METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING BRINE, AND RELATED MIXING TANK

• US 20190308146A1
• Filed: 04/01/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intrepid Potash Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intrepid Potash Incorporated
• Inventors: York, Rick, Martorana, Frank, Hanson, James
• Granted Patent: US 11,059,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 21/20 using flow mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 21/30 Workflow diagrams or layout of plants, e.g. flow charts; Details of workflow diagrams or layout of plants, e.g. controlling means
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 21/503 Filters
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/49 Mixing drilled material or ingredients for well-drilling, earth-drilling or deep-drilling compositions with liquids to obtain slurries
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/50 Circulation mixers, e.g. wherein at least part of the mixture is discharged from and reintroduced into a receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/5023 the vehicle being a trailer which is hand moved or coupled to self-propelling vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2133 Electrical conductivity or dielectric constant of the mixture
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/7544 using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations

Abstract

A method of providing a salt solution at a wellbore site includes delivering solid salt in a mixing tank containing water from a local source and pumping the water through nozzles in the mixing tank using a pump adjacent to the mixing tank to circulate the water in the mixing tank and form a concentrated brine by dissolving the solid salt in the water. The concentrated brine is transferred from the mixing tank to a reservoir using the pump, and the concentrated brine is diluted with additional water from the local source to form a dilute brine. A related mixing tank and a system including the mixing tank and a vehicle structured and configured for travel over a roadway and within an oilfield site.

Claims

1. A method of providing a salt solution at a wellbore site, the method comprising:

delivering a solid salt into a mixing tank containing water from a local source;

pumping the water through a plurality of nozzles in the mixing tank using a pump adjacent to the mixing tank to circulate the water in the mixing tank and form a concentrated brine by dissolving the solid salt in the water;

transferring the concentrated brine from the mixing tank to a reservoir using the pump; and

diluting the concentrated brine with additional water from the local source to form a dilute brine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the water through a plurality of nozzles comprises forming a concentrated brine from a solid potassium salt, the concentrated brine having a salt concentration of at least about 164.2 kg KCl/m³.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein pumping the water through a plurality of nozzles comprises forming a concentrated brine from the solid potassium salt, the concentrated brine having a salt concentration of at least about 226.0 kg KCl/m³.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the water through a plurality of nozzles comprises forming a concentrated brine from a solid potassium salt, the concentrated brine substantially saturated with the potassium salt.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the water through a plurality of nozzles comprises forming a solution substantially free of solids.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein diluting the concentrated brine comprises forming a dilute brine having a salt concentration of less than about 51.3 kg KCl/m³.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein diluting the concentrated brine comprises forming a dilute brine having a salt concentration of less than about 41.0 kg KCl/m³.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering a solid salt into a mixing tank containing water from a local source comprises delivering potassium chloride into the mixing tank.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the solid salt to the wellbore site.

10. A system for providing a salt solution from a solid salt at a wellbore site, the system comprising:

a mixing tank structured and configured to receive water and a solid salt;

a plurality of nozzles in the mixing tank, the nozzles structured and configured to circulate the water in the mixing tank to dissolve the solid salt in the water to form a concentrated brine;

a vehicle structured and configured for travel over a roadway and within an oilfield site; and

at least one pump transported by the vehicle, the at least one pump configured to circulate water from the mixing tank through the nozzles and to transfer the concentrated brine from the mixing tank to a reservoir after the solid salt is dissolved.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a hydrometer configured to measure a density of the concentrated brine transferred to the reservoir.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a flowmeter configured to measure an amount of the concentrated brine transferred to the reservoir.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle comprises a trailer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the mixing tank has a capacity from about 500 gallons to about 50,000 gallons.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is sized and configured to deliver at least about 100,000 gallons of a dilute brine before the mixing tank receives additional solid salt.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a filter to limit escape of particulate solid salt outside the mixing tank.

17. A mixing tank for forming a salt solution, the mixing tank comprising:

an outer wall defining an interior volume of the mixing tank;

a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the interior volume;

a plurality of nozzles arranged along the outer wall inside the interior volume, the nozzles in fluid communication with the interior volume;

a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the nozzles; and

a solid inlet configured to provide powder at a top of the volume over the fluid outlet.

18. The mixing tank of claim 17, further comprising a dust vent and filter to permit gases to flow from the interior volume while limiting escape of particulate solids from the interior volume.

19. The mixing tank of claim 18, wherein nozzles of the plurality of nozzles are oriented in opposite directions along a lateral portion of the outer wall.

20. The mixing tank of claim 19, wherein the outer wall comprises a generally planar base, and wherein nozzles of the plurality of nozzles are oriented in opposite directions along the base.