Fracturing system

Abstract

The application discloses a fracturing system, comprising a plurality of fracturing devices, each of which comprises a driving unit, a transmission unit and a fracturing pump, the transmission unit comprises a gear shift mechanism for driving connection of the driving unit, and power of the driving unit is transmitted to the fracturing pump through the gear shift mechanism; wherein the number of gear shift gears of at least part of the gear shift mechanisms of the plurality of fracturing devices is set to be different. Since the number of gear shift gears of part of the gear shift mechanisms is set to be different, in the process of variable displacement output, the gear shift mechanism with less gear shift gears only makes small-range gear shifting action, and the gear shift mechanism with more gear shift gears makes large-range gear shifting action in order to adjust the fracturing system to the corresponding output displacement, thereby improving the use rate of each gear shift gear of the gear shift mechanism, and meanwhile, the gear shift mechanism with less gear shift gears also means the simplification of structure and the reduction of cost, so that the equipment cost of the fracturing system is reduced as a whole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fracturing machine technology, and in particular to a fracturing system. Background Technology

[0002] In the petroleum industry, fracturing refers to the process of using hydraulic force to inject high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals into an oil well to break through shale layers and release shale gas during oil or gas extraction. It is also known as hydraulic fracturing.

[0003] Fracturing equipment is a core piece of equipment in fracturing and production enhancement operations. It generally consists of an engine, a transmission mechanism, and a fracturing pump. During fracturing and production enhancement operations, multiple fracturing units are often required to work together. For a fracturing unit, the overall output displacement of the unit needs to meet a certain adjustment margin so that it can adapt to different shale formation environments. The common practice is to set multiple transmission mechanisms as multi-speed gearboxes. By adjusting the gearboxes to change gears, the output displacement of the fracturing unit can be varied. However, gearboxes with more gears are more expensive, resulting in a higher overall equipment cost for the fracturing unit. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to propose a fracturing system that addresses the problem of high overall costs in existing fracturing units due to the widespread use of multi-speed gearboxes for variable displacement output.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the fracturing system proposed in this invention includes multiple fracturing devices, each of which includes a drive unit, a transmission unit, and a fracturing pump. The transmission unit includes a speed change mechanism that is connected to the drive unit, and the power of the drive unit is transmitted to the fracturing pump through the speed change mechanism.

[0006] Among these, at least some of the speed change mechanisms of the multiple fracturing devices have different numbers of speed gears.

[0007] In one embodiment, the speed change mechanism of the plurality of fracturing devices includes a reducer and a gearbox, wherein the reducer has fewer gears than the gearbox.

[0008] In one embodiment, the reducer and the transmission with different allocation ratios are respectively disposed in at least two fracturing devices, so that multiple fracturing devices can form different fracturing systems.

[0009] In one embodiment, the number of fracturing devices equipped with the speed reducer is the same as the number of fracturing devices equipped with the transmission.

[0010] In one embodiment, the speed reducer has one or two speeds; and / or,

[0011] The transmission has eight gears.

[0012] In one embodiment, the multiple gear positions of the transmission include at least two frequently used gear positions that exceed a preset frequency of use;

[0013] The transmission ratio of the speed reducer's gear position is set to be the same as that of one of the commonly used gear positions.

[0014] In one embodiment, the fracturing system further includes a manifold structure with a manifold flow path formed thereon, and the liquid output end of each fracturing pump is connected to the manifold flow path.

[0015] In one embodiment, the drive unit includes an engine that drives the transmission mechanism.

[0016] Select different numbers of the fracturing equipment, and / or switch the speed transmission mechanism of the fracturing equipment to different speed gears, and / or adjust the engine speed to adjust the discharge flow rate in the manifold.

[0017] In one embodiment, the fracturing system further includes a shifting mechanism, which includes an electric shifting mechanism and / or a hydraulic shifting mechanism.

[0018] In one embodiment, the fracturing system further includes a clamping mechanism and a controller, the controller being electrically connected to the clamping mechanism.

