Dual-Use Well Pad Pumping for Simultaneous Drilling and Completion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydraulic well stimulation systems require separate infrastructure for drilling and stimulation, leading to space limitations on well pads, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and safety risks due to heavy truck transportation, which limits well completion efficiency and safety.
Innovation Solution
A dual-use pump system that switches between drilling and stimulation operations, allowing simultaneous setup and operation on the same location, reducing the need for separate infrastructure and minimizing personnel and equipment transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional stimulation infrastructure is used, then well stimulation can be performed, but the equipment footprint is too large to share the well pad with drilling infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines drilling and stimulation operations into a single integrated system that operates simultaneously on the same well pad. The drilling rig is equipped with both drilling equipment and stimulation equipment, allowing both operations to coexist and share the same space, thereby reducing the overall equipment footprint and eliminating the need for separate stimulation infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drilling rig is designed to perform multiple functions - both drilling and stimulation operations. By making the rig universal, it can switch between drilling mode and stimulation mode, eliminating the need for dedicated stimulation equipment and infrastructure, thereby reducing the equipment footprint while maintaining full operational capability.
2Productivity
If drilling infrastructure is removed before stimulation infrastructure is set in place, then space is available for stimulation equipment, but the number of wells that can be completed in a time period is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous operation by allowing drilling and stimulation to occur simultaneously without requiring infrastructure removal or setup transitions. The integrated system maintains continuous productive action by switching between drilling and stimulation modes on the same equipment, eliminating idle time and infrastructure reconfiguration time, thereby increasing the number of wells completed per unit time.
3Ease of operation
If heavy trucks are used for delivery and set up of conventional stimulation infrastructure, then equipment can be transported to site, but greenhouse gas emissions increase and personnel injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the stimulation equipment from separate transportable infrastructure and integrates it directly into the drilling rig. This eliminates the need for heavy trucks to deliver and set up separate stimulation infrastructure, thereby removing the associated greenhouse gas emissions and personnel safety risks while maintaining full stimulation capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of using dual-use pump systems to reduce greenhouse emissions and completion costs that includes positioning a first pump system (“FPS”) and a drilling apparatus (“DA”) at a first well pad and a second pump system (“SPS”) at a second well pad. The method includes performing a drilling operation using the FPS and the DA on at the first well pad, and then moving the DA to the second well pad to couple with the SPS. A completion unit is then coupled to the FPS at the first well pad. While the DA performs a drilling operation using the SPS at the second well pad, the completion unit performs a completion operation using the FPS at the first well pad.