AUTOMATED FRACTURING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20190112910A1
• Filed: 10/15/2018
• Published: 04/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2017
• 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 N., Christinzio, Alexander James
• Granted Patent: US 10,408,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/062 by mixing components
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations

Abstract

An automated hydraulic fracturing system, including a pump system, a blender configured to form the fracturing fluid, a proppant storage and delivery system, a hydration unit configured to mix an additive into a fluid to form the fluid mixture and provide the fluid mixture to the blender, a fluid storage and delivery system, and an additive storage and delivery system, and an automated control system including a plurality of sensing devices and a plurality of control devices integrated into the pump system, the blender system, the proppant storage and delivery system, the fluid storage and delivery system, and the additive storage and delivery system, the automated control system configured to monitor parameters of the automated hydraulic fracturing system via the plurality of sensing devices and transmit control instructions for one or more of the plurality of control devices to control an aspect of the automated hydraulic fracturing system.

Claims

1. An automated hydraulic fracturing system, comprising:

a pump system fluidly coupled to a wellhead to pump a fracturing fluid into the wellhead, wherein the pump is instrumented with a pump sensor and a pump controller;

a blender system fluidly coupled to the pump, the blender mixing together one or more materials to form the fracturing fluid, wherein the blender is instrumented with a blender sensor and a blender controller;

a source system for providing at least one of the one or more materials to the blender, wherein the source is instrumented with a source sensor and a source controller; and

a component, the component instrumented with at least one of a component sensor and a component controller,

an automated control system comprising the pump sensor and controller, the blender sensor and controller, the source sensor and controller, and the component sensor and controller, the automated control system configured to monitor one or more parameters of the automated hydraulic fracturing system via one or more of the sensors and transmit control instructions for one or more of the controllers to control one or more aspects of the automated hydraulic fracturing system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pump system comprises a motor controlled by the pump controller based at least in part on the automated instructions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the blender comprises at least one of a chemical pump, a cooling system, an auger, a blender discharge pump, a valve, or an actuator, the at least one controlled by the blender controller based at least in part on the automated instructions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the source comprises at least one of a gate, a valve, an actuator, a delivery belt, a delivery line, or a chemical pump, the at least one controlled by the source controller based at least in part on the automated instructions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the component comprises at least one of a turbine, a generator, a hydration unit, a distribution system, a fuel source, or a wellhead.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the component sensor measures at least one parameter associated with the turbine, the generator, the hydration unit, the distribution system, the fuel source, or the wellhead, and the component controller controls at least one aspect of the turbine, the generator, the hydration unit, the distribution system, the fuel source, or the wellhead, based at least in part on the automated instructions.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a central processing system configured to receive the measurements from the pump sensor, the blender sensor, the source sensor, and the component sensor, and generate the automated instructions based on the measurements.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the central processing system is configured to generate alerts or notifications based on the measurements, the alerts or notifications indicating a condition of a certain component or operation.

9. An automated hydraulic fracturing system, comprising:

a pump system fluidly coupled to a wellhead at a wellsite to pump a fracturing fluid into the wellhead;

a blender configured to mix together proppant and a fluid mixture to form the fracturing fluid;

a proppant storage and delivery system configured to provide the proppant for the blender;

a hydration unit configured to mix an additive into a fluid to form the fluid mixture and provide the fluid mixture to the blender;

a fluid storage and delivery system configured to provide the fluid for the hydration unit;

an additive storage and delivery system configured to provide the additive to the hydration unit; and

an automated control system comprising a plurality of sensing devices and a plurality of control devices integrated into the pump system, the blender system, the proppant storage and delivery system, the fluid storage and delivery system, and the additive storage and delivery system, the automated control system configured to monitor one or more parameters of the automated hydraulic fracturing system via the plurality of sensing devices and transmit control instructions for one or more of the plurality of control devices to control an aspect of the automated hydraulic fracturing system.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising one or more of a plurality of components including a manifold, a manifold trailer, a discharge piping, flow lines, conveyance devices, a turbine, a motor, a variable frequency drive, a generator, or a fuel source, wherein the automated control system comprises sensors and control devices integrated into the one or more of the plurality of components.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the control instructions cause the one or more of the plurality of control devices to automatically adjust one or more of a flow rate, a pressure, power, motor speed, gates, valve, actuators, delivery lines and conveyance devices, pump rates, or cooling systems.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the automated control system comprises processing devices located at the wellsite, remote from the website, or both.

13. An automated hydraulic fracturing method, comprising:

initiating a hydraulic fracturing operation using an automated hydraulic fracturing system;

providing a first material for a fracturing fluid from a first source to a blender, the first source comprising a source sensor for measuring one or more parameters associated with the first source and a source controller for controlling one or more functions of the first source;

providing a second material for the fracturing fluid from a second source to the blender;

mixing the first material and the second material at the blender to form the fracturing fluid, the blender comprising a blender sensor for measuring one or more parameters associated with the blender and a blender controller for controlling one or more functions of the bender;

providing the fracturing fluid from the blender to a pump, the pump comprising a pump sensor for measuring one or more parameters associated with the pump and a pump controller for controlling one or more functions of the pump;

injecting the fracturing fluid from the pump into a wellhead coupled to a well;

monitoring the one or more parameters via the source sensor, the blender sensor, and the pump sensor;

generating automated instructions for at least one of the source controller, the blender controller, or the pump controller based at last in part on the one or more parameters; and

controlling at least one of the one or more functions of the first source, the blender, or the pump via the source controller, the blender controller, or the pump controller, respectively, based at least in part on the automated instructions.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting that at least one of the one or more parameters is outside of an acceptable threshold; and

automatically stopping or adjusting at least one of the one or more functions in response to the detection.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting substandard performance in one or more areas of the automated hydraulic fracturing system;

automatically troubleshooting the automated hydraulic fracturing system based on live data from a plurality of sensors or previous data collected by the sensors;

determining one or more causes or suspected causes of the substandard performance; and

automatically adjusting one or more components of the automated hydraulic fracturing system to resolve the substandard performance.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting that at least one performance issue of the automated hydraulic fracturing system; and

providing troubleshooting codes or alerts indicative of one or more sources of the performance issue.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting information derived from the one or more measured parameters to a remote control center;

receiving control instructions from the remote control center; and

automatically controlling at least one aspect of the hydraulic fracturing system based at least in part on the received control instructions.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

automatically starting, stopping, or adjusting the rate of delivery of the first material from the first source to the blender based at least in part on the automated instructions.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling a pressure or rate at which the fracturing fluid is injected into the wellhead based on the automated instructions.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing the fracturing fluid from the blender to a plurality of pumps;

providing the fracturing fluid from the plurality of pumps to a distribution system;

injecting the fracturing fluid from the distribution system into the wellbore; and

automatically adjusting individual pressures or pump rates of the plurality of pumps and/or a pressure or pump rate of the distribution system based on the automated instructions.