[0019] In the technical solution provided by this invention, due to the different number of gears in some transmission mechanisms, during the variable displacement output process, transmission mechanisms with fewer gears only perform small-range gear shifting actions, while transmission mechanisms with more gears perform larger-range gear shifting actions in order to adjust the fracturing system to the corresponding output displacement. This improves the utilization rate of each gear in the transmission mechanism. At the same time, transmission mechanisms with fewer gears also mean a simplified structure and reduced costs, thereby reducing the overall equipment cost of the fracturing system. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of an embodiment of the fracturing system provided by the present invention.

[0022] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0023] 1000 fracturing system 21 transmission 100 fracturing equipment 22 speed reducer 1 drive unit 3 fracturing pump 11 engine 4 Busbar structure 2 Transmission unit 41 Converging Flow Path

[0024] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indication, the directional indication is only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0027] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0028] In the petroleum industry, fracturing refers to the process of using hydraulic force to inject high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals into an oil well to break through shale layers and release shale gas during oil or gas extraction. It is also known as hydraulic fracturing.

[0029] Fracturing equipment is a core piece of equipment in fracturing and production enhancement operations. It generally consists of an engine, transmission mechanism, and fracturing pump. During fracturing and production enhancement operations, multiple fracturing units are often required to work together. For a fracturing unit, the overall output displacement needs to meet a certain adjustment margin to adapt to different shale formation environments. In practical operation, the common practice is to set multiple transmission mechanisms as multi-speed gearboxes. The variable displacement output of the fracturing unit can be achieved by adjusting the gearbox transmission through control software. As fracturing equipment configurations become more mature and stable, equipment costs are becoming more transparent, profit margins are gradually being squeezed, and market competition is fierce. There is an urgent need to improve product quality and reduce production costs. However, taking the 2500-type fracturing truck as an example, the gearbox has 8 gears. During steady-state operation, the gearbox gears used are usually 3 to 5. In most operation situations, there are multiple gears that are idle. At the same time, the equipment cost of multi-speed gearboxes is also higher, resulting in a higher overall equipment cost for the fracturing unit.

[0030] In view of this, the present invention proposes a fracturing system aimed at solving the problem of high overall cost of existing fracturing units due to the widespread use of multi-speed gearboxes for variable displacement output. Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of an embodiment of the fracturing system provided by the present invention.

[0031] Please participate Figure 1 The fracturing system 1000 includes multiple fracturing devices 100. Each fracturing device 100 includes a drive unit 1, a transmission unit 2, and a fracturing pump 3. The transmission unit 2 includes a speed change mechanism that drives the drive unit 1. The power of the drive unit 1 is transmitted to the fracturing pump 3 through the speed change mechanism. At least some of the speed change mechanisms of the multiple fracturing devices 100 have different numbers of speed gears.

[0032] In the technical solution provided by this invention, due to the different number of gears in some transmission mechanisms, during the variable displacement output process, transmission mechanisms with fewer gears only perform small-range gear shifting actions, while transmission mechanisms with more gears perform larger-range gear shifting actions in order to adjust the fracturing system 1000 to the corresponding output displacement. This improves the utilization rate of each gear in the transmission mechanism. At the same time, transmission mechanisms with fewer gears also mean a simplified structure and reduced costs, thereby reducing the overall equipment cost of the fracturing system 1000.

[0033] There are various ways to connect the drive unit 1, the transmission unit 2 and the fracturing pump 3, as long as power transmission can be achieved. The embodiments of the present invention will not elaborate on these methods.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transmission mechanism of the multiple fracturing devices 100 includes a reducer 22 and a gearbox 21, with the reducer 22 having fewer gears than the gearbox 21. Fewer gears mean a simpler structure and lower production or purchase costs. By selecting reducers 22 on as many fracturing devices 100 as possible, the overall cost of the fracturing system 1000 can be reduced to the maximum extent.

[0035] Specifically, in this embodiment, reducers 22 and gearboxes 21 with different allocation ratios are respectively arranged in at least two fracturing devices 100, so that multiple fracturing devices 100 can form different fracturing systems 1000. It should be noted that the configuration ratio of the number of gearboxes 21 and reducers 22 can take many forms, but on the one hand, it should be able to meet the requirement that the sum of the total displacement of multiple gearboxes 21 and the total displacement of multiple reducers 22 can reach the maximum displacement required by the fracturing system 1000. On the other hand, by switching gears within the gear range of multiple gearboxes 21, the different displacement output range and adjustment margin requirements of the fracturing system 1000 should be met. That is, a certain number of fracturing devices 100 with gearboxes 21 can be replaced by fracturing devices 100 with reducers 22, but the number of fracturing devices 100 with gearboxes 21 needs to meet the variable displacement output requirements of the fracturing system 1000.

[0036] The fewer the number of fracturing devices 100 with gearboxes 21, the more frequently the gearboxes 21 may need to switch to high or low gears for operation. This would increase the energy consumption of the drive unit 1 and thus increase the operating cost of the system. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of fracturing devices 100 with reducers 22 is the same as the number of fracturing devices 100 with gearboxes 21, thereby controlling the variable displacement output pressure of the gearboxes 21 within a small range and avoiding the gearboxes 21 from frequently operating in high or low gears. This effectively controls the energy consumption of the drive unit 1 and the operating cost of the fracturing system 1000.

[0037] Specifically, taking a fracturing system 1000 consisting of 20 fracturing units 100 as an example, 10 of the fracturing units 100 can be equipped with a transmission 21 (for variable displacement output), and the other 10 fracturing units 100 can be equipped with a reducer 22. It is expected that the cost of a single fracturing unit 100 can be reduced by at least about 10%.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, the reduction gears of the reducer 22 include one gear or two gears. It can be understood that the gear ratio corresponding to the first or second gear of the reducer 22 should be equivalent to the gear ratio of the transmission 21 under stable operating conditions. When adjusting in first gear, the reducer uses a single gear ratio transmission, and the fracturing equipment performs a constant displacement output. When adjusting in second gear, the reducer 22 can participate in variable displacement output adjustment to a certain extent, and the transmission 21 does not need to frequently switch between multiple gears, thus reducing the adjustment pressure on the transmission 21. The transmission 21 has eight gears. The eight gear ratios give the transmission 21 greater adjustment capability, which can meet the relatively demanding variable displacement output requirements of the fracturing system 1000.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, the multiple gear positions of the transmission 21 include at least two commonly used gear positions that exceed a preset usage frequency. It can be understood that the preset usage frequency is the average operating frequency of the multiple gear positions, and the commonly used gear positions that exceed the preset usage frequency are the gear positions that are frequently used, which are also the gear positions where the transmission 21 provides the most efficient transmission output when the fracturing equipment 100 is in a steady-state output state. The transmission ratio of the gear positions of the reducer 22 is set to be the same as the transmission ratio of one of the commonly used gear positions. It can be understood that by configuring the transmission ratio of the gear positions of the reducer 22 to be the same as the transmission ratio of one of the commonly used gear positions, the transmission efficiency of the reducer 22 can be maintained at a high value most of the time, so as to play a substitute role, which is the most reasonable setting.

[0040] Taking the fracturing equipment 100 as a 2500-type fracturing truck as an example, its transmission 21 is generally set to eight gears, while the commonly used gears in the steady-state construction process are 3, 4, and 5. At this time, the transmission ratio of the gear of the reducer 22 can be one of the transmission ratios of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears of the eight-speed transmission.

[0041] A fracturing pump 3 generally includes a power input end and a liquid output end. The power input end provides power to the liquid output end, and the plunger at the liquid output end reciprocates to pump high-pressure liquid, thereby converting atmospheric pressure fracturing fluid into high-pressure, high-volume liquid for discharge. Multiple fracturing pumps 3 need to work together in the fracturing pipeline to obtain higher pressure. Based on this, in this embodiment, the fracturing system 1000 also includes a manifold structure 4, on which a manifold flow path 41 is formed. The liquid output ends of each fracturing pump 3 are connected to the manifold flow path 41. The manifold flow path 41 can converge the fracturing fluid from multiple fracturing pumps 3 to form a liquid with higher pressure and volume, thereby adapting to the harsh shale formation operating environment.

[0042] Furthermore, the drive unit 1 includes an engine 11, which drives a transmission mechanism; selecting different numbers of fracturing equipment 100, that is, selecting different numbers of fracturing pumps 3 to operate and connect to the interlocking flow path, can provide different operating pressures to adjust the discharge flow on the manifold 41; switching the transmission mechanism of the fracturing equipment 100 to different gears, that is, changing the driving force acting on the fracturing pumps 3, can provide different output frequencies to adjust the discharge flow on the manifold 41; adjusting the speed of the engine 11 to change the output power from the power source to adjust the discharge flow on the manifold 41.

[0043] It should be explained that the above three parallel technical features, "selecting different numbers of fracturing equipment 100", "switching the speed transmission mechanism of fracturing equipment 100 to different speed gears" and "adjusting the speed of engine 11", can be selected one, two, or all of them. It can be understood that when the above three methods are used simultaneously for variable displacement adjustment, the largest adjustment range can be obtained, which can adapt to the most demanding operating environment.

[0044] In this embodiment, the fracturing system 1000 also includes a gear shifting mechanism, which includes an electric gear shifting mechanism and / or a hydraulic gear shifting mechanism. It should be explained that when the transmission unit 2 is a multi-gear ratio transmission structure, each transmission unit 2 should correspond to a gear shifting mechanism for gear changing operations. Specifically, multiple transmission units 2 can be equipped with only electric gear shifting mechanisms or only hydraulic gear shifting mechanisms, or some transmission units 2 can be equipped with electric gear shifting mechanisms while the remaining transmission units 2 are equipped with hydraulic gear shifting mechanisms. The specific ratio can be selectively adjusted according to requirements. For example, electric gear shifting mechanisms can be used for transmission mechanisms with more gears, while hydraulic gear shifting mechanisms can be used for transmission mechanisms with fewer gears.

[0045] Due to the construction requirements of fracturing operation sites, the operators of the fracturing system 1000 generally need to leave the site during operation. The adjustment of the speed change mechanism usually needs to be completed through remote control. The fracturing system 1000 also includes a gear shifting mechanism and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the gear shifting mechanism, and the gear shifting mechanism can be remotely controlled to perform corresponding gear shifting operations, thereby meeting construction needs, ensuring personnel safety, and ensuring that the fracturing operation can be carried out continuously and efficiently without stopping and waiting.

[0046] Generally speaking, in addition to the drive unit 1, transmission unit 2 and fracturing pump 3, the fracturing equipment 100 also includes a chassis assembly, skid module, control module, fire protection module and electrical module, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment of the invention.

[0047] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fracturing system (1000), characterized in that, The device includes multiple fracturing equipment (100), each of which includes a drive unit (1), a transmission unit (2) and a fracturing pump (3). The transmission unit (2) includes a speed change mechanism that is connected to the drive unit (1), and the power of the drive unit (1) is transmitted to the fracturing pump (3) through the speed change mechanism. Among them, at least some of the speed change mechanisms of the multiple fracturing devices (100) have different numbers of speed change gears; The speed change mechanism of the multiple fracturing devices (100) includes a reducer (22) and a gearbox (21), wherein the number of gears of the reducer (22) is less than the number of gears of the gearbox (21); The speed reducer (22) has a speed reduction gear, including one gear or two gears; The transmission (21) has eight gears; The multiple gear positions of the transmission (21) include at least two commonly used gear positions that exceed the preset frequency of use; The transmission ratio of the gear shift of the reducer (22) is the same as that of one of the commonly used gear shifts; The reducer (22) and the transmission (21) with different allocation ratios are respectively arranged in at least two fracturing devices (100) so that multiple fracturing devices (100) can form different fracturing systems (1000). The number of fracturing equipment (100) equipped with the speed reducer (22) is the same as the number of fracturing equipment (100) equipped with the speed reducer (21).

2. The fracturing system (1000) as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fracturing system (1000) also includes a manifold structure (4), on which a manifold flow path (41) is formed, and the liquid output end of each fracturing pump (3) is connected to the manifold flow path (41).

3. The fracturing system (1000) as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The drive unit (1) includes an engine (11), which drives the transmission mechanism; Select different numbers of the fracturing equipment (100), and / or switch the speed change mechanism of the fracturing equipment (100) to different speed gears, and / or adjust the speed of the engine (11) to adjust the discharge flow rate on the manifold (41).

4. The fracturing system (1000) as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fracturing system (1000) also includes a gear engagement mechanism, which includes an electric gear engagement mechanism and / or a hydraulic gear engagement mechanism.

5. The fracturing system (1000) as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fracturing system (1000) also includes a gear engagement mechanism and a controller, the controller being electrically connected to the gear engagement mechanism.

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