Fracturing Pump Manifold Layout UI for Automated Prime-Up Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-volume, high-pressure pumps at wellsites face efficiency and safety issues due to mechanical fatigue and human error, requiring manual calibration and operation, which can lead to decreased performance and increased risk of damage.
Innovation Solution
A renovated fracturing pump control and automation user interface provides a streamlined workflow for operators, minimizing human intervention and reducing errors through automated prime up and pressure testing, and optimizing equipment operation for consistent performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual control and adjustment of pumps is performed by human operators, then the pumps can be controlled to produce intended flow rates, but human error and mechanical fatigue lead to decreased efficiency and increased failure rates
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated pump operation where the control system self-regulates pump parameters, performs self-diagnosis, and adjusts operations without continuous human intervention. This reduces human error while maintaining reliable flow rate control through automated feedback mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements real-time feedback monitoring of pump parameters including flow rate, pressure, and operational status. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustments to maintain intended flow rates while detecting anomalies that could lead to failures, thereby improving both reliability and efficiency simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If automated prime up and pressure testing are implemented, then human intervention is minimized and errors are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system integrates multiple functions including automated priming, pressure testing, flow rate control, and diagnostic capabilities into a single unified platform. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate manual operations while managing complexity through integration rather than proliferation of separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automated priming and pressure testing as preliminary actions before main pumping operations begin. This preliminary automation eliminates manual setup steps, reduces human error potential, and ensures systems are properly configured before operation without requiring complex real-time adjustments during pumping.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods presented herein include a computing system that includes a non-transitory memory and one or more hardware processors configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to perform operations. The operations include detecting one or more pumps of a wellsite system that are activated. The operations also include generating a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface includes a pump list panel comprising one or more pump icons, each pump icon corresponding to a pump of the one or more pumps. The graphical user interface also includes a manifold layout panel comprising a manifold outline that represents an actual physical layout of one or more manifolds of the wellsite system. The operations also include receiving, via the graphical user interface, an input assigning a pump icon of the one or more pump icons onto a pump location of the manifold outline. The operations further include updating the graphical user interface to display one or more operating parameters of the pump corresponding to the pump icon proximate the pump icon.