Patent Grant
RE49448
The present invention relates generally to oilfield operations, and more particularly, to methods and systems for integral storage and blending of the materials used in oilfield operations.
Oilfield operations are conducted in a variety of different locations and involve a number of equipments, depending on the operations at hand. The requisite materials for the different operations are often hauled to and stored at the well site where the operations are to be performed.
Considering the number of equipments necessary for performing oilfield operations and ground conditions at different oilfield locations, space availability is often a constraint. For instance, in well treatment operations such as fracturing operations, several wells may be serviced from a common jobsite pad. In such operations, the necessary equipment is not moved from well site to well site. Instead, the equipment may be located at a central work pad and the required treating fluids may be pumped to the different well sites from this central location. Accordingly, the bulk of materials required at a centralized work pad may be enormous, further limiting space availability.
Typically, in modem well treatment operations, equipment is mounted on a truck or a trailer and brought to location and set up. The storage units used are filled with the material required to prepare the well treatment fluid and perform the well treatment. In order to prepare the well treatment fluid, the material used is then transferred from the storage units to one or more blenders to prepare the desired well treatment fluid which may then be pumped down hole.
For instance, in conventional fracturing operations a blender and a pre-gel blender are set between the high pressure pumping units and the storage units which contain the dry materials and chemicals used. The dry materials and the chemicals used in the fracturing operations are then transferred, often over a long distance, from the storage units to the mixing and blending equipments. Once the treating process is initiated, the solid materials and chemicals are typically conveyed to the blender by a combination of conveyer belts, screw type conveyers and a series of hoses and pumps.
The equipment used for transferring the dry materials and chemicals from the storage units to the blender occupy valuable space at the job site. Additionally, the transfer of dry materials and chemicals to the blender consumes a significant amount of energy as well as other system resources and contributes to the carbon foot print of the job site. Moreover, in typical “on land” operations the entire equipment spread including the high horsepower pumping units are powered by diesel fired engines and the bulk material metering, conveying and pumping is done with diesel fired hydraulic systems. Emissions from the equipment that is powered by diesel fuel contributes to the overall carbon footprint and adversely affects the environment.
Some specific example embodiments of the disclosure may be understood by referring, in part, to the following description and the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a pumping system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to example embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.
The present invention relates generally to oilfield operations, and more particularly, to methods and systems for integral storage and blending of the materials used in oilfield operations.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an integrated material blending and storage system comprising: a storage unit; a blender located under the storage unit; wherein the blender is operable to receive a first input from the storage unit; a liquid additive storage module having a pump to maintain constant pressure at an outlet of the liquid additive storage module; wherein the blender is operable to receive a second input from the liquid additive storage module; and a pre-gel blender; wherein the blender is operable to receive a third input from the pre-gel blender; wherein gravity directs the contents of the storage unit, the liquid additive storage module and the pre-gel blender to the blender; a first pump; and a second pump; wherein the first pump directs the contents of the blender to the second pump; and wherein the second pump directs the contents of the blender down hole; wherein at least one of the first pump and the second pump is powered by one of natural gas and electricity.
In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is directed to a modular integrated material blending and storage system comprising: a first module comprising a storage unit; a second module comprising a liquid additive storage unit and a pump for maintaining pressure at an outlet of the liquid additive storage unit; and a third module comprising a pre-gel blender; wherein an output of each of the first module, the second module and the third module is located above a blender; and wherein gravity directs the contents of the first module, the second module and the third module to the blender; a pump; wherein the pump directs the output of the blender to a desired down hole location; and wherein the pump is powered by one of natural gas and electricity.
The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the description of exemplary embodiments, which follows.
The present invention relates generally to oilfield operations, and more particularly, to methods and systems for integral storage and blending of the materials used in oilfield operations.
