METHOD OF DETERMINING THICKNESS OF HYDROCARBON PHASE ABOVE WATER IN OIL WASTE STORAGE AND DEVICE FOR REALISING SAID METHOD Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G01F23/04 E21B47/04 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: method involves mounting onto a structure over wastes of a fixed block with a circular furrow for a thread, one end of which is attached to a sphere and the other to a marked counterweight whose weight G_c is less than the weight of the sphere G_s by a value g, which enables immersion of the sphere into the wastes while simultaneously raising the counter weight. The height of the block and the length of the thread enable immersion of the sphere into the wastes by a given depth h, which is greater than the thickness of the hydrocarbon phase δ lying above water, higher than their boundary surface and prevent immersion of the counterweight into the wastes. The sphere is immersed into the wastes and the height of the mark of the counterweight over the surface of the wastes is recorded at the beginning of immersing the sphere into the hydrocarbon phase and at the beginning of increasing ascending speed of the counterweight using the sphere, which takes place when the sphere is immersed beyond the phase boundary. The distance between the recorded positions of the mark of the counterweight, i.e. thickness of the hydrocarbon phase δ, is measured. The device also has two supports, one which limits rise of the sphere into the atmosphere and the other - the counterweight, and a reference mark fixed over the wastes. When determining thickness of the hydrocarbon phase δ by lowering the sphere at a given depth h with constant length of the thread, the following condition is satisfied: h+a+b-2r=c-d-e, as well as the condition δ=f+2r-6-a, where a is elevation of the reference mark above the surface of the oil wastes; 6 is elevation of the support of the sphere above the reference mark; r is radius of the sphere; c is elevation of the support of the counterweight over the reference mark; d is elevation of the mark of the counterweight above the reference mark when the sphere is placed on its support; e is distance measured on the height from the support of the counterweight to the mark on the counterweight when it is on the uppermost position; f is height of the counterweight with the mark when the sphere is lowered from the support to the boundary surface of the hydrocarbon phase and water, i.e. before increase in ascending speed of the counterweight.

EFFECT: more efficient determination of thickness of a hydrocarbon phase owing to easier operation and simpler design of the device and increased ease of use.

10 cl, 2 dwg