Automated Drilling-Fluid Additive Blending for Laminar Pump Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling-fluid additive systems require intermediate storage and settling tanks to eliminate turbulence after blending, leading to issues like overflow, settling, and inefficient direct injection into high-pressure pumps.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that analyzes drilling fluid in real-time, adds appropriate additives, and thoroughly blends the fluid inline, eliminating turbulence, and delivers a laminar flow for direct injection without intermediate storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If drilling mud is blended with additives in an intermediate storage and settling tank, then turbulence is eliminated, but the system becomes prone to overflowing, emptying, and additive settling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the intermediate storage and settling tank from the system entirely. Instead of blending additives in a separate tank and then transferring to a holding tank, the system blends additives directly in the flow line upstream of the high-pressure injection pump, eliminating the storage tank and its associated problems of overflow, emptying, and additive settling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the additive blending function directly with the flow line leading to the high-pressure injection pump. The blending occurs in-line rather than in a separate storage tank, merging the blending operation with the delivery system to eliminate turbulence while avoiding storage tank issues.
2Adaptability or versatility
If drilling mud is blended with additives using a semi-automated process in a storage tank, then additives are mixed with drilling mud, but turbulence is introduced that is undesirable for high-pressure injection pump feeding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical stirring and agitation system used in storage tanks with an in-line blending system that uses the existing flow of drilling mud through the flow line. The blending is achieved by injecting additives directly into the flowing mud stream, using the fluid's own motion rather than mechanical agitation, thereby eliminating turbulence generation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If an intermediate storage and settling tank is used to hold blended drilling mud, then turbulence is eliminated before pump injection, but the system requires additional processing and handling steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the intermediate storage and settling tank from the system. Blending occurs directly in the flow line, and the blended drilling mud flows directly to the high-pressure injection pump without requiring storage, settling, or additional handling steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs the additive blending action preliminarily and directly in the flow line upstream of the pump. The blending is completed just before injection, eliminating the need for subsequent storage and settling operations while ensuring the drilling mud is ready for immediate pump injection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures seamless blending and delivery of drilling fluid directly to high-pressure pumps, preventing turbulence and settling, thus enhancing operational efficiency and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a series of bent and curved baffle plates which divert, rotate, divide, reverse and otherwise create turbulence in the combined flow
Implementation Method 2
through turbulence, abrupt pressure drops and velocity changes, subdivide the added input mixture into very small volumetric quantities
Data Source
AI summary
An automated drilling-fluid additive system and method for on-site real-time analysis and additive treatment of drilling fluid to be injected into a well. The drilling fluid includes returned drilling fluid intended to be re-used, which has a variety of viscosity and other qualities resulting from its various preceding use. The target drilling fluid will have a variety of viscosity and other qualities depending upon and changing with various phases of drilling operations and various conditions encountered. The drilling fluid is analyzed in real time as it flows into the automated drilling-fluid additive system, and various additives are added to and thoroughly blended with the drilling fluid as needed to achieve the desired result. The blended drilling fluid is discharged from the automated drilling-fluid additive system in the proper condition for injection into a well.