Turning now to
In one exemplary embodiment, the storage units 102 may be connected to load sensors (not shown) to monitor the reaction forces at the legs of the storage units 102. The load sensor readings may then be used to monitor the change in weight, mass and/or volume of materials in the storage units 102. The change in weight, mass or volume can be used to control the metering of material from the storage units 102 during well treatment operations. As a result, the load sensors may be used to ensure the availability of materials during oilfield operations. In one exemplary embodiment, load cells may be used as load sensors. Electronic load cells are preferred for their accuracy and are well known in the art, but other types of force-measuring devices may be used. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, any type of load-sensing device can be used in place of or in conjunction with a load cell. Examples of suitable load-measuring devices include weight-, mass-, pressure- or force-measuring devices such as hydraulic load cells, scales, load pins, dual sheer beam load cells, strain gauges and pressure transducers. Standard load cells are available in various ranges such as 0-5000 pounds, 0-10000 pounds, etc.
In one exemplary embodiment the load sensors may be communicatively coupled to an information handling system 104 which may process the load sensor readings. While
The information handling system 104 may then compare the load sensor readings to the threshold value to determine if the threshold value is reached. If the threshold value is reached, the information handling system 104 may alert the user. In one embodiment, the information handling system 104 may provide a real-time visual depiction of the amount of materials contained in the storage units 102. Moreover, as would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the load sensors may be coupled to the information handling system 104 through a wired or wireless (not shown) connection.
As depicted in
In one exemplary embodiment, the legs 204 of the pre-gel storage unit 202 are attached to load sensors 212 to monitor the reaction forces at the legs 204. The load sensor 212 readings may then be used to monitor the change in weight, mass and/or volume of materials in the pre-gel storage unit 202. The change in weight, mass or volume can be used to control the metering of material from the pre-gel storage unit 202 at a given set point. As a result, the load sensors 212 may be used to ensure the availability of materials during oilfield operations. In one exemplary embodiment, load cells may be used as load sensors 212. Electronic load cells are preferred for their accuracy and are well known in the art, but other types of force-measuring devices may be used. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, any type of load-sensing device can be used in place of or in conjunction with a load cell. Examples of suitable load-measuring devices include weight-, mass-, pressure- or force-measuring devices such as hydraulic load cells, scales, load pins, dual sheer beam load cells, strain gauges and pressure transducers. Standard load cells are available in various ranges such as 0-5000 pounds, 0-10000 pounds, etc.
In one exemplary embodiment the load sensors 212 may be communicatively coupled to an information handling system 214 which may process the load sensor readings. Although
Moreover, as would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the load sensors 212 may be coupled to the information handling system 214 through a wired or wireless (not shown) connection. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, in one exemplary embodiment, the dry polymer material may be replaced with a Liquid Gel Concentrate (“LGC”) material that consists of the dry polymer mixed in a carrier fluid. In this exemplary embodiment, the feeder and mixer mechanisms would be replaced with a metering pump of suitable construction to inject the LGC into the water stream, thus initiating the hydration process.
The materials from the central core 304 of the pre-gel storage unit 302 may be directed to a mixer 310 as a first input through a feeder 312. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, in one embodiment, the mixer 310 may be a growler mixer and the feeder 312 may be a screw feeder which may be used to provide a volumetric metering of the materials directed to the mixer 310. A water pump 314 may be used to supply water to the mixer 310 as a second input. A variety of different pumps may be used as the water pump 314 depending on the user preferences. For instance, the water pump 314 may be a centrifugal pump, a progressive cavity pump, a gear pump or a peristaltic pump. The mixer 310 mixes the gel powder from the pre-gel storage unit 302 with the water from the water pump 314 at the desired concentration and the finished gel is discharged from the mixer 310. As discussed above with reference to the storage units 102, the pre-gel storage unit 302 may rest on load sensors 316 which may be used for monitoring the amount of materials in the pre-gel storage unit 302. The change in weight, mass or volume can be used to control the metering of material from the pre-gel storage unit 302 at a given set point.
In this embodiment, once the gel having the desired concentration is discharged from the mixer 310, it is directed to the annular space 306. The gel mixture is maintained in the annular space 306 for hydration. Once sufficient time has passed and the gel is hydrated, it is discharged from the annular space 306 through the discharge line 318.
