Transportable Fracturing Additive Preparation Centre
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of managing different product streams in hydraulic fracturing operations leads to inefficiencies and increased costs, with existing equipment being disparate and requiring separate connections for dosing and injection, and the use of guar gum in hydrocarbons results in additional contaminants during water treatment.
Innovation Solution
A compact, transportable preparation centre that combines and meters two polymers in powder form, using a polymer slicing unit (PSU) for dissolution and grinding, and integrates with a high-pressure injection pump system, reducing equipment needs and eliminating the need for intermediate handling of guar gum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate pieces of equipment are used to transport, dissolve, meter out and inject different products, then each product can be handled independently, but the equipment management becomes complex and profitability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate equipment items (transport, dissolve, meter out, inject) into a single integrated preparation centre. This consolidation allows different products to be handled independently while eliminating the complexity of managing multiple disparate equipment pieces, directly resolving the technical contradiction between product handling capability and equipment management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The preparation centre is designed as a universal system that can receive, dissolve, and meter out multiple different products (polymers, crosslinking agents, etc.) through a common infrastructure. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle various products independently while maintaining a unified, easier-to-manage equipment configuration.
2Ease of operation
If guar gum is suspended in hydrocarbon for transport and then dissolved by mixing with water, then transport is enabled, but additional contaminants are introduced into water treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the hydrocarbon suspension step from the process. Instead of suspending guar gum in hydrocarbon for transport and then dissolving it in water (which introduces contaminants), the system directly handles polymer powder and dissolves it in water within the preparation centre, removing the harmful intermediate step while maintaining transport and dissolution capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of difficult-to-transport polymer materials into a benefit by using a powder form that can be easily transported in standard containers and directly dissolved in water without requiring hydrocarbon suspension. This eliminates the contaminant generation issue while maintaining operational ease.
3Productivity
If conventional dissolution units are used, then polymer dissolution is achieved, but the equipment is disparate and requires separate connections to control centre
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the dissolution function into an integrated preparation centre that also includes transport, metering, and injection capabilities. This eliminates the need for separate, disparate dissolution units and their associated separate connections to the control centre, while maintaining full dissolution capability for polymers.
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
This solution simplifies the management of fracturing fluid components, reduces equipment complexity, and minimizes contaminants in water treatment by enabling efficient on-site dissolution and metering of polymers, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and profitability.
Implementation Method 1
a device for dispersing and grinding the polymer, also referred to as a PSU (polymer slicing unit) comprising: a cone for wetting the powder polymer connected to a primary water inlet circuit; at the lower end of the cone: a dispersed polymer grinding and drainage chamber comprising: a motor-driven rotor equipped with blades; a fixed stator constituted of a cylinder equipped with thin slots
Implementation Method 2
fracturing the in-place rock by injections of water at very high pressure (200 to 600 bar)
Implementation Method 3
two series of tanks for hydration and dissolution of the polymers connected to the dispersing and grinding device via independent pipelines, the said tanks being equipped with a stirring system
Implementation Method 4
fracturing the in-place rock by injections of water at very high pressure (200 to 600 bar)
Implementation Method 5
fracturing the in-place rock by injections of water at very high pressure (200 to 600 bar), in blocking the fractures by the injection of a propping agent
Implementation Method 6
two pneumatic means respectively supplying two storage hoppers for two separate polymers, each pneumatic means being intended to be connected to a separate road tanker
Data Source
AI summary
Compact and transportable preparation center which can be used for fracturing operations on gas or oil fields, capable of metering out and dissolving two different polymers in the powder form, and including: two pneumatic mechanisms respectively supplying two storage hoppers for two separate polymers; two mechanisms for supplying and metering the polymer originating respectively from the two storage hoppers to a device for dispersing by grinding, also denoted PSU; two series of tanks for hydration and dissolution of the polymers connected to the dispersing and grinding device; two positive displacement vacuum pumps for metering the two solutions each originating from the two series of hydration and dissolution tanks and intended to supply a mixer itself connected to a high-pressure injection pump. Fracturing process employing the preparation center.