Adjustable Fuel Feed Network for Continuous Fracturing Refueling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic fracturing equipment shut-downs due to refueling are costly and reduce efficiency, and hot-refueling operations are difficult to sustain reliably.
Innovation Solution
A mobile distribution station with adjustable feed networks, multiple pumps, manifolds, and fluid level sensors, controlled by a controller to manage fuel distribution and maintain continuous operation by switching fluid flow paths and monitoring fuel levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hot-refueling operation is used to replenish fuel during fracking operations, then equipment can continue running without shut-downs, but the reliability of sustaining hot-refueling for the duration of the operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fuel distribution function into multiple independent pumps (first pump, second pump) and multiple manifolds (first manifold, second manifold), allowing one pump-manifold system to fail while another continues operating, thus maintaining continuous fueling while improving reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable feed network with switchable configurations allows dynamic reconfiguration of fluid flow paths between pumps and manifolds, enabling the system to adapt and maintain operation even when components fail, resolving the contradiction between continuous operation and reliability
2Reliability
If multiple pumps and manifolds with adjustable feed network are implemented, then system reliability and flexibility improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each pump can serve multiple manifolds through the adjustable feed network, and each manifold can receive fuel from multiple pumps, creating a multi-functional system where components can substitute for each other, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The switchable feed network configurations provide dynamic adaptability, allowing the system to reconfigure flow paths as needed, which maintains simplicity through standardized components while achieving high reliability through flexible operation
Data Source
AI summary
A distribution station includes an adjustable feed network that connects first and second pumps with first and second manifolds. The network is switchable between first and second configurations. In the first configuration a first pump is fluidly connected with the first manifold and fluidly disconnected from the second manifold. Concurrently, the second pump is fluidly connected to the second manifold and is fluidly disconnected from the first manifold. In the second configuration the first pump is fluidly connected with the second manifold and fluidly disconnected from the first manifold, and the second pump is fluidly disconnected from the first and second manifolds.