Hydraulic Fracturing Unit Profiling for Health-Based Power Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operation of hydraulic fracturing equipment at a wellsite is complex and time-consuming, particularly in determining maintenance schedules, which can lead to inaccurate assessments and reduced equipment life due to missed maintenance, resulting in potential breakdowns.
Innovation Solution
A wellsite hydraulic fracturing system with a supervisory controller that monitors and controls hydraulic fracturing units, including internal combustion engines, transmissions, and pumps, to assess health and determine maintenance needs, utilizing sensors and data to build profiles for efficient operation and maintenance scheduling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual monitoring and maintenance scheduling of hydraulic fracturing equipment is performed, then operational flexibility is maintained, but time consumption and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service monitoring where the hydraulic fracturing equipment automatically tracks its own operational parameters, maintenance history, and health status through integrated sensors and controllers. Each equipment unit generates and manages its own maintenance schedule based on actual usage data, eliminating the need for manual tracking while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where operational data from sensors is automatically processed to update equipment health assessments and adjust maintenance schedules in real-time. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt to changing operational conditions automatically, reducing time consumption while improving accuracy of maintenance scheduling.
2Measurement precision
If physical inspection of equipment is performed to determine maintenance schedules, then detailed assessment is possible, but accuracy and speed are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual physical inspection with automated electronic sensing and data processing. Sensors continuously monitor equipment parameters such as pressure, temperature, vibration, and flow rates, providing precise measurements without requiring physical inspection. This substitution maintains high measurement precision while dramatically reducing the time required for assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces intermediate sensing devices and controllers that act as mediators between the equipment and the operator. These intermediaries continuously collect and process operational data, providing accurate maintenance assessments without requiring direct physical inspection by personnel. The intermediary layer enables continuous monitoring with high precision while eliminating time-consuming manual inspection cycles.
3Ease of operation
If multiple data points are entered for each equipment before hydraulic fracturing stages, then operational control is improved, but complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal data entry interface that automatically retrieves and configures multiple equipment parameters through a single standardized process. The supervisory controller communicates with all equipment units using a common protocol, allowing operational data to be entered and managed through one unified system rather than multiple separate data entry processes for each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The equipment units automatically provide their own operational data and configuration parameters to the supervisory controller through integrated sensors and controllers. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual entry of multiple data points for each piece of equipment, simplifying the operational process while maintaining comprehensive control. The system automatically populates configuration data based on equipment identification and historical performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A methods and system to operate hydraulic fracturing units may include utilizing hydraulic fracturing unit profiles. The system may include hydraulic fracturing units may include various components. The components may include an engine and associated local controller and sensors, a transmission connected to the engine, transmission sensors, and a pump connected to the transmission and powered by the engine via the transmission and associated local controller and sensors. A supervisory controller may control the hydraulic fracturing units. The supervisory controller may be in communication with components of each hydraulic fracturing unit. The supervisory controller may include instructions to, for each hydraulic fracturing units, obtain hydraulic fracturing unit parameters, determine a hydraulic fracturing unit health assessment, and build a hydraulic unit profile including the health assessment and parameters. The supervisory controller may, based on the health assessment, determine the hydraulic fracturing unit's capability to be operated at a maximum power output.