reactor by the crude oil inlet and the water inlet, and
control the agitator motor to drive a desired agitation rate of the agitator;
a biocide inlet to supply biocide to the reactor;
a water sample outlet to sample the water phase of the reactor;
a plurality of coupon holders each configured to
hold a corrosion coupon at a bottom of the agitated water phase of the reactor during the simulation of the two-phase crude oil pipeline, and
permit removing and replacing of the held corrosion coupon during the simulation;
a ball valve for each coupon holder, the ball valve being configured to seal the reactor during the removal and replacement of the corrosion coupon; and
a height-adjustable dip tube to obtain a mixed sample of the crude oil phase and the water phase of the reactor at an interphase region of the crude oil phase and the water phase in the reactor.