The materials from the central core 406 of the pre-gel storage unit 402 may be directed to a mixer 412 as a first input through a feeder 414. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, in one embodiment, the mixer 412 may be a growler mixer and the feeder 414 may be a screw feeder which may be used to provide a volumetric metering of the materials directed to the mixer 412. A water pump 416 may be used to supply water to the mixer 412 as a second input. A variety of different pumps may be used as the water pump 416 depending on the user preferences. For instance, the water pump 416 may be a centrifugal pump, a progressive cavity pump, a gear pump or a peristaltic pump. The mixer 412 mixes the gel powder from the pre-gel storage unit 402 with the water from the water pump 416 at the desired concentration and the finished gel is discharged from the mixer 412. As discussed above with reference to
In this embodiment, once the gel having the desired concentration is discharged from the mixer 412, it is directed to the annular space 408 where it enters the tubular hydration loop 410. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the portions of the gel mixture are discharged from the mixer 412 at different points in time, and accordingly, will be hydrated at different times. Specifically, a portion of the gel mixture discharged from the mixer 412 into the annular space 408 at a first point in time, t1, will be sufficiently hydrated before a portion of the gel mixture which is discharged into the annular space 408 at a second point in time, t2. Accordingly, it is desirable to ensure that the gel mixture is transferred through the annular space 408 in a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) mode. To that end, in the third exemplary embodiment, a tubular hydration loop 410 is inserted in the annular space 408 to direct the flow of the gel as it is being hydrated.
As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, in order to achieve optimal performance, the tubular hydration loop 410 may need to be cleaned during a job or between jobs. In one embodiment, the tubular hydration loop 410 may be cleaned by passing a fluid such as water through it. In another exemplary embodiment, a pigging device may be used to clean the tubular hydration loop 410.
Returning to
Returning to
As depicted in more detail in
In one embodiment, when preparing a well treatment fluid, a base gel is prepared in the IPB 106. In one embodiment, the gel prepared in the IPB may be directed to an annular space 406 for hydration. In another exemplary embodiment, the annular space may further include a hydration loop 410. In one exemplary embodiment, the resulting gel from the IPB 106 may be pumped to the centrally located blender 108. Each of the base gel, the fluid modifying agents and the solid components used in preparing a desired well treatment fluid may be metered out from the IPB 106, the liquid additive storage module 110 and the storage unit 102, respectively. The blender 108 mixes the base gel with other fluid modifying agents from the liquid additive storage modules 110 and the solid component(s) from the storage units 102. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, when preparing a fracturing fluid the solid component may be a dry proppant. In one exemplary embodiment, the dry proppant may be gravity fed into the blending tub through metering gates. Once the blender 108 mixes the base gel, the fluid modifying agent and the solid component(s), the resulting well treatment fluid may be directed to a down hole pump (not shown) through the outlet 114. A variety of different pumps may be used to pump the output of the IMSBS down hole. For instance, the pump used may be a centrifugal pump, a progressive cavity pump, a gear pump or a peristaltic pump. In one exemplary embodiment, chemicals from the liquid additive storage modules 110 may be injected in the manifolds leading to and exiting the blender 108 in order to bring them closer to the centrifugal pumps and away from other chemicals when there are compatibility or reaction issues.
As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the mixing and blending process may be accomplished at the required rate dictated by the job parameters. As a result, pumps that transfer the final slurry to the down hole pumps typically have a high horsepower requirement. FIG. 7 depicts a pumping system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, denoted generally with reference numeral 700. In one exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, the transfer pump 702 may be powered by a natural gas fired engine or a natural gas fired generator set 714. In another exemplary embodiment, the transfer pump may be powered by electricity from a power grid. Once the fluid system is mixed and blended with proppant and other fluid modifiers it is boosted to the high horsepower down hole pumps 704. The down hole pumps pump the slurry through the high pressure ground manifold 706 to the well head 708 and down hole. In one embodiment, the down hole pumps 704 may be powered by a natural gas fired engine, a natural gas fired generator set 714 or electricity from a power grid. The down hole pumps typically account for over two third of the horsepower on location, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the overall operations.
In one exemplary embodiment, the natural gas used to power the transfer pumps, the down hole pumps or the other system components may be obtained from the field on which the subterranean operations are being performed 720. In one embodiment, the natural gas may be converted to liquefied natural gas and used to power pumps and other equipment that would typically be powered by diesel fuel. In another embodiment, the natural gas may be used to provide power through generator sets 714. The natural gas from the field may undergo conditioning 710 before being used to provide power to the pumps and other equipment. The conditioning process may include cleaning the natural gas, compressing the natural gas in compressor stations and if necessary, removing any water contained therein.
As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the IMSBS may include a different number of storage units 102, IPBs 106 and/or liquid additive storage modules 110, depending on the system requirements. For instance, in another exemplary embodiment (not shown), the IMSBS may include three storage units, one IPB and one liquid additive storage module.
As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, an IMSBS 600 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention which permits accurate, real-time monitoring of the contents of the storage units 602, the liquid additive storage modules 604 and/or the IPBs 606 provides several advantages. For instance, an operator may use the amount of materials remaining in the storage units 602, the liquid additive storage modules 604 and/or the IPBs 606 as a quality control mechanism to ensure that material consumption is in line with the job requirements. Additionally, the accurate, real-time monitoring of material consumption expedites the operator's ability to determine the expenses associated with a job.
As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, the different equipment used in an IMSBS in accordance with the present invention may be powered by any suitable power source. For instance, the equipment may be powered by a combustion engine, electric power supply which may be provided by an on-site generator or by a hydraulic power supply.
Therefore, the present invention is well-adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those which are inherent therein. While the invention has been depicted and described by reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention, such a reference does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent arts and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects. The terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.
Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012. The reissue applications are U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/079,027, now U.S. Pat. No. RE46,725, which is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/853,076, now U.S. Pat. No. RE47,695, which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012 and is a divisional reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/079,027, now U.S. Pat. No. RE46,725; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,070, which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/853,076, now U.S. Pat. No. RE47,695, and a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,124, which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/853,076, now U.S. Pat. No. RE47,695, and a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012; the present U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/353,091, which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 16/537,070 and 16/537,124 and a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012; and the following co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 17/221,152, 17/221,176, 17/221,186, 17/221,204, 17/221,221, 17/221,242, 17/221,267, 17/221,281, 17/221,317, and 17/352,956, each of which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 16/537,070 and 16/537,124 and a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012. This application is a continuation reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,070 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,124, both filed on Aug. 9, 2019, which are reissue applications of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012 and continuation reissue applications of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/853,076, filed on Dec. 22, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. RE47,695, which is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012 and a divisional reissue application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/079,027, filed on Mar. 23, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. RE46,725, which is a reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/744,959, filed on May 6, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,012, issued on Sep. 16, 2014, entitled “Electric or Natural Gas Fired Small Footprint Fracturing Fluid Blending and Pumping Equipment,” which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/557,730, filed Sep. 11, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,444,312, issued on May 21, 2013, entitled “Improved Methods and Systems for Integral Blending and Storage of Materials,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15079027 | Mar 2016 | US |
| Child | 15853076 | US | |
| Parent | 15079027 | Mar 2016 | US |
| Child | 15853076 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16537070 | Aug 2019 | US |
| Child | 12774959 | US | |
| Parent | 15853076 | Dec 2017 | US |
| Child | 16537070 | US | |
| Parent | 16537124 | Aug 2019 | US |
| Child | 17353091 | US | |
| Parent | 15853076 | Dec 2017 | US |
| Child | 16537124 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12557730 | Sep 2009 | US |
| Child | 12774959 | US | |
| Parent | 17353091 | US | |
| Child | 12774959 | US | |
| Parent | 12557730 | Sep 2009 | US |
| Child | 12774959 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12774959 | May 2010 | US |
| Child | 17353091 | US | |
| Parent | 12774959 | May 2010 | US |
| Child | 15079027 | US | |
| Parent | 12774959 | May 2010 | US |
| Child | 15079027 | US |
