INCREASING HYDRATION TIME OF HIGH CONCENTRATION GELS

• US 20190249535A1
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Published: 08/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Lucas, Bryan Chapman, Fisher, Chad Adam, Warren, Wesley John
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/62 Compositions for forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/70 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. foams
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/267 reinforcing fractures by propping

Abstract

This disclosure presents a method of increasing hydration time of a high concentration gelled fluid used in a fracturing fluid that uses multiple hydration tanks whose volumes are isolated from one another to provide a continuous batch of hydrated gel having improved hydration and viscosity.

Claims

1. A gel hydration apparatus, comprising:

hydration tanks, each having an interior volume, wherein said interior volumes are isolated from one another;

a gel supply system fluidly connected to said hydration tanks by a conduit system;

a plurality of fluid valves interposed said conduit system; and

a controller operatively connected to said plurality of fluid valves and configured to provide commands to said plurality of fluid valves to fill a first of said hydration tanks with a gel solution and empty a second of said hydration tanks of a hydrated gel solution as said first of said hydration tanks is filled.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gel supply system comprises a water tank, a gel mixer, and a gel feeder fluidly coupled to said hydration tanks.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conduit system further comprises an outlet conduit system coupled to respective outlet ends of each of said hydration tanks that have a portion of said plurality of fluid valves interposed said outlet conduit and operatively coupled to said controller to receive commands from said controller to empty a filled hydration tank of said hydrated gel solution.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conduit system comprises a first pump located between said water tank and said gel mixer.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said gel solution conduit system comprises a second pump connected to said outlet conduit system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to fill a holding tank of said hydration tanks with a gel solution at a rate greater than a discharge rate of a hydrated gel from a work tank of said hydration tanks.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said water tank and said gel mixer are fluidly connectable to a slurry blender system by a bypass conduit that fluidly bypasses said hydration tanks.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said hydrated tanks has filling sensors and emptying sensors located within said volumes and configured to send respective fill or empty signals to said controller.

9. A well fracing system, comprising:

a first hydration tank having a first interior volume;

a second hydration tank having a second interior volume, wherein said second interior volume is isolated from said first interior volume;

a water supply tank;

a gel mixer;

a gel feeder positioned to empty a gel into said gel mixer;

a slurry blender system couplable to a wellhead, and including a slurry blender pump and slurry mixer fluidly couplable to said wellhead;

a conduit system that fluidly connects said water supply tank and said gel mixer to said first and second hydration tanks and fluidly connects said first and second hydration tanks to said slurry blender system;

a fluid bypass conduit system that fluidly connects said water supply tank and said gel mixer to said slurry blender system;

fluid valves interposed said conduit system to control a flow of a gel solution from said gel mixer to said first and second hydration tanks.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of said first and second hydration tanks include filling sensors and emptying sensors located within said volumes and configured to send a signal when said first and second hydrations tanks are full or empty, respectively.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said conduit system includes a hydrated gel pump connected to respective outlets of said first and second hydration tanks by an outlet fluid conduit system, and wherein said hydrated gel pump is fluidly connected to said slurry blender system.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said valves comprises a valve interposed said outlet conduit system and between said outlets of each of said first and second hydration tanks and said hydrated gel pump.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a controller operatively connected to said fluid valves and configured to provide commands to said fluid valves to fill said first hydration tank with a gel solution at a rate greater than a rate at which a hydrated gel solution is emptied from said second hydration tank.

14. A method of preparing a hydrated fracing gel, comprising:

mixing water with a gel in a gel mixer to produce a gel solution;

pumping said gel solution through a conduit system to fill a first hydration tank, said gel solution being hydrated to form a hydrated gel as said first hydration tank is filled; and

pumping said gel solution through said conduit system to fill a second hydration tank, while simultaneously releasing said hydrated gel from said first hydration tank through an outlet thereof, said outlet fluidly coupled to a hydrated gel pump by an outlet conduit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein pumping said gel solution through said conduit includes pumping said gel solution through a plurality of fluid valves, wherein a first one of said plurality of fluid valves controls a gel solution flow into said first hydration tank and a second one of said plurality of fluid valves controls a hydrated gel solution flow out of said first tank, and wherein a third one of said plurality of fluid valves controls a gel solution flow into said second hydration tank and a fourth one of said plurality of fluid valves controls a hydrated gel solution flow out of said second tank.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising cleaning said gel mixer of a gel buildup by pumping water from a water tank through said gel mixer when said gel is not being fed into said gel mixer and transporting said gel buildup through a bypass conduit that bypasses said first and second hydration tanks.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing, pumping said gel solution through a conduit system, pumping said gel solution through said conduit system to fill a second hydration tank, while simultaneously releasing a hydrated gel from said first hydration tank are controlled by a controller coupled to a plurality of fluid control valves interposed said conduit system.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising, after emptying said filled first hydration tank and filling said second hydration tank, pumping said hydrated gel through said conduit system to fill said first hydration tank, while simultaneously releasing said hydrated gel from said second hydration tank through an outlet thereof, coupled to said outlet conduit.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising filling a third hydration tank with said hydrated gel while discharging said second hydration tank.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising emptying said third hydration tank through an outlet thereof.