Slide out pump stand for hydraulic fracturing equipment

• US 10,407,990 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U.S. Well Services, LLC (ProFrac Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: U.S. Well Services, LLC (ProFrac Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Oehring, Jared, Hinderliter, Brandon Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Kristyn A
• Application Number:
  US15/217,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/00 Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects ambulances or other vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00; hearses A61G21/00; fire-fighting land vehicles A62C27/00; refuse-collecting vehicles B65F3/00, B65F7/00; snow-removing vehicles E01H; armoured or armed vehicles F41H7/00; self-propelled mine-clearing vehicles F41H11/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 7/0815 Attachment rails or trellis
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/02 Drilling rigs characterised by means for land transport with their own drive, e.g. skid mounting or wheel mounting
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/022 Control of the drilling operation; Hydraulic or pneumatic means for activation or operation control circuits for drilling masts E21B15/045
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/026 having auxiliary platforms, e.g. for observation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/03 driven by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/02 the driving mechanisms being situated at ground level F04B47/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04

Abstract

A hydraulic fracturing system has a pump driven by an electrically powered motor. The pump pressurizes fluid which is piped into a wellbore to fracture a subterranean formation. The pump and motor are mounted on a trailer that is hitched to a tractor. A platform assembly is mounted onto the trailer, and which is selectively moveable between deployed and stowed configurations. The platform assembly includes a platform, a lateral rail assembly mounted to the platform, and gates on the forward and aft ends of the platform. The rail assembly and gates define a safety barrier to prevent operations personnel from falling off the platform. In the stowed configuration the platform assembly is anchored in place over wheels on the trailer. In the deployed configuration, the platform assembly provides work surface so that operations personnel can readily access the pump on the trailer.

Claims

1. A hydraulic fracturing system for fracturing a subterranean formation comprising:

a plurality of electric pumps fluidly connected to the formation, and powered by at least one electric motor, and configured to pump fluid at high pressure into a wellbore that intersects the formation, so that the fluid passes from the wellbore into the formation, and fractures the formation;

a variable frequency drive connected to the electric motor to control the speed of the motor that frequently performs electric motor diagnostics to prevent damage to the at least one electric motor;

a trailer on which the motor and pumps are mounted;

a platform assembly mounted to the trailer and from which at least a one of the pumps are accessible by operations personnel; and

support rails mounted to the platform assembly and that slidingly engage mount assemblies that are coupled to the trailer.

2. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1, wherein the platform assembly is selectively moveable between a stowed configuration and spaced laterally inward from an outer periphery of wheels coupled with the trailer, to a deployed configuration and spaced laterally past an outer periphery of the wheels.

3. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1, wherein bores in the support rails register with holes in the mount assemblies when the platform assembly is in the stowed configuration, and wherein a pin selectively inserts through the bores and holes to anchor the platform assembly in the stowed configuration.

4. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1, further comprising rollers in the mount assemblies that rotate when the support rails slidingly engage the mount assemblies.

5. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1, wherein the platform assembly comprises a lateral rail assembly on a side that is distal from the pump.

6. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 4, further comprising end gates on forward and aft ends of the platform assembly that are pivotingly mounted on opposing axial ends of the lateral rail assembly.

7. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 6, wherein the end gates are oriented substantially perpendicular to the lateral rail assembly when the platform assembly is moved into a deployed configuration.

8. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1, wherein a pair of motors comprise first and second motors, a pair of pumps comprise first and second pumps, wherein the first and second pumps and motors are mounted on the trailer, wherein the first motor is coupled to and drives the first pump, and wherein the second motor is coupled to and drives the second pump.

9. A hydraulic fracturing system for fracturing a subterranean formation comprising:

a trailer;

a pump on the trailer that selectively pressurizes fracturing fluid;

an electrically powered motor that drives the pump;

a variable frequency drive in electrical communication with the motor;

a platform assembly coupled with the trailer and that is adjacent the pump so that when operations personnel are on the platform assembly, locations on the pump are accessible by the operations personnel, the platform assembly comprising;

a platform with a deck and frame, support rails that coupled to the platform, and mounting assemblies attached to a frame of the trailer and which slidingly receive the support rails.

10. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 9, wherein the platform assembly is stowed so that an outer lateral side of the platform assembly is set laterally inward from an outer edge of wheels that are mounted to the trailer.

11. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 10, wherein the platform assembly is moveable from being stowed into a deployed configuration where the platform assembly projects laterally past the wheels.

12. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 9, wherein the platform assembly includes a lateral rail assembly, a forward gate, and an aft gate and which define a safety barrier for operations personnel on the platform assembly.

13. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 12, wherein the gates each have a lateral side that is affixed by a hinge to the lateral rail assembly and on opposite sides, the hinge comprising a vertically oriented pin and spring, wherein the spring swings free ends of the gates away from the lateral rail assembly when the platform assembly is changed from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.

14. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 13, further comprising elastomeric bungees, each having an end affixed to the lateral rail assembly, and free ends that selectively insert into slotted clips affixed to inner frames on the gates.

15. The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 14, further comprising stop members on the gates that mount to inner frames on the gates and abut the pins when the gates rotate to positions that are substantially perpendicular with the lateral rail assembly.