Flow-rate monitoring system for a pressure pump
First Claim
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1. A flow-rate monitoring system for use in wellbore operations, comprising:
- a strain gauge positionable on a fluid end of a pump to measure strain in a chamber of the pump and generate a strain signal representing strain in the chamber, the strain signal being usable in determining a first actuation point corresponding to an opening of a valve in the chamber and a second actuation point corresponding to a closing of the valve;
a position sensor positionable on a power end of the pump to sense a position of a member of a rotating assembly of the pump and generate a position signal representing the position of the member during operation of the pump; and
a computing device couplable to the strain gauge and the position sensor, the computing device including a processing device for which instructions executable by the processing device are used to cause the processing device to;
determine an amount of time between the first actuation point and the second actuation point corresponding to an open period of the valve; and
determine a volume of fluid entering into or discharging from the chamber during the open period of the valve.
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Abstract
A flow-rate monitoring system may include a position sensor, a strain gauge, and a computing device for determining a rate of fluid flow through a pump using strain measurements. The strain gauge may determine strain in the chamber. The position sensor may determine the position of a crankshaft coupled to a plunger in the chamber. The computing device may receive signals generated by the strain gauge and the position sensor related to the strain in the chamber and the position of the crankshaft and process the signals to determine a flow rate through the chamber of the pump.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A flow-rate monitoring system for use in wellbore operations, comprising:
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a strain gauge positionable on a fluid end of a pump to measure strain in a chamber of the pump and generate a strain signal representing strain in the chamber, the strain signal being usable in determining a first actuation point corresponding to an opening of a valve in the chamber and a second actuation point corresponding to a closing of the valve; a position sensor positionable on a power end of the pump to sense a position of a member of a rotating assembly of the pump and generate a position signal representing the position of the member during operation of the pump; and a computing device couplable to the strain gauge and the position sensor, the computing device including a processing device for which instructions executable by the processing device are used to cause the processing device to; determine an amount of time between the first actuation point and the second actuation point corresponding to an open period of the valve; and determine a volume of fluid entering into or discharging from the chamber during the open period of the valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A pumping system, comprising:
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a pump including a fluid end and a power end, the fluid end of the pump including a valve actuatable between a first actuation point and a second actuation point in a chamber of the pump through a valve transition between the first actuation point and the second actuation point that is measurable by a strain gauge, the fluid end further including a plunger in the chamber, the plunger being mechanically coupled to a crankshaft in the power end of the pump and actuatable between a first reference point and a second reference point through a plunger transition between the first reference point and the second reference point that is measurable by a position sensor; and a computing device couplable to the pump, the computing device including a processing device for which instructions executable by the processing device are used to cause the processing device to; determine an amount of time between the first actuation point and the second actuation point corresponding to an open period of the valve; and determine a volume of fluid entering into or discharging from the chamber during the open period of the valve in response to the plunger transition. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for determining a flow rate of fluid through a pump, comprising:
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receiving, from a position sensor coupled to an external surface of a power end of the pump, a position signal representing a position of a member of a rotating assembly of the pump; determining, by a computing device, a transition of a displacement member between a first position and a second position in a chamber of the pump from the position signal; receiving, from a stain gauge coupled to an external surface of a fluid end of the pump, a strain signal representing strain in the chamber; determining, by the computing device, a first actuation point corresponding to an opening of a valve in the chamber and a second actuation point corresponding to a closing of the valve from the strain signal, wherein an amount of time between the first actuation point and the second actuation point corresponding to an open period of the valve; and correlating, by the computing device, the transition of the displacement member with the open period of the valve. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification