Remote hydraulic control ball-throwing fracturing wellhead device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a remote hydraulically-controlled ball-throwing fracturing wellhead device, which consists of a ball-throwing fracturing wellhead device, a hydraulically-controlled cabinet, a high-pressure oil pipe and a cable. The ball-throwing fracturing wellhead device is characterized in that three identical large-drift-diameter hydraulically-controlled valves, a square six-way valve and a rectangular five-way valve are overlapped and connected with one another to form a main body; a ball injector is fixedly connected to the upper portion of a main body, small-drift-diameter hydraulic valves and union flange joints are fixedly connected to the left side and the right side of a rectangular five-way joint, small-drift-diameter union assemblies are fixedly connected to the front face of the rectangular five-way joint, and small-drift-diameter union assemblies are fixedly connected to the left side and the right side of a square six-way joint. Pressure sensors are arranged in the three union assemblies with small drift diameters; a solenoid directional valve with an emergency handle, a programmable controller, a network interconnection module, a terminal interconnection module, an oil tank, an electric pump, an overflow valve, a pressure release valve, an energy accumulator and other hydraulic and electrical components are arranged in the hydraulic control cabinet; therefore, the device has the functions of automatic ball throwing and staged fracturing operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of oil and gas drilling and production equipment, specifically a remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device. Background Technology

[0002] my country is rich in low-permeability oil and gas resources such as shale gas and sandstone gas. After years of experimentation and exploitation, a mature technology for horizontal well segmented fracturing using ball-dropping has been developed, and the industry has entered a new stage of commercial-scale exploitation. However, most horizontal well segmented fracturing operations still rely on the outdated manual ball-dropping method, requiring multiple people to work together, repeatedly carry balls to higher elevations, observe instruments, and operate multiple valves in the fracturing wellhead equipment to complete the operation. With the advancement of drilling and production technology in China, horizontal wells are becoming longer, and the number of fracturing stages and the number of balls dropped are increasing. This leads to problems such as high labor intensity, long processing time, low operational efficiency, and safety concerns related to close-range operation of ultra-high-pressure equipment. Therefore, a more automated ball-dropping fracturing wellhead equipment is needed for these operations.

[0003] Currently, some manual, electric, or hydraulic ball-drop fracturing wellhead devices have emerged both domestically and internationally. However, these fracturing wellhead devices either have a low degree of automation, are not compatible with the ball dropper, or are large in size and expensive, failing to meet customer expectations and usage requirements, thus hindering their promotion and application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device to solve the problems of the lack of an automatic ball-drop fracturing wellhead device, or the existing fracturing wellhead devices being incompatible with the ball dropper, unreliable, expensive, and inefficient.

[0005] This invention consists of two main components: a ball-launching fracturing wellhead device and a hydraulic control cabinet, as well as high-pressure tubing and cables. The ball-launching fracturing wellhead device comprises three identical large-diameter hydraulic valves, a square six-way valve, and a rectangular five-way valve, all stacked and connected to form an upright main body. A hydraulically driven ball launcher is fixedly connected to the large-diameter hydraulic valves on top of the main body. Small-diameter hydraulic valves and union flanges are fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the rectangular five-way valve. A small-diameter union assembly is fixedly connected to the front opening of the rectangular five-way valve. Small-diameter union assemblies are also fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the square six-way valve. Pressure sensors are installed in each of the three small-diameter union assemblies. A blind flange is also installed at the front opening of the square six-way valve, and its rear and the opening are used for connecting to the fracturing manifold.

[0006] The hydraulic control cabinet is located near the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device and consists of two layers: the upper cabinet contains an explosion-proof junction box, an electromagnetic reversing valve with an emergency handle, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a network interconnection module and a terminal interconnection module, a control panel, a power switch, a pressure gauge, hydraulic valve switch buttons and indicator lights, a display screen, and an oil level gauge; the lower cabinet contains hydraulic and electrical components including an oil tank, a filter, an electric pump, an overflow valve, a pressure relief valve, an accumulator, and explosion-proof lighting.

[0007] Both the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve are rising stem flat gate valves driven by hydraulic cylinders. A valve switch controller is installed at the tail stem of the hydraulic valve. The switch controller consists of a cover, an end cover, a contact rod, a nut, two limit switches and four set screws. The cover is connected to the protruding end of the valve cover at the tail stem of the flat gate valve through a threaded hole at one end, and is fixed with two set screws.

[0008] The ball thrower, inside its ball storage tank, is a spiral slide channel welded from top to bottom using a single outer tube, inner tube, round bottom plate, and a pair of spiral guide plates and vertical baffles. Below the ball storage tank and above the base flange, a transverse slide channel is welded using two rectangular slide channel wall plates and a rectangular end plate. A double-acting, single-piston rod and lug-type hydraulic cylinder with a rectangular flange at the front end is fixed to the rectangular end plate at one end of the transverse slide channel with bolts and spring washers. A rectangular ball-retrieving slider with a square hole in the middle is inserted into the transverse slide channel, and the through hole at its inner edge is connected to the lug of the hydraulic cylinder with an A-type pin.

[0009] The hydraulic control cabinet is connected to the ball launcher, the hydraulic cylinders of the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device by high-pressure oil pipes; the hydraulic control cabinet is connected to the switch controllers of the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device, and the pressure sensor in the union assembly by cables.

[0010] Because this invention uses a ball-drop fracturing wellhead device and a hydraulic control cabinet, it not only has the function of continuous ball dropping but can also replace existing fracturing wellhead devices, realizing automation, intelligence, and remote control of ball dropping and fracturing operations. The large-diameter and small-diameter hydraulic valves used in the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device are both rising-stem flat gate valves with tail rods and limit switches, driven by hydraulic cylinders, featuring rapid response, precise switching, and pressure and wear resistance. The small-diameter union assembly and union flange joint used are identical components, facilitating mass production, use, and maintenance, thus reducing costs. The ball storage tank with a spiral slide and the ball dropper driven by a hydraulic cylinder feature simple structure, easy manufacturing, small size, high ball capacity, stable and reliable operation, and unified hydraulic control. The hydraulic control cabinet used contains an electromagnetic directional valve with an emergency handle, an electromagnetic push-button switch, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a network interconnection module. It can be operated by the handle or push-button switch of the electromagnetic directional valve, and can work automatically according to the set program and parameters. It can also be interconnected with the main control cabinet in the fracturing equipment to achieve remote control operation and process display. This not only avoids the safety risks to operators caused by leakage of ultra-high pressure fracturing equipment, but also greatly shortens the operation time and improves work efficiency, thereby ensuring that the costly staged fracturing operation can be carried out economically, safely, and quickly. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention with a partial cross-section view from the front.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention with a partial cross-sectional view from the side;

[0013] Figure 3 This is the present invention. Figure 2 Enlarged cross-sectional view of the switch controller removed from the tail rod of the hydraulic valve at point AA;

[0014] Figure 4 This is a frontal full-section enlarged structural schematic diagram of the ball-throwing device component of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 5 This is the present invention. Figure 4 The top view of the fully sectional enlarged structure of the ball-throwing device component at point BB.

[0016] The component names shown by the numbers in the attached diagram are as follows:

[0017] 1. Large-diameter hydraulic valve; 2. Square six-way valve; 3. Rectangular five-way valve; 4. Ball launcher; 4-1. Ball storage tank; 4-2. Base flange; 4-3. Slide rail wall plate; 4-4. Rectangular end plate; 4-5. Hydraulic cylinder; 4-6. Bolt washer; 4-7. Ball picker slider; 4-8. Type A pin; 4-9. Tank lid; 4-10. Pin assembly; 5. Small-diameter hydraulic valve; 6. Union flange joint; 7. Union assembly; 8. Pressure sensor; 9. Blind flange; 10. Sealing gasket; 11. Stud nut; 12. Hydraulic control cabinet; 13. High-pressure oil pipe; 14. Cable; 15. Switch controller. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0019] Figure 1 , Figure 2 In this invention, there are two main components: a ball-dropping fracturing wellhead device and a hydraulic control cabinet 12, as well as a high-pressure oil pipe 13 and a cable 14. The hydraulic oil from the hydraulic control cabinet 12 drives the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1, the small-diameter hydraulic valve 5 and the ball dropper 4 in the ball-dropping fracturing wellhead device to work, so that it has the functions of automatic ball dropping and replacing the existing fracturing wellhead device.

[0020] The ball-launching fracturing wellhead device of the present invention includes a large-diameter hydraulic valve 1, a square six-way valve 2, a rectangular five-way valve 3, a ball launcher 4, a small-diameter hydraulic valve 5, a union flange joint 6, a union assembly 7, a pressure sensor 8, a blind flange 9, a sealing gasket ring 10, and studs and nuts 11. Its structure is as follows: three identical large-diameter hydraulic valves 1, one square six-way valve 2, and one rectangular five-way valve 3 are stacked and connected to form a vertical main body of the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device, creating a vertical channel for soluble balls and fracturing fluid to enter the well. A hydraulically driven ball launcher 4 is fixedly connected above the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 on top of the main body, enabling continuous fracturing in stages. The device provides more than ten soluble balls. Small-diameter hydraulic valves 5 and union flange joints 6 are fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the rectangular five-way valve 3, respectively used to connect the venting pipeline and the ultra-high pressure pipeline. Small-diameter union assemblies 7 are fixedly connected to the front opening of the rectangular five-way valve 3, and small-diameter union assemblies 7 are also fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the square six-way valve 2. Pressure sensors 8 are installed in each of the three small-diameter union assemblies 7 to provide wellhead pressure parameters to prevent misoperation during ball dropping and fracturing operations. A blind flange 9 is also installed at the front opening of the square six-way valve 2, and its rear and the opening are used for external connection to the fracturing manifold. In this invention's ball dropping fracturing wellhead device, except for the threaded connection between the union assembly 7 and the pressure sensor 8, all other components are fixedly connected using sealing gaskets 10 of different diameters and evenly distributed studs and nuts 11 to prevent leakage of ultra-high pressure fracturing fluid.

[0021] In the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device of the present invention: the three pressure sensors 8 located in the union assembly 7 at the square six-way 2 and the rectangular five-way 3 have a value range of 0 to 150 MPa and an accuracy class of ±0.25%FS; wherein: in the square six-way 2 and the rectangular five-way 3, there is a pressure sensor 8 with a sampling frequency of 100 times / second, and the other pressure sensor 8 in the square six-way 2 has a sampling frequency of 1 time / second.

[0022] The large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 and the small-diameter hydraulic valve 5 used in this invention are both rising stem flat gate valves with tail rods driven by hydraulic cylinders. A valve switch controller 15 is installed at the tail rod of each hydraulic valve. Each switch controller 15 consists of a housing, an end cap, a contact rod, a nut, two limit switches, and four set screws. The housing is a hollow cylindrical part, with one end having a threaded hole connected to the protruding end of the valve cover at the tail rod of the hydraulic valve, and secured with two set screws. The end cap is... Two set screws are fixed to the outer end of the housing. The end cover contains two limit switches that contact the contact rod. The contact rod is connected to the threaded blind hole at the outer end of the hydraulic valve tail rod by a screw head at one end and is fixed with a nut. The contact rod is thin in the middle and thick at both ends. One side of each thick end is cut off, and the protruding part serves as the contact point to push the two limit switches. When the contact rod moves with the hydraulic valve tail rod, it can trigger the two limit switches respectively, generating an electrical signal to adjust the solenoid directional valve, so as to control the opening and closing of the hydraulic valve.

[0023] The ball launcher 4 used in this invention is a "hydraulic ball launcher for fracturing wellheads (Chinese Patent Application No.: 202510214080.9)", which is composed of a ball storage tank 4-1, a base flange 4-2, a slide wall plate 4-3, a rectangular end plate 4-4, a hydraulic cylinder 4-5, a bolt washer 4-6, a ball take-up slider 4-7, an A-type pin 4-8, a tank cover 4-9, and a pin assembly 4-10. Inside the ball storage tank 4-1, a spiral slide is welded together using a single outer tube, an inner tube, a round bottom plate, and a pair of spiral guide plates and vertical baffles to form an upper inlet and lower outlet spiral slide. Below the ball storage tank 4-1 and above the base flange 4-2, a transverse slide is welded together using two rectangular slide wall plates 4-3 and a rectangular end plate 4-4. A double-acting, single-piston rod and lug-type hydraulic cylinder 4-5 with a rectangular flange at the front end is fixed to the rectangular end plate 4-4 of the transverse slide with bolt washers 4-6. A rectangular ball-retrieving slider 4-7 with a square hole in the middle is inserted into the transverse slide, and the through hole at its inner edge is connected to the lug of the hydraulic cylinder 4-5 with an A-type pin 4-8. Two hinge plates are symmetrically welded to the upper side of the ball storage tank 4-1, with a small hole on opposite sides of each hinge plate. The tank cover 4-9 is formed by welding together a circular cover plate with an edge, a flexible pin, and two hinge plates. A spring, a pin with a tail rod and an angled bevel, and a cylindrical pin passing through the handle and pin are installed in the blind hole of the flexible pin's handle. The hinge plate of the tank cover 4-9 is connected to the hinge plate on the upper side of the ball storage tank 4-1 by a pin assembly 4-10, and the flexible pin is locked by mating with the small hole on the upper side of the ball storage tank 4-1. The two parallel spiral guide plates in the ball storage tank 4-1 are both 360° short sections, with a spiral helix angle selected between 15° and 25°, and the optimal spiral helix angle is 20°. The base flange 4-2 has a central hole larger than the diameter of the soluble ball, and multiple stud holes for connection to the flange of the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 are distributed around the central hole. Driven by the hydraulic cylinder 4-5, the ball-retrieving slider 4-7 uses the central square hole to take out one soluble ball each time from the outlet of the spiral slide of the ball storage tank 4-1, and transports it to the center hole of the base flange 4-2 for ball throwing.

[0024] The union assembly 7 used in this invention consists of a union flange joint 6, a hammer nut, a sealing washer, and a union plug. All its parts are manufactured in accordance with the American Petroleum Institute API Spec 7HU2 "Hammered Unions for Oilfield Use" standard. Its pressure rating is 140MPa. A threaded through hole for installing a pressure sensor 8 is drilled at the axial center of the union plug.

[0025] The hydraulic control cabinet 12 used in this invention is located near the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device. It is a rectangular cabinet constructed by welding together a channel steel base, a rectangular steel pipe support, and a thin steel plate panel. The top, bottom, left, right, and back of the cabinet are enclosed with thin steel plates. The front has two double doors with padlocks, and the four corners of the top are welded with hooks made of thick steel plates. The hydraulic control cabinet 12 has two layers: the upper cabinet contains an explosion-proof junction box, an electromagnetic reversing valve with an emergency handle, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a network interconnection module and a terminal interconnection module, a control panel, a power switch, a pressure gauge, hydraulic valve switch buttons and indicator lights, a display screen, and an oil level gauge. The lower cabinet contains hydraulic and electrical components, including an oil tank, a filter, an electric pump, an overflow valve, a pressure relief valve, an accumulator, and explosion-proof lighting. The hydraulic control cabinet 12 of the present invention is connected to the ball launcher 4, the hydraulic cylinders of the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 and the small-diameter hydraulic valve 5 in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device by high-pressure oil pipes 13; the hydraulic control cabinet 12 is connected to the switch controller 15 of the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 and the small-diameter hydraulic valve 5 in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device and the pressure sensor 8 in the union assembly 7 by cables 14 to realize the exchange of energy and information.

[0026] In use, the large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 at the bottom of the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device of the present invention is fixedly connected to the well-keeping valve on the shale gas wellhead. The rear of the square six-way valve 2 and the channel opening are fixedly connected to the fracturing manifold. The union flange joints 6 on the left and right sides of the rectangular five-way valve 3 are respectively connected to the venting pipeline and the ultra-high pressure pipeline. The hydraulic control cabinet 12 near the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device can be put into operation after the power is turned on.

[0027] When performing ball-dropping operations, the ball storage tank 4-1 of the ball dropper 4 should be filled with soluble balls at once. This can be done visually via the handle or button switch of the electromagnetic reversing valve in the hydraulic control cabinet 12, or automatically according to the set program and parameters. It can also be interconnected with the main control cabinet in the fracturing equipment to achieve remote control operation and process display, thereby opening or closing the relevant large-diameter hydraulic valve 1 and small-diameter hydraulic valve 5 in the ball-dropping fracturing wellhead device to prevent the fracturing fluid from rising and to drive the ball dropper 4 to drop balls in a timely manner. By adjusting the pressure of the rectangular five-way valve 3, the soluble balls enter the downhole pipeline along the main channel of the ball-dropping fracturing wellhead device, and as the fracturing fluid reaches and blocks the corresponding packer, the segmented fracturing operation is carried out.

Claims

1. A remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device, comprising two main components: a ball-drop fracturing wellhead device and a hydraulic control cabinet, as well as high-pressure tubing and cables; characterized in that: The aforementioned ball-launching fracturing wellhead device consists of three identical large-diameter hydraulic valves, a square six-way valve, and a rectangular five-way valve stacked together to form an upright main body. A hydraulically driven ball launcher is fixedly connected to the large-diameter hydraulic valves on the top of the main body. Small-diameter hydraulic valves and union flanges are fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the rectangular five-way valve. A small-diameter union assembly is fixedly connected to the front opening of the rectangular five-way valve. Small-diameter union assemblies are also fixedly connected to the left and right side openings of the square six-way valve. Pressure sensors are installed in each of the three small-diameter union assemblies. A blind flange is also installed at the front opening of the square six-way valve. The rear of the blind flange and the opening are used for external connection of fracturing manifolds. The hydraulic control cabinet is located near the ball-drop fracturing wellhead device and consists of two layers: the upper cabinet contains an explosion-proof junction box, an electromagnetic reversing valve with an emergency handle, a programmable logic controller, a network interconnection module and a terminal interconnection module, a control panel, a power switch, a pressure gauge, hydraulic valve switch buttons and indicator lights, a display screen, and an oil level gauge; the lower cabinet contains hydraulic and electrical components including an oil tank, a filter, an electric pump, an overflow valve, a pressure relief valve, an accumulator, and explosion-proof lighting. Both the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve are flat gate valves with rising stems driven by hydraulic cylinders. A valve switch controller is installed at the tail stem of the hydraulic valve. The switch controller consists of a cover, an end cover, a contact rod, a nut, two limit switches and four set screws. The threaded hole at one end of the cover is connected to the protruding end of the valve cover at the tail stem of the flat gate valve and fixed with two set screws. The ball thrower, inside its ball storage tank, is a spiral slide channel welded from top to bottom using a single outer tube, inner tube, round bottom plate, and double spiral guide plates and vertical baffles. Below the ball storage tank and above the base flange, a transverse slide channel is welded using two rectangular slide channel wall plates and a rectangular end plate. A double-acting, single-piston rod and lug-type hydraulic cylinder with a rectangular flange at the front end is fixed to the rectangular end plate at one end of the transverse slide channel with bolts and spring washers. A rectangular ball-retrieving slider with a square hole in the middle is inserted into the transverse slide channel, and the through hole at its inner edge is connected to the lug of the hydraulic cylinder with an A-type pin. The hydraulic control cabinet is connected to the ball launcher, the hydraulic cylinders of the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device by high-pressure oil pipes; the hydraulic control cabinet is connected to the switch controllers of the large-diameter hydraulic valve and the small-diameter hydraulic valve in the ball-launching fracturing wellhead device, and the pressure sensor in the union assembly by cables.

2. The remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three pressure sensors located in the union assembly at the square six-way and rectangular five-way are all selected with a value range between 0 and 150 MPa and an accuracy class of ±0.25%FS. Among them, there is one pressure sensor in both the square six-way and rectangular five-way with a sampling frequency of 100 times / second, and the other pressure sensor in the square six-way has a sampling frequency of 1 time / second.

3. The remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two parallel spiral guide plates in the ball storage tank are both 360° short sections, with a spiral helix angle selected between 15° and 25°, and the optimal spiral helix angle is 20°; the base flange has a central hole larger than the diameter of the soluble ball, and multiple stud holes for connecting to the large-diameter hydraulic valve flange are distributed around the central hole.

4. The remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The union assembly consists of a union flange joint, a hammer nut, a sealing gasket, and a union plug. Its pressure rating is 140 MPa. A threaded through hole for installing a pressure sensor is drilled at the center of the union plug.

5. The remotely hydraulically controlled ball-drop fracturing wellhead device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydraulic control cabinet is a rectangular cabinet made of channel steel as the base, rectangular steel pipe as the support, and thin steel plate as the panel. The top, bottom, left, right and back of the cabinet are closed with thin steel plates. The front is equipped with two double doors with padlocks, and the four corners of the top are welded with hooks made of thick steel plates.

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