Downstream Injection Fluid Delivery Device for Hydraulic Fracturing Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydraulic fracturing systems face significant wear and erosion due to abrasive fracking fluids, leading to costly failures of the fluid end components in frac pumps.
Innovation Solution
A fluid delivery device and method that injects fracking fluid materials downstream from the frac pump, using a system with valves and conduits to manage pressure states, allowing the base fluid to be pumped separately and mixing with materials only after the fluid end, reducing abrasive material flow through the pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fracking fluid materials are mixed with base fluid before pumping through the fluid end, then the fracking fluid can be delivered to the well head, but the abrasive materials cause wear and erosion to the fluid end components
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the fracking fluid delivery into two distinct stages: first pumping clean base fluid through the fluid end, then injecting abrasive materials downstream into the base fluid stream. This segmentation prevents abrasive materials from contacting the fluid end components while still achieving the desired fracking fluid composition at the well head.
Solution Approach 2:
The base fluid acts as an intermediary carrier that transports abrasive materials from the injection point downstream to the well head without the abrasive materials ever contacting the pump's fluid end. The base fluid protects the pump components by maintaining physical separation between the abrasive materials and the fluid end interior surfaces.
2Reliability
If fracking fluid materials are injected downstream from the frac pump, then wear on pump components is reduced, but the system complexity increases with additional injection systems and valves
Solution Approach 1:
The downstream injection system is designed to work with the existing base fluid pumping infrastructure, allowing the same fluid conduit and pumping mechanism to handle both clean base fluid and the final fracking fluid mixture. This multi-functionality reduces the need for entirely separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The base fluid is pumped through the fluid end first, establishing a clean flow path before abrasive materials are introduced downstream. This preliminary action of pumping clean fluid prepares the system and prevents abrasive materials from ever entering the fluid end, simplifying the protection mechanism.
3Productivity
If abrasive materials are continuously mixed with base fluid before pumping, then continuous fracking fluid supply is maintained, but the erosion and wear of fluid end components accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous fracking fluid supply is achieved through segmented delivery: clean base fluid flows continuously through the pump, while abrasive materials are injected continuously downstream. This maintains productivity by ensuring continuous fracking fluid supply while protecting the pump by keeping abrasive materials separate from the fluid end throughout the entire process.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid delivery device for a hydraulic fracturing system includes a fluid conduit having a fracking fluid outlet configured to be fluidly connected to a well head for delivering a fracking fluid to the well head. The fluid conduit includes a base fluid inlet configured to be fluidly connected to the outlet of a frac pump such that the fluid conduit is configured to receive a flow of base fluid from the frac pump. An injection system is fluidly connected to the fluid conduit downstream from the base fluid inlet and upstream from the fracking fluid outlet. The injection system is configured to be fluidly connected to a material source. The injection system is configured to inject at least one material of the fracking fluid from the material source into the fluid conduit downstream from the frac pump to generate the fracking fluid within the fluid conduit.